What is the secret meaning of 1937? What were the true scales of the “Great Terror”, not those exaggerated by anti-Stalinist propaganda? Why was it necessary to purge the party, state security agencies and the army? Did anti-Soviet conspiracies really exist? Should we consider the mass repressions a manifestation of Stalin’s “paranoia” - or did they have completely rational reasons? Was the Great Purge of 1937 the “crime of the century” - or a painful but absolutely necessary measure? And most importantly: if Stalin had lost in the political struggle, would the victory of his opponents have been a benefit for the country? Answering the most difficult questions of history, this book unravels the main mystery of the Stalin era and convincingly proves: EVERYTHING WAS NOT AT ALL AS THE TEXTBOOKS LIE!