History Main / ThePurge

%%zce* In ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'', this is the backstory, as well as an analogy about ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' and ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' signaling the end of UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}.

** After the Heresy, the Imperium proceeded to perform their own purge of all remaining traitor forces, in an event known as The Scouring. This included ''subjecting traitor worlds to Exterminatus'' so that they could never rise again. Considering just how bad the Heresy was, this was one of the few times in fiction where the purge was ''completely'' {{Justified}}.

** The {{Shinigami}} enacted a Purge of the [[ArcherArchetype Quincy]] clan of human exorcists 200 years ago in order to prevent a disruption in the cosmic balance. The few surviving families gradually died out until only the Ishida were left.

* After [[spoiler:Ping Yang Hou's coup]] in ''Manhua/GoddessCreationSystem'' he begins eliminating threats and people who won't bend to his whims, which causes more and more ministers and even family members to turn against him. They don't feel safe.
* [[GeneralRipper Tols Angus]] of ''Manhua/MyWifeIsTheDemonQueen'' purges the heads of several squads offscreen as part of his consolidation of power.

As the Real Life sub-page attests, this is often TruthInTelevision. The strongest threats to an organization are often from within, and consolidation of power often includes removing those threats--rivals, opposition leaders, and prominent critics--as swiftly and permanently as possible. If the people being purged were instrumental to the regime coming to power in the first place,[[note]](such as elite figures within the now-ruling party who are seen as potential rivals to its higher leadership, or a free press that laundered the ascendent party's reputation to the public, or a bloc of the voting public who voted for campaign promises [[ILied that wouldn't be kept]])[[/note]] this is a mass case of YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness. Ironically, extensive early purges often lead to instability later on when the loss of talent, experience, and dissenting opinion creates an incompetent YesMan culture and sets up a SuccessionCrisis because of the power vacuum. As well, the assassinations plant the seeds of LaResistance, as the grieving family members yearn to seek revenge.

Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/ThePurgeUniverse'', although it is an example of this trope.

Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/ThePurge'', although it is an example of this trope.

* ''Series/ThePurge'': Set ten years after the first Purge.

* ''VideoGame/LibraryOfRuina'': One of the most bizzare aspects of the City is the "Night of the Backstreets", described as an event where "all crimes are legal" just like the [[Film/ThePurge flim with the same name of this trope]]. Syndicates will be out to slaughter each other, Association Leaders can be executed out in the open and large groups of Sweepers crawl out of the woodwork to cannibalize on any poor sod who runs into them. The only thing that's not allowed is breaking into residential areas, and if you record anything during that time as evidence against a certain group, the Head will send a Claw to kill you. It's implied that all of these are sponsored by the Head to kill off the homeless.

* ''Film/ThePurge'':

As some of the ''other'' real-life examples show, though, a purge isn't necessarily lethal. New leadership may simply decide to replace existing officials with their own choices, with the old officials simply losing their jobs, rather than their lives. The officials may be transferred to Antarctica, exiled to a BleakBorderBase, or jailed on trumped-up charges.

* ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'' has several examples:

** Shortly after coming to power, Phobos had the entirety of the rest of Meridian's nobility [[AFeteWorseThanDeath murdered at a ball]] in order to prevent any rival claimants to the throne.

* ''Fanfic/TheWillOfTheEmpire'': In order to ensure that Vader's final orders -- naming Luke as heir to the Imperial throne -- are carried out, Admiral Piett and his allies take steps to eliminate as much of the [[CardCarryingVillain card-carrying]] old guard as possible. They start by assembling all the most influential figures (Pestage, Isard, Lumiya and others) for a meeting on Coruscant, and launch an [[DecapitationStrike attack to kill them all]]. Then they go after all the high-ranking Moffs, bureaucrats, and military officers who might refuse to accept Luke's leadership, sending troops after those in the Core and putting out bounties for those further afield.

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'': While the Imperial Navy is busy battling the Republic fleet during the first contact battle at Pzob, Orion Phatris takes advantage of the Navy being distracted by having his Skywatch Space Marines covertly board the now undefended civilian transports of the Imperial refugee fleet to assassinate various planetary governors, nobles, and anyone else who could potentially challenge his newfound claim to leadership over the Imperials.

