Purge
Encyclopedia
In history
, religion
, and political science
, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government
, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment
or exile of those purged, but in some cases they will simply be removed from office. Restoring people who have been purged is known as rehabilitation
.
's Pride's Purge
. In 1648, the moderate members of the English Long Parliament
were purged by the army. Parliament would suffer subsequent purges under the Commonwealth including the purge of the entire House of Lords
. Counter-revolutionaries such as royalists were purged as well as more radical revolutionaries such as the Levellers
. After the Restoration
, obstinate republicans were purged while some fled to New England
.
The Shanghai massacre of 1927
and the Night of the Long Knives
of 1934, in which the leader of a political party turned against and liquidated a particular section or group within the party, are commonly called "purges" while mass expulsions on grounds of ethnic unreliability, such as the Crimean Tatars
and the Japanese-American internment are not.
The term "purge" is often associated with the Stalinist
and Maoist
regimes. While leading the USSR, Joseph Stalin imprisoned and executed, i.e. purged, "wreckers", or citizens accused of plotting against communism. The most notorious of CPSU purges was the Great Purge
initiated by Joseph Stalin
during the 1930s.
Though sudden and violent purges are notable, most purges are relatively peaceful, for example the periodic massive purges of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on grounds of apathy or dereliction, or the purge of Jews
and political dissenters from the German Civil Service in 1933-34. Deng Xiaoping
was known for having returned to power several times after having been purged.
After France's liberation by the Allies
in 1944, purges were processed by the Free French and mostly the French Resistance
against former collaborationists, the so-called "vichystes
". The legal term was known as épuration légale
("legal purge"). Similar processes in other countries and on other occasions were denazification
and decommunization
.
of documents or records. These documents can be soft copy
such as database records, file
s or software; or it can be hard copy
such as physical files, printed documents, hard disk
s, etc.
In many countries, laws require certain records to be stored for a specific period (usually 7 years). They can be purged afterwards. Physical files are usually shredded.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
or exile of those purged, but in some cases they will simply be removed from office. Restoring people who have been purged is known as rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
.
Historical use of the term
The earliest use of the term itself was the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
's Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
. In 1648, the moderate members of the English Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
were purged by the army. Parliament would suffer subsequent purges under the Commonwealth including the purge of the entire House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Counter-revolutionaries such as royalists were purged as well as more radical revolutionaries such as the Levellers
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They came to prominence at the end of the First...
. After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, obstinate republicans were purged while some fled to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
The Shanghai massacre of 1927
Shanghai massacre of 1927
The April 12 Incident of 1927 refers to the violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party organizations in Shanghai by the military forces of Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang...
and the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
of 1934, in which the leader of a political party turned against and liquidated a particular section or group within the party, are commonly called "purges" while mass expulsions on grounds of ethnic unreliability, such as the Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
and the Japanese-American internment are not.
The term "purge" is often associated with the Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
and Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
regimes. While leading the USSR, Joseph Stalin imprisoned and executed, i.e. purged, "wreckers", or citizens accused of plotting against communism. The most notorious of CPSU purges was the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
initiated by 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...
during the 1930s.
Though sudden and violent purges are notable, most purges are relatively peaceful, for example the periodic massive purges of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on grounds of apathy or dereliction, or the purge of Jews
Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service
The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service , also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-establish the Civil Service, was a law passed by the National Socialist regime on April 7, 1933, two months after Adolf...
and political dissenters from the German Civil Service in 1933-34. Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
was known for having returned to power several times after having been purged.
After France's liberation by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
in 1944, purges were processed by the Free French and mostly the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
against former collaborationists, the so-called "vichystes
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
". The legal term was known as épuration légale
Épuration légale
The Épuration légale was the wave of official trials that followed the Liberation of France and the fall of the Vichy Regime...
("legal purge"). Similar processes in other countries and on other occasions were denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
and decommunization
Decommunization
Decommunization is a process of overcoming the legacies of the communist state establishments, culture, and psychology in the post-Communist states. It is similar to denazification after Nazism fell...
.
Purged record
"Purging" is often used in relations to the removal or shreddingPaper shredder
A paper shredder is a mechanical device used to cut paper into chad, typically either strips or fine particles. Government organizations, businesses, and private individuals use shredders to destroy private, confidential, or otherwise sensitive documents...
of documents or records. These documents can be soft copy
Soft copy
Soft copy and hard copy are types of output.A soft copy is the unprinted digital document file. This term is often contrasted with hard copy...
such as database records, file
File
File or filing may refer to:Tools:* File * Filing * Nail filePaper or computer records:* File folder, a folder for holding loose papers* Filing cabinet or file cabinet...
s or software; or it can be hard copy
Hard copy
In information handling, a hard copy is a permanent reproduction, or copy, in the form of a physical object, of any media suitable for direct use by a person , of displayed or transmitted data...
such as physical files, printed documents, hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
s, etc.
In many countries, laws require certain records to be stored for a specific period (usually 7 years). They can be purged afterwards. Physical files are usually shredded.