A purge in real life refers to the removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. It can be either nonviolent or violent, with the former often resolved by the simple removal of those who have been purged from office, and the latter often resolved by the imprisonment, exile, or murder of those who have been purged. While sudden and violent purges are notable, most purges do not involve immediate execution or imprisonment.
The movie franchise "The Purge" depicts a dystopian America in the near future where all crimes are legal for 12 hours a year, and no emergency personnel are available. However, purges depicted in the movies contain hordes of lawless criminals, and no such event has happened in real life.
According to Looper, a weeklong "celebration" called Saturnalia took place in ancient Rome from December 17th to December 25th, which allowed people to do anything they wished without worrying about the consequences. Due to this, there was a high volume of vandalism and violence that took place, and most of the people took part in this, leading to the closure of Roman courts for this duration. However, this is not a modern-day purge.
In conclusion, while purges have happened in history, they are not a common occurrence in modern times, and the concept of a real-life purge is mostly fictional.
