1. How did the Great Purge, which happened in the Soviet Union during Stalin’s administration, weaken the Soviet economy? The Great Purge weakened the economy because it placed too large of a fiscal burden on the middle class. The Great Purge weakened the economy because it raised workers’ wages and salaries too high. The Great Purge weakened the economy because it decreased business taxes too quickly. The Great Purge weakened the economy because it killed or imprisoned a large portion of the population.