Cheka

E80968

law enforcement agency secret police organization state security agency

The Cheka was the Soviet Union’s first secret police organization, notorious for its role in political repression, mass executions, and enforcing Bolshevik rule during and after the Russian Civil War.

Aliases (8)

All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ×2
All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage ×1
Bolshevik Cheka units ×1
Bolshevik authorities ×1
Cheka forces ×1
Cheka units ×1
Military Cheka ×1
Transport Cheka ×1

Statements (54)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	law enforcement agency → secret police organization → state security agency →
appliesPolicy	Red Terror →
country	Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic → Soviet Russia NERFINISHED →
dissolved	1922-02-06 →
fieldOfWork	counter-revolutionary activity suppression → counterintelligence → internal security →
followedBy	NKVD → OGPU →
foundedBy	Vladimir Lenin →
hasLeader	Felix Dzerzhinsky → Jakov Peters → Martin Latsis → Vyacheslav Menzhinsky →
hasPart	Military Cheka → Special Departments → Transport Cheka →
headquartersLocation	Moscow → Petrograd →
ideology	Bolshevism → Marxism–Leninism →
inception	1917-12-20 →
jurisdiction	Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic →
legalForm	extraordinary commission →
namedAfter	Extraordinary Commission →
nativeName	Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия по борьбе с контрреволюцией и саботажем →
nativeNameLanguage	Russian →
notableFor	enforcement of Bolshevik rule → mass executions → political repression → running concentration camps → secret arrests → summary executions → suppression of political opposition → use of torture →
officialName	All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage →
operatingLanguage	Russian →
opposedBy	White movement → anti-Bolshevik forces →
parentOrganization	Soviet government →
participatedIn	Red Terror → Russian Civil War → War communism →
partOf	Council of People’s Commissars →
replacedBy	GPU → State Political Directorate →
shortName	VChK →
usedMethod	forced labor → hostage-taking → secret informant networks → show trials →

Referenced by (20)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
GPU → GPU ("All-Russian Extraordinary Commission") → NKVD →	predecessor
Cheka ("Transport Cheka") → Cheka ("Military Cheka") →	hasPart
Antonovshchina ("Cheka forces") → Tambov Rebellion →	opposedBy
Red Terror → Red Terror ("All-Russian Extraordinary Commission") →	perpetrator
Tambov Rebellion ("Cheka units") →	combatant
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia ("Bolshevik authorities") →	executedBy
White Guard movement ("Bolshevik Cheka units") →	foughtAgainst
Felix Dzerzhinsky →	founderOf
Antonovshchina →	hasParticipant
Red Terror →	implementedBy
Cheka ("All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage") →	officialName
Solovki prison camp →	operatedBy
Soviet government →	securityAgency
Lubyanka Building →	securityServiceHeadquartersFor
Lubyanka Building →	usedBy