Monday, May 14, 2012

Cheka

On 20 December 1917, Lenin  officially established the All-Russia Extraordinary Commission to Combat Counter-revolution and Sabotage—usually known as the Cheka. The Cheka received a large amount of resources, and became known for ruthlessly pursuing any perceived counterrevolutionary elements.
Many historians categorize Cheka as terror organization. To describe Cheka, let's read the statement made by the first leader of Cheka, Dzerzhinsky. Dzerzhinsky explained in July 1918: "We stand for organized terror - this should be frankly admitted. Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution. Our aim is to fight against the enemies of the Soviet Government and of the new order of life. We judge quickly. In most cases only a day passes between the apprehension of the criminal and his sentence. When confronted with evidence criminals in almost every case confess; and what argument can have greater weight than a criminal's own confession."