The Red Terror Flashcards
Why was Lenin forced to rely upon coercion?
Lenin lacked a broad base of support
The regime was fighting for survival and attacking enemies within at the same time
What were Bolshevik attitudes to the terror?
Many were unapologetic
Why was the ‘Red Terror’ launched?
The Red Terror was launched in August 1918, in response to the second assassination attempt on Lenin
It was really just an intensification of what was already happening
How were the Bolsheviks’ political enemies affected?
The Cheka rounded up SRs, Mensheviks, anarchists and others
They were more often shot than imprisoned
Between 1918-1920, how many were shot by the Cheka?
Around 500,000
What mission were the Cheka given?
Carrying out class warfare
What were the bourgeoisie accused of?
Plotting counterrevolution
Who was targeted by the Red Terror?
All ages and all levels of society
By 1921, how many concentration camps had been set up?
84
By 1924, how many concentration camps had been set up?
315
To what date did indiscriminate terror continue?
April 1919
By 1920, what did the Cheka’s military force number?
250,000
What did the establishment of concentration camps show?
That Lenin employed terror as an instrument of policy
What did an official at the Commissariat of Justice say?
“We must execute not only the guilty. Execution of the innocent will impress the masses even more.”
