Matvei Bronstein: Theorical physicist. Pioneer of quantum gravity. Arrested, accused of fictional “terroristic” activity and shot in 1938
Lev Shubnikov: Experimental physicist. Accused on false charges. Executed
Adrian Piotrovsky: Russian dramaturge. Accused on false charges of treason. Executed.
Nikolai Bukharin: Leader of the Communist revolution. Member of the Politburo. Falsely accused of treason. Executed.
General Alexander Egorov: Marshal of the Soviet Union. Commander of the Red Army Southern Front. Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Arrested, accused on false charges, executed.
General Mikhail Tukhachevsky Supreme Marshal of the Soviet Union. Nicknamed the Red Napoleon. Arrested, accused on fake charges. Executed.
Grigory Zinoviev: Chairman of the Communist International Movement. Member of the Soviet Politburo. Accused of treason and executed.
Even the secret police themselves were not safe:
Genrikh Yagoda : Right-hand of Joseph Stalin. Head of the NKD Secret Police. He spied on everyone in Russia and jailed thousands of innocents. Yagoda was arrested and executed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genrikh_Yagoda
Nikolai Yezhov : Appointed head of the NKD Secret Police after the death of Yagoda. Arrested on fake charges, executed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Yezhov
Everybody was absolutely terrified during this period. At least 600 000 people were killed and over one million people were deported to Gulags in Siberia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccolò_Machiavelli
wrote an influential book in 1500 to argue exactly the same point. it caused quite a lot of ruckus because it deviated from medieval philosophy where even kings had to adhere to morals.
Read the book bro, that’s not at all what he argues
What does he argue?
I think it was originally meant to be satire? I could be misremembering though.
No, I’m literally asking what he says; I’ve not read Machiavelli.
There’s one dude saying “that’s what Machiavelli said!” then another saying “no it isn’t you cockforest” and now you saying that what he said is satirical.
But what did he say?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccolò_Machiavelli#The_Prince
Aha. Thank you.
That honestly just reads like a modern political playbook. Literally, in some places.
Man I hate the world. I just want to be left alone in a hut in the forest.
lots of people do, me too