Bolsheviks Quote by Simon Sebag Montefiore
““The Bolsheviks were atheists but they were hardly secular politicians in the conventional sense: they stooped to kill from the smugness of the highest moral eminence. Bolshevism may not have been a religion, but it was close enough. Stalin told Beria the Bolsheviks were “a sort of military-religious order.” When Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Cheka, died, Stalin called him “a devout knight of the proletariat.” Stalin’s “order of sword-bearers” resembled the Knights Templars, or even the theocracy of the Iranian Ayatollahs, more than any traditional secular movement. They would die and kill for their faith in the inevitable progress towards human betterment, making sacrifices of their own families, with a fervour seen only in the religious slaughters and martyrdoms of the Middle Ages—and the Middle East. They””
About This Quote
Source Book: Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2003
Bolshevism blended political zeal with quasi‑religious devotion, turning ideology into a faith‑like crusade that justified violence for a perceived utopia.
In simple terms: Political ideology acted like a religion, encouraging extreme sacrifice.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how ideas can become dogma.
Themes
political zeal
religion
violence
ideology
history
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- academic study
- political analysis
- education
- media commentary
Key Concepts
totalitarianism
cult of personality
mythic narratives
Questions to Reflect On
- How does framing politics as religion affect our judgment?
- Can secular movements develop similar fervor?
A Different Perspective
The comparison may oversimplify complex motivations of individuals.
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![“There are historical analogs, which are not exact, of course, but are close enough to be worrisome. This is a whiff of early Nazi Germany. [Adolf] Hitler was appealing to groups with similar grievances, and giving them crazy answers, but at least they were answers; these groups weren't getting…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/081/noam-chomsky-42_analog_there-are-historical-analogs-which-are-n_19392.jpg)
![“[F]or the most part football these days is the opium of the people, not to speak of their crack cocaine. Its icon is the impeccably Tory, slavishly conformist Beckham. The Reds are no longer the Bolsheviks. Nobody serious about political change can shirk the fact that the game has to be abolished…” quote by Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/555/terry-eagleton-1660_beckham_f-or-the-most-part-football-these-days-i_303401.jpg)
![“In the appendix to my History of the Russian Revolution I give a detailed and documented study of the ideas of the Bolshevik party on the October revolution. This study, I hope, will make it impossible in the future to ascribe to [Vladimir] Lenin the theory of Socialism in a single country.” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/374/leon-trotsky-2558_appendix_in-the-appendix-to-my-history-of-the-rus_363447.jpg)
