The Logic of State-Sponsored Terrorism

In Modern Times Paul Johnson chronicles the rise of the Soviet terror state.

“The arbitrary nature of the arrests was essential to create the climate of fear which, next to the need for labour, was the chief motive for the non-party terror. An OGPU [the Soviet secret police from 1922-34] man admitted to the Manchester Guardian Moscow correspondent that innocent people were arrested: naturally – otherwise no one would be frightened. If people, he said, were arrested only for specific misdemeanours, all the others would feel safe and so become ripe for treason.” (Harperrenial, 2001), 274-275

State-sponsored terrorism and mass murder will be Communism’s enduring legacy. With one of my book clubs, I shared my fear that many Americans are forgetting how monstrously evil Communism is. A case in point are young people sporting Che Guevara tee shirts. One friend commented: “You might as well wear one with Jeffrey Dahmer’s face on it.” Sad and true.

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