Vasili Ulrikh
Encyclopedia
Vasiliy Vasilievich Ulrikh (July 13, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was a senior judge of the Soviet Union
during most of the regime of Joseph Stalin
. In this capacity, Ulrikh served as the presiding judge at many of the major show trials of the Great Purges in the Soviet Union
.
, Latvia
, then a part of the Russian Empire
. His father was a Latvian revolutionary of German descent, and his mother was a Russian noblewoman. Because of their open involvement in revolutionary activity, the entire family was sentenced to a five-year period of internal exile
in Irkutsk
, Siberia.
In 1910 young Ulrikh returned to his native Riga and entered a course of study at the Riga Polytechnical Institute. He graduated in 1914, and with the beginning of World War I
he was sent to the front as an officer.
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Leon Trotsky
secured him entrance into the Cheka
. Ulrikh subsequently served on a number of military tribunals, and came to the attention of Stalin, who apparently liked the efficient way in which he carried out his duties and his terse, even laconic style of reporting these tribunals' actions.
. It was in this capacity that he handed down the pre-determined sentences of the Great Purges. Ulrikh sentenced Zinoviev
, Kamenev, Bukharin, Tukhachevsky, Rodzaevsky
and many others. He attended the executions of many of these men, and occasionally performed executions himself.
During the Great Patriotic War, Ulrikh continued to hand down death sentences to people accused of sabotage
and defeatism
. He was also the main judge during the Trial of the Sixteen
leaders of the Polish Secret State
and Armia Krajowa
in 1945, and Estonian freedom fighters.
After the conclusion of the war, Ulrikh presided over a number of the early trials of the Zhdanovshchina. In 1948 he made the mistake of exiling to Siberia a group of Ukrainian peasants instead of sentencing them to death. Stalin demanded his resignation, and he was subsequently reassigned to be the course director at the Military Law Academy. He died of a heart attack
on May 7, 1951 and was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery
in Moscow
.
and man of law, it is necessary to look at Soviet legal philosophy. In contrast to some countries that ask a judge to serve as the finder of fact and the defender of an objective process, Soviet criminal law authorized the police to serve as the finders of fact, and laid upon the judge the duty of serving as the facilitator of a verdict that could have been based upon facts that had already been discovered before the trial.
The judge was willing to preside over secret trial
s, and was able to render verdicts based on sealed evidence. The priority he placed upon time management
and efficiency made it possible for him to conduct an entire trial, including the verdict, in fifteen minutes; and he frequently utilized this ability. Ulrikh's reputation has come under severe attack from his own countrymen. Anton Antonov-Ovseenko
, for example, labeled him a "uniformed toad with watery eyes."
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during most of the regime of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. In this capacity, Ulrikh served as the presiding judge at many of the major show trials of the Great Purges in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Early life
Vasili Ulrikh was born in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, then a part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. His father was a Latvian revolutionary of German descent, and his mother was a Russian noblewoman. Because of their open involvement in revolutionary activity, the entire family was sentenced to a five-year period of internal exile
Internal Exile
Internal Exile was Fish's second solo album after leaving Marillion in 1988. The album, released 28 October 1991, was inspired by the singer's past, his own personal problems and his troubled experiences with his previous record label EMI.The album's music reflects Fish's indulgence in the vast...
in Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
, Siberia.
In 1910 young Ulrikh returned to his native Riga and entered a course of study at the Riga Polytechnical Institute. He graduated in 1914, and with the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was sent to the front as an officer.
After the Bolshevik Revolution, Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
secured him entrance into the Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
. Ulrikh subsequently served on a number of military tribunals, and came to the attention of Stalin, who apparently liked the efficient way in which he carried out his duties and his terse, even laconic style of reporting these tribunals' actions.
Career
In 1926 Ulrikh became Chairman of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSRMilitary Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR
Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR was created in 1924 to the Supreme Court of the USSR as a court for the higher military and political personnel of Red Army and Fleet...
. It was in this capacity that he handed down the pre-determined sentences of the Great Purges. Ulrikh sentenced Zinoviev
Grigory Zinoviev
Grigory Yevseevich Zinoviev , born Ovsei-Gershon Aronovich Radomyslsky Apfelbaum , was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet Communist politician...
, Kamenev, Bukharin, Tukhachevsky, Rodzaevsky
Konstantin Rodzaevsky
Konstantin Vladimirovich Rodzaevsky was the leader of the Russian Fascist Party, which he led in exile from Manchuria, chief editor of the RFP "Nash Put".-Far Eastern Fascism:...
and many others. He attended the executions of many of these men, and occasionally performed executions himself.
During the Great Patriotic War, Ulrikh continued to hand down death sentences to people accused of sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
and defeatism
Defeatism
Defeatism is acceptance of defeat without struggle. In everyday use, defeatism has negative connotation and is often linked to treason and pessimism, or even a hopeless situation such as a Catch-22...
. He was also the main judge during the Trial of the Sixteen
Trial of the Sixteen
The Trial of the Sixteen was a staged trial of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State held by the Soviet Union in Moscow in 1945.-History:Some accounts say approaches were made in February with others saying March 1945...
leaders of the Polish Secret State
Polish Secret State
The Polish Underground State is a collective term for the World War II underground resistance organizations in Poland, both military and civilian, that remained loyal to the Polish Government in Exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were put in place in the final days of the...
and Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
in 1945, and Estonian freedom fighters.
After the conclusion of the war, Ulrikh presided over a number of the early trials of the Zhdanovshchina. In 1948 he made the mistake of exiling to Siberia a group of Ukrainian peasants instead of sentencing them to death. Stalin demanded his resignation, and he was subsequently reassigned to be the course director at the Military Law Academy. He died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on May 7, 1951 and was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
His legacy
When gauging the reputation of Vasily Ulrikh as a judgeJudge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and man of law, it is necessary to look at Soviet legal philosophy. In contrast to some countries that ask a judge to serve as the finder of fact and the defender of an objective process, Soviet criminal law authorized the police to serve as the finders of fact, and laid upon the judge the duty of serving as the facilitator of a verdict that could have been based upon facts that had already been discovered before the trial.
The judge was willing to preside over secret trial
Secret trial
A secret trial is a trial that is not open to the public, nor generally reported in the news, especially any in-trial proceedings. Generally no official record of the case or the judge's verdict is made available. Often there is no indictment...
s, and was able to render verdicts based on sealed evidence. The priority he placed upon time management
Time management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
and efficiency made it possible for him to conduct an entire trial, including the verdict, in fifteen minutes; and he frequently utilized this ability. Ulrikh's reputation has come under severe attack from his own countrymen. Anton Antonov-Ovseenko
Anton Antonov-Ovseenko
Anton Vladimirovich Antonov-Ovseyenko is a Russian historian and writer.He is the son of a Bolshevik military leader Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko....
, for example, labeled him a "uniformed toad with watery eyes."