The Red Terror: How the Cheka Crushed Dissent After 1917

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and impact of the Cheka, Lenin's secret police, from its founding in December 1917 through the Red Terror. They discuss Felix Dzerzhinsky's role as 'Iron Felix', the Cheka's extralegal powers, mass executions in Petrograd and Moscow, the famine of 1918 that fueled terror, the system of provincial chrezvychaika branches, the use of concentration camps (koncentratsionnye lageri), and the legacy of state violence that shaped Soviet rule. The conversation touches on specific events like the execution of Fanny Kaplan, the Tambov and Kronstadt uprisings, and the Cheka's network of informants. They also consider the psychological impact on Russian society and how terror became institutionalised, contrasting early revolutionary ideals with brutal reality.

#RussianRevolution #Cheka #RedTerror #FelixDzerzhinsky #Lenin #Bolsheviks #RussianHistory #SovietUnion #PoliticalRepression #Petrograd #Moscow #Famine1918 #ConcentrationCamps #TambovUprising #KronstadtRebellion #FannyKaplan #History #FexingoHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo