Who was responsible for the mass campaign of arrests during the Red Terror?

The Bolshevik government was responsible for the mass campaign of arrests during the Red Terror, which took place in the early years following the Russian Revolution of 1917. This campaign was instituted by the Bolsheviks to suppress opposition and consolidate their power amidst the civil unrest and civil war that followed the revolution.

The Bolsheviks, led by figures such as Lenin and Trotsky, viewed the Red Terror as a necessary measure to defend the revolution from counter-revolutionary forces and perceived threats. The Cheka, the Bolshevik secret police, played a central role in executing these campaigns, which included widespread arrests, executions, and reprisals against political enemies, particularly targeting rival factions like the Mensheviks and the Socialist Revolutionaries.

In this context, the actions taken during the Red Terror reflect the Bolshevik commitment to establishing a one-party state and eliminating any form of dissent that could jeopardize their revolutionary goals. This underscores the authoritarian tendencies that emerged in the early years of Bolshevik rule and shaped the subsequent history of Soviet governance.