The Collector’s Encyclopaedia · Signatories · Security services
Nikolai Yezhov (1895–1940): Signature, Documents and Historical Profile
| Born | 1895, St Petersburg |
|---|---|
| Died | February 1940 (executed) |
| Key office | Head of the NKVD (26 September 1936 – December 1938) |
| Documents bearing his name | NKVD orders and documents of 1936–38 |
| In the collection | No pieces currently available |
Nikolai Yezhov headed the NKVD during the harshest phase of the Great Terror, known as the Yezhovshchina. He was then arrested and shot himself, and his image was removed from official photographs.
Who Was Nikolai Yezhov?
Yezhov was born in St Petersburg in 1895. On 26 September 1936 he succeeded Genrikh Yagoda as head of the NKVD and ran the mass arrests and executions of the following two years. Lavrentiy Beria replaced him in December 1938.
What Documents Bear Yezhov’s Signature?
His signature appears on NKVD orders and documents of 1936–38, which are records of mass repression.
Soviet documents bring their own checks. Signatures are usually in Cyrillic, and official papers combine typed text, printed forms, ink signatures and round seals. A collector should read the Russian text, compare the office named with the date, and remember that Soviet state papers were often reproduced, so many documents carry a printed or stamped signature rather than ink.
What Should Collectors Watch For?
- Read the Cyrillic text and check the office against the date.
- Distinguish ink signatures from printed or stamped ones.
- Soviet-era reproductions and later commemorative items are common.
- Ask for documented provenance on any important piece.
Responsibility and Fate
Yezhov was arrested in April 1939 and executed in February 1940. Afterwards his figure was retouched out of photographs, which made him known as “the vanishing commissar”.
Collector’s Note
Yezhov’s disappearance from photographs is a reminder that the Soviet state altered its own records. Collectors of Soviet material should keep that in mind when assessing any image or document.
Related Entries and Pieces
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Yezhovshchina?
The harshest phase of the Great Terror, under Yezhov’s leadership of the NKVD.
What happened to Yezhov?
He was arrested in 1939 and executed in February 1940.
Who replaced Yezhov?
Lavrentiy Beria, in December 1938.
Historical Responsibility Notice: this entry documents historical figures and artefacts of the Soviet period for collecting, preservation, education and research. It does not endorse or glorify any ideology, and it is written in memory of the victims of political repression and war.
References & Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Nikolay Ivanovich Yezhov.