The characteristic of a totalitarian regime such as communism is the elimination of political opponents, impostors, and anyone suspected of being able to pose a potential danger and threatened the power of the dictator. Thus, in order to eliminate all undesirable elements, but also to demonstrate his power and send a message to everyone who might try to endanger him, Stalin conducted Great Purge which was a campaign of political repression between 1936 and 1938, where leaders of the Communist Party, government officials, Red Army leaders were removed. According to estimates in 1937 and 1938, between 600,000 and 1,200,000 people were killed.
The answer is: 2.
