* war and social upheaval: Soviet Communism secret police








Soviet Communism: Secret Police (1918-91)


Figure 1.--

The Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries were brutally treated by the Ocrana, the Tsarist Secret Police. After the Bolsheviks seized power, many included Lenin were convinced that they needed their own secret police to deal with counter revolutionaries. The Bolshevik secret police was created only 2 months after the October Revolution (December 1917). The Bolshevik used the Cheka to firmly establish their rule. It was to be temporary expedient that Lenin assured the population that would be dibanded when the party has consolidated their hold on power. The Cheka was organized by Feliks Dzerzhinskii. It was at first only authorized to investigate "counterrevolutionary" crimes. In the struggle with counter-revolutionaries, however, the Cheka began a much broader campaign against of terror against the propertied classes. The Cheka often resorted to summary execution without trials. Some Bolsheviks were outraged with the Cheka's brutality. Lenin and other Bolsheviks were convinced that the Cheka's campaign of terror was necessary. While the Bolshevik's victory in the Civil War (1918-21) Lenin did disband the Cheka. The responsibilities were transferred to the State Political Directorate/United Department of Political Police (OGPU/GPU) (1922). The power of the GPU were more limited than that of the Cheka. This changed, however, with the rise to power of Joseph Stalin. Stalin perpetually obsessed with threats to his power again invested the secret police with virtually limitless extra-llegal powers. The GPU was renamed the People's Comissariat (later Ministry) for Internal Affairs (NKVD/MVD) (1934). Under Stalin the secret police were no longer subject to party control or any legal constraints. The NKVD was authorize to act against subversive elements, oversee prisons and labor camps, as well as the reducation of political prisoners. The NKVD became the person tool of Stalin which used it not only to purge the Pary but to wage a campaign of terror against the Soviet people. Stalin in the 1930s initiated a campaign against peasants to collectivize agriculture which was followed by purges and the Great Terror. Stalin conventiently purged the heads of the secret police that carried out his crimes. His last secret police head was Lavrenti Beria. When Stalin died (1953), the Soviet leadership purged Beria from the Communist Party and had him executed before he could use his power to seize power himself. The NKVD in the de-Stalinization era was renamed the KGB. The Gulag was slowly reduced and the Stalinist Terror receeded. The Soviets leaders, however, until the advent of Gorbechev continued to use the secret police to suppress political and religious thought and to act without any real legal constraint. The KGB acted on its own during the late 1980s to resist Gorbechev's efforts to open Soviet society and played a key role in organizing the attempted coup against Gorbechev (August 1991).

Russian/Soviet Secret Police

The Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries were brutally treated by the Ocrana, the Tsarist Secret Police. After the Bolsheviks seized power, many included Lenin were convinced that they needed their own secret police to deal with counter revolutionaries. The first Soviet secret police force was the Cheka. The name was changed over time and the powers varied, but the thrust of all these different manifestations was essentially the same, to ensure the survival of the Bolshevik/Communist Party and to prevent any critism of the Party and Party leaders. From the beginnung the process turned deadly, far eclisping any actiins conducted by the Ocrana. Importat vBolshevijs were proud of what they did. The Red Terror was aerm adopted by the Bolsheviks themsselves. Under Stalin the terror operations of the OGPU/NKVD reached unprecendented proportions even launching a famine to destroy the Ukranian peasantry. From the beginning, the operation of these organizations rejected thec idea that the individual had rights and values. What was importantvwas the state and it was the individual's responsibility was to serve the state. And with the rise of Stalin, this idea of serving the state became fused with the idea of ensuring Stalin's personal power. This was ended by Khreschev and the Destalinizatiin effort (1956), but the view of the individual did not chsnge.

