The 1953 amnesty in Chelyabinsk region: implementation and fight with consequences

The article focuses on the history of power struggle among several political groups after J. Stalin’s death. The unfolding struggle raised the urgent issue of restoring legality and weakening the repressive apparatus, including the reorganization of the Gulag system. The first practical step in this direction was the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR «On amnesty» dated March 27, 1953. Since then party and Soviet authorities throughout Russia started its implementation. The leadership of the Chelyabinsk region also joined these activities. Party and Soviet authorities worked closely with the law enforcement agencies of the region. The article examines the implementation of the Decree «On Amnesty» dated March 27, 1953 in the Chelyabinsk region and the problems arising in this regard. The documentary base of the research includes the published Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR, as well as the Party Fund materials of the United State Archive of the Chelyabinsk region. Some of the documents are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.