Five Chilling Facts About The Soviet Union

Were the Soviet Communists worse than the Nazis?

A soviet propaganda poster featuring Joseph Stalin by an unknown artist, c. 1940 (Wikimedia Commons)

Everyone reading this will already know about the dangers of far-right politics, for the crimes of the Nazi Party are featured in plenty of popular books, films, and documentaries.

The horrors of the far left, on the other hand, are less well-known.

Born in the Russian Revolution in 1917 and officially formed at the end of 1922, the Soviet Union was a brutal, tyrannical, and censorious regime, especially during the tenure of the infamous Joseph Stalin.

While most people will continue to say Nazi Germany was the worst regime in history, certain aspects of the Soviet Union were just as disturbing.

1. One of Stalin’s Closest Allies Was a Serial Rapist and Murderer

A photograph of Lavrentiy Beria by an unknown photographer, c. 1945 (Wikimedia Commons)

Sometimes referred to as “Stalin’s Himmler”, Lavrentiy Beria commanded the entire police apparatus and was a close ally of the second Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. As well as overseeing countless executions, Beria used his power and influence to torture and rape.