Thanks for this. I'm going to have to think about it. All these continual reversals of what I have always known are very hard to adjust to.

The best source for the terror during the early is Solzhenitzyn. Its very hard to find the two books he wrote about that period. The passages I remember talked about how the communists would put villagers - mostly Russian white christian peasants, in a barrel and drive sharp nails all around it, and then roll it down the hill. Honestly, I really hope that was not true.

I can't be sure that this did not continue for a period under Stalin. I am not really clear whether Stalin came in and purged, or he spent a few years as Cabal puppet before turning against them.

Could be just a power grab.

The most common official story is - he was consolidating power, but he became crazy and paranoid. The second part makes me think that they are lying. Whenever they claim a leader is crazy or paranoid (including Trump, Gaddafi, Saddam - pretty much all leaders who went against Cabal) I dont believe.