This is why I've always said that the Reds were worse than the Nazis - the sheer arbitrariness of their violence.
Fully agreed. Heck, it if anything was an extension of Louis Grignon’s actions during the Vendee, and possibly also Jacobin thought (heck, French Revolutionary thought as a whole). I believe his exact words on the matter were “My comrades, we enter the insurgent country, I give you the express order to deliver to the flames all that will be likely to be burned and to pass over the bayonet all that you meet of inhabitants on your way. I know there may be some patriots in this country; it is the same, we must sacrifice everything.” (at least, that was what was translated from French). That’s also why I am more inclined to think “world government” and/or “globalism”, heck, a “command and control economy” even, is closer to a means for them than an actual end, and that their actual end is just all-out anarchy and chaos.
And since we’re getting into comparisons, like I said in my opening post, even the Tarkin Doctrine (especially the Rule of Fear bit) from Star Wars comes across as extremely banal by comparison, little more than standard parental discipline by comparison. At least by limiting it to having them be fearful of force rather than the actual use of force itself, Tarkin essentially implies that it was preferable that they NOT have to utilize force. If Tarkin suggested that to Lenin, Tarkin would more likely be executed by Lenin for even daring to suggest exercising even the slightest restraint on force.