Lenin's Red Terror

Lenin’s Rule was authoritarian in that it operated on the basis of terror and compliance. As seen in the article, Lenin’s first step as Chairman was to “create a secret police that would search for foreign agents, the former Tsar spies, and all those who objected to the peaceful construction of communism.” The Cheka (secret police) would identify anyone who was suspected of being anti-communist or opposing of the government, deeming them “enemies of the people”. The slightest anti-revolutionary rumor could elicit a person’s arrest or execution, and many arrested were sent to slave labor camps or executed without trial. As there never was a set of standard procedures set up, the arrests were especially arbitrary and inequitable. Anyone who the

In the article, it is said that during the campaign, “every person suspected of anti-revolutionary activity would be tried and shot.” The Red Terror campaigns were mass repressions conducted by the Cheka. It was an assertion of power to the counter-revolutionaries or the “Whites”. As the Russian Civil War progressed, multitudinous people were executed for being more affluent or in the “possessing classes” at the time. For example, a significant target group during the Red Terror was the Kulaks. These were the so-called “richer farmers”, who in definition were the most enterprising, had ‘title machines’ and a few animals. Lenin referred to them as “bloodsuckers” and blamed them for resisting the requisitioning of their grain. Under the predomination of Lenin, the Cheka practiced terror tactics like the purging of myriads of hostages. An estimated 50,000 to 200,000 people were annihilated during the campaign, not including those who perished due to brutal torture and who were slaughtered during the revolts. Undoubtedly, Lenin’s government was bloodthirsty; they ruled with an iron fist and had utter disregard for the people’s feelings, striving to create a fully tractable

At the time, Russia was still in the midst of Civil War. Their economy was maimed and the people were disgruntled with their living standards. Without a show of power, counter-revolutionaries may rampage, causing consternation and antagonizing the situation. To avoid retardation of the rebuilding of Russia’s economy, it was inevitable that Lenin imposed authoritarian rule. Although he sacrificed the people’s liberty, it was in a way for the ‘collective good’ as it lead to increased productivity and efficiency, rejuvenating Russia’s economy. Nevertheless, I feel that Lenin may have overdone it. He slaughtered millions of his own people, subjecting many to utmost suffering. Instead of carrying out such barbarous massacres he could have used alternative methods to win support, like propaganda. He was willing to carry out brutal measures for the advancement of Russia without making an attempt at a more civilized way of