classes, the counterrevolutionary peasantry, and the churches. Lenin
saw the need from almost the very beginning for prophylactic vio-
lence, arguing for the taking of hostages and executionsas early as- Following a failed assassination by the anarchist Fanny Ka-
plan, Lenin supported the mass execution of enemies of the revolu-
tion, many of whom he personally knew.
During the Russiancivil war, Lenin served as the chief executive
officer of the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet government. A histo-
rian of the French Revolution of 1789–1793, he believed that terror
was necessary, and he argued for execution of real and potential en-
emies. In 1918 he ordered party officials in Penza to “(1) Hang
(I mean hang publicly so that people will see it) at least 100 kulak
rich bastards and known blood-suckers. (2) Publish their names.
(3) Seize their grain. Do all this so that for miles around people will
see it all, understand it, tremble.” The message ends with the post-
script: “Find tougher people.”
Lenin and the Cheka did find tougher people, and the Red Terror
was intensified. In 1921, at the height of a major famine, he ordered
that the Russian Orthodox churches, which were feeding millions, be
looted of their icons and their communion vestments and that recal-
citrant priests, monks, and nuns be shot without trial. Lenin, however,
believed that terror should never be unleashed on members of the rul-
ing party. He believed that if the Bolsheviks used terror in intraparty
disputes, the revolution would end up eating its children, as happened
in France.
Years after the death of Joseph Stalin, former Foreign Minister
Vyacheslav Molotovtold a young researcher that in comparison to
Lenin, “Stalin was a lamb.” Soviet archives showed that Lenin had a
deep interest in Cheka operations, frequently minuting Dzerzhinsky
on official documents about operational details. Lenin was a master
tactician and organizer who accepted the need of revolutionary vio-
lence. While he was unwilling to use the Cheka against opponents in
the party, he paved the way for Stalin’s acceptance of terror against
political opponents.
LENINGRAD CASE.Following victory in World War II, competi-
tion within Joseph Stalin’s entourage grew. Communist Partysec-
retary Georgii Malenkov and security police generalissimo LavrentyLENINGRAD CASE • 14506-313 G-P.qxd 7/27/06 7:56 AM Page 145