Hi all, Does anyone have any information, that isn't from a blatantly anti-worker, pro-capitalist standpoint, on the Cheka? Opponents of socialism tend to claim that the Cheka was the basis for the Stalinist secret police, and I don't know enough about them to counter that. The wikipedia entry sure doesn't help. it basically says the cheka was founded by lenin to assume the task of ripping human bodies apart and raping puppies.
Much for Cheka MO were learnt from former enemies of revolutionaries 3rd Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery and later from Okhrana (to the point were lots of comparisons between Alexander von Benckendorff and Felix Dzerzhinsky [or even that of Beria] are drawn). Many early members had some sort of ties to those organisations (hence for occasional purges with in Cheka ranks). Blue prints for Stalins purges come from Cheka.
I think Trotsky talks about the Cheka and such in his "Terrorism and Communism". The revolutions series is pretty good, it has an introduction by Zizek who says that there was a difference between Stalin and Lenin's use of the Cheka and the terror. Under Lenin it was open and widely acknowledge to be part of the revolution and under Stalin it was silent and never talked about. Apparently, a well worn edition of the book was found amongst Stalin's possessions after he died, with copious notes written in the margins. Anyway, it's a good read as usual. I'm sure you can find it on the archives but it's worth reading Zizek's analysis though.