When a character, usually a villain, takes over TheGovernment, TheSyndicate, the AncientConspiracy, does TheCoup or otherwise takes power in some way, often the first item on the character's agenda is ordering the deaths of many characters. Usually, these characters are key members of the old regime, or represent the only serious internal threat to the new one. These aren't just {{Muggles}}, though; these are characters we know (and possibly love) from before, usually killed off via a quick montage cutting between several locations. No big ceremony, just them dying horribly. This is an effective way to drive home the power and ruthlessness of the new regime. A DeathMontage may be used.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'':

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'':

** ''Film/ThePurgeElectionYear'' has the government lift the exception for the upper class to get rid of a political candidate trying to end the Purge, only [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard for them to end up being targeted by it]].[[spoiler:The anti-purge candidate wins the election, and the pro-purge population starts rioting in response.]]

* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs. Warhammer 40K]]'': While the Imperial Navy is busy battling the Republic fleet during the first contact battle at Pzob, Orion Phatris takes advantage of Navy being distracted by having his Skywatch Space Marines covertly board the now undefended civilian transports of the Imperial refugee fleet to assassinate various planetary governors, nobles, and anyone else who could potentially challenge his newfound claim to leadership over the Imperials.

* According to the opening narration of ''Film/SixTheMarkUnleashed'', The Leader killed 89 million people in North America alone during the first Purge, with the death toll presumably much higher in third-world countries. One of the people killed in the event was the narrator's girlfriend.

** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Palpatine's Order 66 shows Jedi all over the galaxy being ruthlessly murdered by their own clone troopers. Though we don't see much of it, there's also Anakin/Darth Vader's leading the 501st Legion into the Jedi Temple to murder the Jedi-in-Training, [[DeathOfAChild down to the last child]]. After that, there's the massacre of the Separatist leaders by Vader, while Palpatine gives a NewEraSpeech reforming TheRepublic into TheEmpire. The last one was specifically shot as a ShoutOut to ''Film/TheGodfather'' (see above). In ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', Luke Skywalker comments that such purges later became standard Imperial procedure with planetary governors semi-regularly making dissenters disappear.

* In ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'', protagonist Souma Kazuya enacts a plan to gather all the corrupt nobles within Elfrieden, albeit in two stages. First, Duke Carmine pretends to rebel against him so the nobles who are openly opposing Souma will gather around him and they can be taken out in one fell swoop. After the war against Amidonia ends, Souma sets up a trial for Castor Vargas and his daughter Carla for their previous insurrection. Only two of the major heads of the noble houses vouch for them to be spared, while the other ten insist in their execution, and the latter ten are promptly executed while the remaining two are spared. Soma himself even quotes Machiavelli (see below) on how he carried this out.

* OlderThanFeudalism: In ''Literature/TheBible'', Solomon began his reign by having a number of people previously spared by David executed.

When a character, usually a villain, takes over TheGovernment, TheSyndicate, the AncientConspiracy, does TheCoup or otherwise takes power in some way, often the first item on the character's agenda is ordering the deaths of many characters. Usually, these characters represent the only serious internal threat to the new regime. These aren't just {{Muggles}}, though; these are characters we know (and possibly love) from before, usually killed off via a quick montage cutting between several locations. No big ceremony, just them dying horribly. This is an effective way to drive home the power and ruthlessness of the new regime.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Wanted}}'', this is the backstory, as well as an analogy about ''ComicBook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'' and ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' signaling the end of UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}.

** Technically speaking, [[BlackKnight Kyril]] and [[TheHighQueen Celestine's]] efforts to eliminate [[{{PMC}} the Black Dogs]] (who stages a MilitaryCoup against Eostia) plus any [[TheMole traitorous]], [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized rebellious]] elements count as a gradual, story-wide, non-villainous example. They may be the protagonists, and anyone on the receiving end of this purge [[PayEvilUntoEvil certainly deserve it]], yet at the end of it all, they are consolidating power by removing threats to the country.

As the Real Life sub-page attests, this is often TruthInTelevision. The strongest threats to an organization are often from within, and consolidation of power often includes removing those threats--rivals, opposition leaders, and prominent critics--as swiftly and permanently as possible. Ironically, extensive early purges often lead to instability later on when the loss of talent, experience, and dissenting opinion creates an incompetent YesMan culture and sets up a SuccessionCrisis because of the power vacuum. As well, the assassinations plant the seeds of LaResistance, as the grieving family members yearn to seek revenge.

As some of the ''other'' real-life examples show, though, a purge isn't necessarily lethal. New leadership may simply decide to replace existing officials with their own choices, with the old officials simply losing their jobs, rather than their lives. The officials may be transferred to Antarctica, exiled to a BleakBorderBase, or jailed on trumped-up charges.

* In the Star Trek novel series ''Literature/TerokNor'', Cardassian Central Command destroys the Oralian Way religion (although pockets manage to survive) in a purge of believers in the enclaves on Bajor. The Oralians had already fled persecution on Cardassia, but Central Command had its eyes on Bajor, too.