Ocrana

The Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries were brutally treated by the Ocrana, the Tsarist Secret Police. The Soviet authors severly criticised the Ocrana. The actual numbers of people executed are, however, stateling. One journalist tells us, "During the last 120 years of the Tsarist regime, roughly 3,500 people were executed for political crimes, most of them in the 20th century in the years of revolutionary terror. The Bolshevik regime exceeded that figure within its first four months and the situation rapidly became worse. As discontent spread throughout the country, Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet secret police (originally called the Cheka, later the NKVD), introduced the Red Terror, which distinguished a person�s guilt from his actions. Now people were going to be killed on the basis not of individual guilt, but of belonging to a specific class." [Satter] We know know tht the executions rose into the millions of people killed. The difference between the Ocrana and the Cheka was simply Christianity which conveys value on the individual and Communism which does not. This is something that modern secularists and socialists do not like to mebtion, but is clear, Christianhs histirically have been guilty of violtions of individual rughts, but basic Christian morality imposes limits on those abuses. The secuklar totalitarians (Communists, Fascists, and NAZIs) as the history of the 20th century demonstate recognized no moral limits as we see with the killing of millions of people because of social or erhnic/national origins.

Cheka (1917-22)

After the Bolsheviks seized power, many included Lenin were convinced that they needed their own secret police to deal with counter revolutionaries. The Bolshevik secret police was created only 2 months after the October Revolution (December 1917). The Bolshevik used the Cheka to firmly establish their rule. It was to be temporary expedient that Lenin assured the population that would be dibanded when the party has consolidated their hold on power. The Cheka was organized by Feliks Dzerzhinskii. It was at first only authorized to investigate 'counterrevolutionary' crimes. In the struggle with counter-revolutionaries, however, the Cheka began a much broader campaign against of terror against the propertied classes. Dzerzhinsky introduced the Red Terror, which distinguished a person�s guilt from his actual actions. One of Dzerzhinsky�s deputies, Martyn Latsis, advised inrtogators during investigations, it was not necessary to look for evidence 'that the accused acted in word and deed against Soviet power.' The first question to be put to him is, 'To what class does he belong? What is his origin? What is his education or profession? It is these questions that ought to determine his fate.' [Latsis] This was how the Cheka and its subsequent manifestations meaning Soviet justice operated. The secret police became the instrument for destroying members of an entire class and their descendents who never possessed property, but were still punished or descriminated against. The Cheka often resorted to summary execution without trials. Some Bolsheviks were outraged with the Cheka's brutality. Lenin and other Bolsheviks were convinced that the Cheka's campaign of terror was necessary. While the Bolshevik's victory in the Civil War (1918-21) Lenin did disband the Cheka.

OGPU/GPU (1922-34)

The Cheka's responsibilities were transferred to the State Political Directorate/United Department of Political Police (OGPU/GPU) (1922). The power of the GPU were more limited than that of the Cheka. This changed, however, with the rise to power of Joseph Stalin. Stalin perpetually obsessed with threats to his power again invested the secret police with virtually limitless extra-llegal powers.

NKVD (1934-53)

The GPU was renamed the People's Comissariat (later Ministry) for Internal Affairs (NKVD/MVD) (1934). Under Stalin the secret police were no longer subject to party control or any legal constraints. The NKVD was authorize to act against subversive elements, oversee prisons and labor camps, as well as the reducation of political prisoners. The NKVD became the person tool of Stalin which used it not only to purge the Pary but to wage a campaign of terror against the Soviet people. Stalin in the 1930s initiated a campaign against peasants to collectivize agriculture which was followed by purges and the Great Terror. Stalin conventiently purged the heads of the secret police that carried out his crimes. His last secret police head was Lavrenti Beria. When Stalin died (1953), the Soviet leadership purged Beria from the Communist Party and had him executed before he could use his power to seize power himself.

KGB (1953-91)

The NKVD in the de-Stalinization era was renamed the KGB. The Gulag was slowly reduced and the Stalinist Terror receeded. The Soviets leaders, however, until the advent of Gorbechev continued to use the secret police to suppress political and religious thought and to act without any real legal constraint. The KGB acted on its own during the late 1980s to resist Gorbechev's efforts to open Soviet society and played a key role in organizing the attempted coup against Gorbechev (August 1991).

