Cheka
Secret police under Lenin
Cheka was the first Soviet secret police organization, established on December 20, 1917, by the Soviet government. Its name is an acronym of “All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage”. The Cheka was established to suppress political opposition and to eliminate potential threats to the Bolshevik regime, using brutal methods such as torture, imprisonment, and execution. Under the leadership of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the Cheka carried out mass executions and purges, targeting not only counter-revolutionaries but also anyone who was suspected of opposing the Communist Party. This created a climate of fear and repression that lasted throughout the Soviet Union’s existence. The Cheka was later renamed several times, eventually becoming the KGB (Committee for State Security), which was disbanded in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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