Darkness at Noon

It seems contradictory that the Russian state has people who disagree with state policies confess, then immediately execute them. The state could just execute the political prisoners and forge the prisoners' signatures on a confession statement. Even Rubashov, who has spent time in prison before, eventually confesses. "Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler provides some insights into the logic of forcing confessions and staging legal trials even though the confessors will soon be executed. He shows how the state gains the confessions and how the state uses the confessions to undermine the cause of the dissidents. Further he shows how the authorities use mental and physical torture to get confessions from everyone including Rubashov. The state's goal in all of this is to eliminate anyone who does not speak in favor of the state and create fear among the rest of the population so anyone who might...
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