POLB92H3 Lecture 8: Lecture 8--Stalinist Terror.docx
Document Summary
Terror during the bolsheviks during the civil war. Cheka (predecessor of the kgb and secret police) formed in response to strikes from the opposition. Attempted assassination of lenin, which made the bolshevik party more paranoid. Lenin never predicted or wanted a secret police. He predicted the state to dissolve with the rise of socialism. Targeted at whole classes--taking power away from the upper class. Promoted by bolsheviks as social revenge against bourgeoisie. Internationally: western capitalist powers intervene on communism. Domestically: power based on very small working class. Fear for survival rely heavily on coercion increased opposition fear for survival. The end of the war didn"t give immediate peace. The kronstadt rebellion (the sailor"s rebellion) was distinctive because they were the working class, the vanguard, helped the bolsheviks gain power originally. Their own social class was fighting against them! The civil war was brutal (red terror) and the bolsheviks lost many of their original supporters.
