Hitchens and Historiography

While reading Is Christianity Good For the Word I found this amazing piece of historiography from Hitchens:

On the matter of Stalin and the related question of secular or atheist barbarism, I shyly call your attention to chapter seventeen of my little book [God Is Not Great], which attempts an answer to this frequently asked question. Until 1917, Russia had been ruled for centuries by an absolute monarch who was also the head of a corrupt and bigoted Orthodox Church and was supposed to possess powers somewhat more than merely human. With millions of hungry and anxious people so long stultified and so credulous, Stalin the ex-seminarian would have been a fool if he did not call upon such a reservoir of ignorance and servility, and seek to emulate his predecessor.

Leaving the insult to early twentieth century Russians aside, I would like to comment on Hitchens foray into history. According to this reasoning, history works according to what must be the case. Stalin must have committed his crimes in the name of religion because that would have been the easiest way to pull them off. Not only has Hitchens put this in two books now, but I've heard him use it in debate, and I've heard Richard Dawkins quote Hitchens on this more than once. Hitchens is a clear thinker and a brilliant writer and incredibly well read. He should know better, and he usually does better.

I don't think the atheism of Stalin's regime is any secret. A quick look at Wikipedia revealed that he became a closet atheist while in seminary and only reopened churches and allowed Christian icons during World War II, perhaps to motivate the religious. Prior to this, his policy is pretty clear. In the movie Expelled, David Berlinski quipped that atheistic Darwinism is not a sufficient cause for the crimes committed by Stalin and Hitler but it is a necessary cause.

With regard to Hitchens' historical point, Ben Franklin's witticism is apropos:

So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do.