The Great Purge of 1936-1938 in the Soviet Union can be roughly divided into four periods: October 1936 - February 1937Reforming the security organizations, adopting official plans for purging the elites.March 1937 - June 1937Purging the Elites; The higher powers then started to cut off heads of the poor. Adoption of plans for the mass repressions against the "social base" of the potential aggressors, start of purging the "opposition" from the "elites".July 1937 - October 1938Mass repressions against "kulaks", "dangerous" ethnic minorities, family members of opposition members, military officers, Saboteurs in agriculture and industry.November 1938 - 1939So called Beria thaw: stopping of mass operations, abolition of many organs which imposed extrajudicial executions, punishment of some org