During the Civil War, threats to the Revolution weren't just coming from the battlefield. The Bolsheviks very quickly realized that internal enemies in areas they controlled were a danger, and built-up their version of the secret police, the Cheka, to counter those enemies. They got out of hand. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

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