There is a long-forgotten reason why Communism succeeded in 1923 Russia. Rather than Lenin's oratory, it was the formation of its secret service the Cheka ('The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission') under Felix Dzerzhinsky - a ruthless killer and Vladimir Putin's first predecessor - which assassinated anyone who opposed Lenin. This is the first authoritative history of the struggle of the Russian secret service with the Communist party to gain control over the state, its success in 1999, and what drives its operatives from 1917 to this day - Putin included. Behind Putin stands a hundred year old organisation with overriding values of its own, ready to replace him with someone else from their ranks should that be necessary (like Russian dolls).
