Stalin’s Witch‐Hunt: Magical Thinking in the Great Terror

Abstract

Abstract Although Stalin’s Great Terror is commonly called a ‘witch‐hunt’, few take the comparison seriously. This article demonstrates that the Terror conforms in most important ways to the pattern of witch‐hunting established in early modern Europe and worldwide. Bolshevik theory reinforced magical ways of thinking that remained potent, so that the Terror truly was a secular witch‐hunt. New light is cast on issues that have remained resistant to understanding, such as why the Terror was so virulent and irrational, why it was supported by the population at large, and why confession was so important.