Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-257) and indexes.
Contents:
61,911,00 victims: utopianism empowered, 1917-1987 -- 3,284,000 victims: the civil war period, 1917-1922 -- 2,200,000 victims: the NEP period 1923-1928 -- 11,440,000 victims: the collectivization period, 1929-1935 -- 4,345,000 victims: the great terror period 1936-1938 -- 5,104,000 victims: pre-World War II period 1939-June 1941 -- 13,053,000 victims: World War II period, June 1941-1945 -- 15,613,000 victims: postwar and Stalin's twilight period, 1945-1953 -- 6,872,000 victims: post-Stalin period, 1954-1987.
Summary:
While there are estimates of the number of people killed by Soviet authorities during particular episodes or campaigns, until now, no one has tried to calculate the complete human toll of Soviet genocides and mass murders since the revolution of 1917. Here, R.J. Rummel lists and analyzes hundreds of published estimates, presenting them in the historical context in which they occurred. His shocking conclusion is that, conservatively calculated, 61,911,000 people were systematically killed by the Communist regime from 1917 to 1987. Rummel divides the published estimates on which he bases his conclusions into eight historical periods, such as the Civil War, collectivization, and World War II. The estimates are further divided into agents of death, such as terrorism, deportations, and famine. Using statistical principles developed from more than 25 years of quantitative research on nations, he analyzes the estimates. In the collectivization period, for example, about 11,440,000 people were murdered. During World War II, while the Soviet Union had lost almost 20,000,000 in the war, the Communist party was killing even more of its citizens and foreigners - probably an additional 13,053,000. For each period, Rummel defines, counts, and totals the sources of death. Rummel goes well beyond the bare bones of statistical analysis and tries to provide understanding of this incredible toll of human lives.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.