At "show" trials during the Great Purge suspects often

The show trials in the Great Purge made suspects often to commit their crimes which they would have possibly not committed.

Explanation: The Great Purge is referred to as the trials held in Soviet Union during the late years of 1930 in which the prominent Old Bolsheviks were imprisoned and executed in the charges of being guilty in treason. The trials tortured the suspects to make them commit for the charges which were furnished by the secret police.  

Further Explanation:

The new Soviet Constitution was introduced in the year of 1936 which guaranteed its citizens with the protection from arbitrary arrests. The Great Purge was ironically a repressive methodology by the then President of Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin which intended the elimination of several Old Bolsheviks and government officials.

Thus, the secret police launched against them with the fabricated charges which were proven during “show trials” by their confessionary statements. The show trials thus refer to the form of trial held with the intention of justifying the trial in the eyes of public.

The elimination of the old communists or government officials was a way in which Stalin could overcome the opposition of not following the line of Vladimir Lenin, the founding father of communism in Soviet Russia. The Great Purge is hence said to be the methodology adopted by Stalin to suppress any kind of opposition emerging or sort to be emerging for him.  

they spoke with the president

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