Great Terror vs. Red Terror

Attribute	Great Terror	Red Terror
Period	1936-1938	1918-1921
Country	Soviet Union	Russia
Leadership	Joseph Stalin	Vladimir Lenin
Target	Political opponents, intellectuals, military leaders	Counter-revolutionaries, bourgeoisie, political dissidents
Methods	Arrests, executions, forced labor camps	Arrests, executions, mass killings

Origins

The Great Terror, also known as the Great Purge, was a period of political repression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s. It was carried out by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD, under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. The Red Terror, on the other hand, was a campaign of mass killings and repression carried out by the Bolshevik government during the Russian Civil War in 1918-1922. It was aimed at suppressing counter-revolutionary activities and opposition to the Bolshevik regime.

Targets

In the Great Terror, the primary targets were members of the Communist Party who were accused of being "enemies of the people." This included high-ranking officials, military officers, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. The Red Terror, on the other hand, targeted a wider range of individuals, including members of the bourgeoisie, clergy, and political opponents of the Bolsheviks. Both campaigns resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, many of whom were innocent.

Methods

The Great Terror was characterized by show trials, where defendants were forced to confess to crimes they did not commit. These confessions were often obtained through torture or threats to the defendants' families. The Red Terror, on the other hand, involved summary executions and mass arrests without trial. Both campaigns used fear and intimidation to silence dissent and maintain control over the population.

Impact

The Great Terror had a lasting impact on Soviet society, leading to widespread fear and paranoia among the population. It also decimated the ranks of the Communist Party and the military, weakening the Soviet Union's ability to defend itself against external threats. The Red Terror, on the other hand, helped the Bolsheviks consolidate their power and establish a one-party state in Russia. It also set a precedent for the use of violence and repression as a means of maintaining political control.

Legacy

The Great Terror is remembered as one of the darkest chapters in Soviet history, with estimates of the number of victims ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. It has left a lasting scar on the collective memory of the Russian people and continues to be a subject of debate and controversy. The Red Terror, on the other hand, is often seen as a necessary evil in the context of the Russian Civil War, a time of extreme violence and chaos. It is sometimes glorified as a heroic struggle against counter-revolutionary forces.