Genrikh Yagoda (1891-1938) died on March 15, 1938 at the age of 46. He was a Soviet secret police official and prominent figure in the ruling Bolshevik Party from the early days of the dictatorship in the 1920s. Yagoda rose to become head of the NKVD, a precursor to the KGB, before eventually being arrested in 1937. He was convicted in a highly-publicized trial and executed the following year. Yagoda is perhaps most well known for his heavy-handed implementation of Joseph Stalin's policies of collectivization, repression, and terror. He also is credited with launching the Great Purge, which saw mass arrests and executions of Opposition Party members, dissidents, and anyone else Stalin deemed a threat. Genrikh Yagoda is remembered as a figure who played a key role in Joseph Stalin's rise to power.