Mass Murder

The NKVD like its German counterpart the SS was involved in mass murder. These ctions are not as well studied as the German killing actions. Because they began before World war II, and went on for a longer period, they may well exceed the German actions in number of victims, although this is difficult to determine with any precission. There were differences in that whole families were usually not targeted, although families did perish s partr of the populations transported to the interior during the War. We are just beginning to piece together the totality of the NKVD killing operations. Large numbers of people were killed by the Cheka, but we are not sure any fall into the mass murder category. The post World War I Civil War Famine may be an example. Here it is difficult to assess blame between the Cheka and Bolshevik authorities. Readers may have information to add to our assessment or sugges mass killing operations we have not yet identified. The same is probably true OGPU/GPU with the exception of the Ukranian Famine. Most of the mass murders were conducted by the NKVD before, during, and immediately after World War II. These include the Great Terror, Gulag deaths, Barbarossa prisoner executions, ethnic cleansings, ethnic punishments, and German collaborator executions. Stalin was preparing a massice action gainst Soviet Jews at the time of his death. KGB killings after Stalin's death were much more focused on individuals actually guilty of legal violations however specious and not just mass arrests for purposes of terror. Beczuse the Soviet Union was not defeated and completely occupied during World War II, details on many of the Soviet mass killing operations are not as detailed as the German operations.

Post-Stalinist Era

Stalin died and the men around him quickly arrested and executed NKVD Chief Beria who iriciclly Stalin was also planning to do away with (1953). Within a few years Stalin;s police state terror was also ended. The NKVD was reorganized as the KGB and arresting people for sheer terror ended. Under Stalin committed Communists and even Stalin supporters were arrested and executed or committed to the Gulag just to instill terror. People died in their millions, more people than kille by the NAZIs. After stalin the Gulag began to be wound down, although this took some time. nd incidents such as the Hungarian Revolution mean bursts of new prisoners. But in general the people targeted by the KGM were now people who actually opposed or crititized Communism, not just mass roundups designed to create terror. This included many who we in the west would consider legiticalte criticism. The KGB was a combination of sevurity forces. There were regular policemen and not just the sect=ret police we commonly think od inconnection with the Soviet KGB. There is an excellent fact based film, 'Citizen-X' (1995)about the police effort in Rostock to find the worst serial killer in history. He killed some 52 people, mostly chilren and teens. We mention it here because the police effort to dind the man who proved to be a Party member, was stimied at every turn by the local Party boss who insisted there were no serisl killers in the Soviet Union. He insisted that serial killers only existed in the decadent West. This is a excellent film to see to understand how the Soviet Union worked and while it ultimately failed. The killer was only found after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the police were able to adopt appropriate methods. This account is about police work, but the stifeling role of Communism affected evry aspevct of Soviet life.

Impact

The impact of Soviet secret police organizations is important for two important reasons. First, Russia/soviet Union is a large very important country. Thus its actions has enormous consequences for its own people and its neighbors, most of which it has occupied. And as a principle proponent of Communism it has influenced people in countries all over the world. Second, the police forces were entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing ideological purity and the spread of Communism into other countries. One author writes, "Russia's role in the history of repression is central. Just as freedom and democracy moved outward from Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the murderous form of totalitarian domination that existed in the 20th century had its origin in the Bolsheviks's forcible seizure of power in Petrograd in 1917. The idea that the state is entitled to total control over the individual and that life should be organized to imitate the precepts of a demented ideology was soon accepted not only in the Soviet Union but in Nazi Germany and later, Eastern Europe, as well as in China, Vietnam, and North Korea. At one time, almost half of the world's population was under the sway of the ideas that became dominant in Russia when the Bolsheviks seized power." [Satter] And the Bolshevicks expoused a particularly dangerous ideology. In many ways it was more akin to a religious than a political/economic system. Like many religions, the Bolheviks did not tolerate any alernative belief system. One author explains it sucinctly, "The Bolshevik's conviction that they were operating according to a strictly scientific and therefore infallible theory, which was a reliable tool for transforming society, gave them the wherewithal to commit unprecedented crimes." [Satter] This sounds remarkably like the writing of Christian Inquisators or modern Islamicists.

Sources

Latsis, Martyn. Krasny Terror (Red Terror). This was the official Cheka periodical.

Satter, David. "The Soviet Gula" The Newsletters of FOPRI Wachman Center (June 2007). This article is ahort essay. Satter develops his ideas in more detail with his book, It Was a Long Time ago, and It Never Happened Anyway.







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Created: 11:26 PM 12/27/2008
Last updated: 6:48 PM 8/16/2020