Eh, I mean this is just overreaching the other way. Even Lenin’s contemporaries outside of hardcore Bolsheviks thought he was extreme. He had to be, I will grant that but he did take it too far at times like the Cheka.

Also, the whites never got much western support so to say anyone threw all the help they could’ve behind them it would’ve probably stopped the Revolution. The thing was that coming out of WW1 no one really wanted to get tangled into what looked like it could easily be a part 2. The Bolsheviks thought it would happen (which is why hindsight does admittedly look worse, since they truly believed the entire west would back and aid the whites).

I’m fairly socialist (I don’t think anyone can be really into learning early modern period history like I am and not end up that way) so I’m not attacking the ideas. It’s just that it’s naive to say it wasn’t carried out by a ruthless guy then overtaken by one of the most ruthless and paranoid dictators ever, resulting in something even more oppressive and worse than what came before. If for no other reason than the Cheka/KGB was WAY better at their job than the Okhrana which was often underfunded and undermotivated to truly shut down the left opposition the way the Soviets were able to shut down any dissenters.