ABSTRACT
The exact number of victims under Bolshevik rule will remain for ever unknown, but it certainly went into many thousands during Vladimir Ulianov's (Lenin) life and into many millions later. The argument that the terror was in self-defence against the Whites is not valid, as it started long before and continued long after the Civil War. It is difficult to assess the degree of sincerity in these utterances of the consummate demogogue Lenin, but in any case they very soon became immaterial. The anarchic violence of an 'armed people' proved in any case uncontrollable and what he wanted was a very special organ of controlled terror. Bolshevik terror was designed to consolidate a controversial minority rule. Many prominent Bolsheviks and even members of the Central Committee were revolted by the all-pervading and arbitrary terror that had somehow come to rule the country, but few dared to criticise it openly.
