Red Terror. The Punishing Sword of the Revolution

Established in December 1917, the Cheka - All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage - not only marked the beginning of the history of Soviet special services but also became a sinister embodiment of the October Revolution for many.... The book by leading historian of the terror during the Civil War, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor at the Institute of History of St. Petersburg State University I. S. Ratkovsky, sheds light on the Red Terror of the Cheka in detail based on a wide range of sources, debunking established myths about the activities of the Chekists.
What contribution did Lenin and Dzerzhinsky make to the construction of the Cheka?
What role did assassination attempts on the top leaders of Soviet Russia play in starting the terror, and what was the main reason for the Bolsheviks introducing the death penalty?
Was the Red Terror a response to the terror of the White movement and foreign interventionists, and the harsh suppression of revolutions in Germany and Finland?
How did the Cheka fight against the counter-revolutionary underground, crime, opposition parties, and movements?
What was the composition of the Chekists and were they all able to withstand the test of power?
What is the real scale of the repressions of the Soviet power, and what was the outcome of the policy of the RED TERROR?