Another key factor which can be seen to influence the purges more than Stalin's personality, were his motives behind the terror. There is the suggestion that Stalin believed he was acting in the interest of the party, by ridding of any likely opposition, as opposition did seem to be growing. This was because it can be said that he genuinely believed that someone else in his posistion of power would lead to the downfall of Russia, and the removal or reversal of his policies could lead to a disaster. There is some basis is this motive, as an example is Kirov, who had opposed the pace of industrialization, and had been a potential threat and focal point of opposistion to Stalin's power, as Stalin had demanded that critics of him should be arrested and executed, whilst Kirov argued against this policy. When the vote was taken, the majority of the Politburo supported Kirov against Stalin. This shows that Stalin had reason to be worried, and that as his policies were being questioned, they could be reversed if he was overpowered, further threatening Russia. Not only did Stalin see examples like this as a threat to Russia and his power, there was also the threat of an coming war, as Hitler had been made chancellor of Germany and had an anti-communist stance and had a policy of giving 'space' for Germans in Eastern Europe, suggesting it was the USSR that Germany would fight. Stalin felt the need to remove anybody who might oppose his foreign policy and interfere with his war plans, and also anyone, like Kirov, who disapproved of the pace of the industrialization, as the Soviet Union needed to create weapons and armaments to fight the war. It can be suggested that Stalin purged the party to make the revolution safe from external threats. On the other hand, if it was Stalin's motives that brought about the purges, there is little proof to what Stalin achieved by setting quotas for the number of people purged for geographical areas and public bodies. Also, by deliberately targeting relations to those who posed a threat, it can show evidence that there were little rational motives behind the attacks, proving it was just the ruthless aspect of Stalin's personality that caused the purges. In turn, although there were a number of motives behind the beginning of the purges, as Stalin felt threatened by growing opposition and from the threat of war, motives can not be used to explain the extent of those exiled or killed.
The difficult economic problems at the time can also be used to explain the extent of the purges and the reasoning behind them. These included that problems with the current Five-Year-Plan, which was falling behind schedule as it was failing to meet the production levels for coal and oil, as well as a bad harvest that Russia was experiencing. Due to these difficulties, it is often suggested that there was a need to find scapegoats for the economic failures, amongst managers and workers. Robert Manning suggests that 'the economic problems and the Great purges appear to be inexorably linked', and as technical problems increased, faulty products grew and a lack of experienced workers led to damage of machinery, it felt it was needed to show that difficulties were happening due to enemy sabotage and wrecking, increasing the need to purge. Nevertheless, what started as a genuine need to rid of those who were damaging the economy, workers were often only too happy to identify managers as the root of their problems, with it often getting out of control, showing that it was the Russian people who spread the purges. Overall, economic problems were an underlying problem that helped provide a reason for the purges, but can show that it was mainly due to the russian people that let the purges spiral out of control.
Finally, there is evidence to prove that it was the position of the NKVD that brought the purges forward with such vigor, as it was seen in the interest of them as an institution. Some suggest that if the purges were not at the forefront of people's minds, the other key elements of the USSR, such as forced collectivization, would make the NKVD less indispensable, but the purges were used to raise their profile and allow them to become one of the leading institutions of the Soviet Union. By using target fulfillments, such as the 80,000 which was over fulfilled in Georgia, and working their way through the armed forces, such as Tukhachevsky, a leading civil war general, the NKVD were able to be seen as powerful. Also, as Stalin was wiping out his best commanders with war looming, there is a powerful indication that the terror had gone further than Stalin had ever expected it to, suggesting that it was mainly the NKVD's position and the role of ordinary Russians, rather than Stalin's ruthless personality; ordinary Russians started posing a threat to one another and can be seen as one of the sole reasons why the purges went so far, because there was great social instability at the time. The five-year-plans had created a terribly unstable society and there was a great deal of hostility within the cities and countryside, and as the campaign encouraged people to denounce officials, this tended to spiral out of control and gained a momentum of its own. Although this is true, Stalin was convinced that the armed forced would not carry out his policies, and Tukhachevsky himself had come into conflict with Stalin before. This could show that Stalin put his own rivalries and conflicts before the threat of war on Russia, proving that it was his ruthless, vengeful personality that provided the momentum for most of the purges, instead of doing what was right for Russia.
Overall, Stalin's personality played a huge role in the reasons behind the purges, as he is often portrayed as an insecure, vengeful leader that felt the need to secure his grip on power by ridding of those who might oppose him, such as Kirov. Although he achieved this, it is not fair to say that Stalin's personality was the sole reason behind the extent of the purges, as there were many other contributing factors. Stalin had several motives behind his attack, as he needed to secure Russia from war and it is often perceived that Stalin truly believed that he was the only one who could drive Russia forward through industrialization, highlighted by his idealized view of himself and the economic problems they were facing at the time. Also, there is the suggestion that the NKVD felt the need to prove their worth, and momentum often began to build from below, with ordinary Russians feeling the need to denounce work colleagues, often to protect themselves. On the other hand, although Stalin's personality was most likely not the sole reason for how far the purges extended to, it can be blamed for the increasing numbers of those purges and executed, as although Lenin purged the party through the early 1920s, very few were executed under him, and t can only be described as Stalin's ruthless and vengeful personality that started humiliating attacks such as forced confession and execution, therefore setting the purges in motion.