Essay - The Great Terror Robert Conquest's the Great Terror: a Reassessment...

The Great Terror

***** Conquest's The ***** Terror: A Reassessment is a book th*****t is an absolute 'must read' for *****yone who is interested in the history of Communism, and more important, ***** issue ***** human rights. In fact, it can be said that the book is perhaps one of the most powerful arguments in favor ***** human liberty, rights and the democratic process of government. It is also of interest to note ***** Conquest's ***** contains ***** only really exhaustively researched, his*****rical record of the reign of terror unleashed by Stalin's purges. Though Conquest wrote ***** original ***** Great Terror some twenty years ago, this version assumes higher importance given recent new evidence, which emerged during the glasnost period. And also because the new references help put to rest any doubt over ***** accuracy of the source material (Conquest, 1990, p.viii), or earlier speculation that Conquest derived his material from the **********mation Research Department, a known source of information tailored to spread anti-Communist propaganda (Wikipedia).

Conquest's narrative begins with a description of ***** his*****rical roots behind 'The ***** Terror' such as the development of the Party, the consolidation of the dictatorship, and the dominant ide***** ***** the Stalin ***** that resulted in extreme policies. Inte*****ingly, though no doubt, Stalin himself was primarily responsible for the atrocities inflicted on millions of in*****cent Soviet citizens, Conquest traces the roots of ***** Great Terror' to the establishment of "...the system of rule by a centralized Party against...all other social forces...Bolsheviks...centralized and disciplined..." by Lenin. The Civil War that followed contributed to transforming the new mass party into a hardened and experienced machine in which loyalty to the organization came before any cons*****ration (Conquest, 1990, p.4-5). By taking into account external events as well as the machinations of political leaders, Conquest manages to skillfully demonstrate to the student and lover of history the role-played by both people ***** ***** fortuitous co-incidence ***** ***** events ***** help create a culture.

***** goes on to explain that the Bolshevik ***** did not exclude any political opposition in the early *****. In fact, post the Civil War, the Mensheviks and ***** Socialist Revolutionaries quickly began ***** gain ground ***** the trade unions ***** peasants turning anti-Bolsheviks. *****stead of legalizing and recognizing ***** existence ***** such opposition parties, Lenin and his supporters chose the route of suppression including forbidding the formation of rival groups within the Communist Party itself. Thus the grounds for encouraging a ***** where P*****rty members denounced fellow ***** hostile to Party policies was, in fact, sown during Lenin's era. Lenin justified ***** policies on ***** grounds ***** "neither freedom, nor equality, nor labor democracy...if they are opposed to the interests of the emancipation of labor from the oppression of capitalism" should be recognized (Conquest, *****, p.5-6). This early account ***** Soviet history is valuable as it shows that ***** creating a ***** that relied on dogma al*****e, Lenin laid ***** foundation for ***** later fanaticism, abuse of Party power, totalitarianism and reign *****