How significant was the role of the secret police in maintaining communist control in
the years 1917-1985?
After the communists acclaimed power in 1917, the aim to implement socialism fully in the
Soviet Union became the main priority. This priority continued to be at the forefront from
the beginning of Lenin’s rule to Brezhnev’s leadership position in the late 1960s. This
allowed for socialism to become deeply rooted into Soviet society whereby communist
control was achieved through several methods. This included the use of the secret police,
the control of the media, the control of culture and the control of entertainment. Arguably,
the role of the secret police was indeed the most important in maintaining communist
control from 1917-1985.
The secret police was important in maintaining communist control from 1917-1985. During
Lenin’s rule from 1917, the Cheka was a secret police organisation created to defend the
October revolution of 1917 by terrorising Bolshevik opponents, and no body of the
government could stop the work of the Cheka. Felix Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka,
ensured that during the Red Terror in the Civil war of 1919, 800 enemies of the state were
executed in St. Petersburg. The Cheka tortured and killed suspects, raided and closed
Anarchist newspapers, expelled Mensheviks and socialist revolutionaries from the Soviet
party and dealt with opponents within 24 hours. Lenin encouraged the violence carried out
by the Cheka by sending telegrams urging the introduction of ‘mass terror’ in response to
suspected civilian uprising. According to Lenin, he believed that enemies of the state
should be annihilated and scared into submission. The use of terror continued during
Stalin’ rule from 1929 through the creation of the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for
internal affairs). The NKVD was a secret police that arrested, tortured and interrogated any
opponents of Stalin. The NKVD were suspicious of people that had any stain on their
records, including the mere association with a perceived enemy. The NKVD played a
significant role in the Great Purge of 1934 which was launched to target Stalin’s opponents
both inside and outside the Soviet party. 116,885 Communist party members were killed or
shot during the Great Purge and for the general population, 681,692 were shot and 2
million people were sent to the Gulags. From 1978, Andropov made use of the KGB to
target the dissidents of the Soviet party. He aimed to control a smaller minority of
dissidents within the USSR who refused to conform. From 1968, an order was issued that
stated there was a policy of increased surveillance and action against dissidents. When
Andropov became the leader of the KGB, he passed measures to ensure that the KGB
agents remained under his control. This included KGB agents declaring their financial
the years 1917-1985?
After the communists acclaimed power in 1917, the aim to implement socialism fully in the
Soviet Union became the main priority. This priority continued to be at the forefront from
the beginning of Lenin’s rule to Brezhnev’s leadership position in the late 1960s. This
allowed for socialism to become deeply rooted into Soviet society whereby communist
control was achieved through several methods. This included the use of the secret police,
the control of the media, the control of culture and the control of entertainment. Arguably,
the role of the secret police was indeed the most important in maintaining communist
control from 1917-1985.
The secret police was important in maintaining communist control from 1917-1985. During
Lenin’s rule from 1917, the Cheka was a secret police organisation created to defend the
October revolution of 1917 by terrorising Bolshevik opponents, and no body of the
government could stop the work of the Cheka. Felix Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka,
ensured that during the Red Terror in the Civil war of 1919, 800 enemies of the state were
executed in St. Petersburg. The Cheka tortured and killed suspects, raided and closed
Anarchist newspapers, expelled Mensheviks and socialist revolutionaries from the Soviet
party and dealt with opponents within 24 hours. Lenin encouraged the violence carried out
by the Cheka by sending telegrams urging the introduction of ‘mass terror’ in response to
suspected civilian uprising. According to Lenin, he believed that enemies of the state
should be annihilated and scared into submission. The use of terror continued during
Stalin’ rule from 1929 through the creation of the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for
internal affairs). The NKVD was a secret police that arrested, tortured and interrogated any
opponents of Stalin. The NKVD were suspicious of people that had any stain on their
records, including the mere association with a perceived enemy. The NKVD played a
significant role in the Great Purge of 1934 which was launched to target Stalin’s opponents
both inside and outside the Soviet party. 116,885 Communist party members were killed or
shot during the Great Purge and for the general population, 681,692 were shot and 2
million people were sent to the Gulags. From 1978, Andropov made use of the KGB to
target the dissidents of the Soviet party. He aimed to control a smaller minority of
dissidents within the USSR who refused to conform. From 1968, an order was issued that
stated there was a policy of increased surveillance and action against dissidents. When
Andropov became the leader of the KGB, he passed measures to ensure that the KGB
agents remained under his control. This included KGB agents declaring their financial
