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ESSAY - How significant was the secret police in maintaining communist control in the years 1917-85
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How significant was the secret police in maintaining communist control in the years1917-85?
During the years 1917-85, the Soviet government used a range of different tactics to maintain
their control. One of the most infamous of these was the use of the secret police using fear
and intimidation over the population. This was a key feature of Soviet rule since the civil war
in 1917 and continued to be used throughout the period, though with varying levels of
intensity. Nonetheless, other methods of control were also used such as mass media and
propaganda and later under developed socialism welfare provision under the ‘social contract’
played an increasingly significant role.
Under Lenin, he established the first secret police, the CHEKA. This was to ensure that
opposition to the Bolsheviks potentially controversial policies was kept to a minimum and
this was especially important during the turbulent times of the Civil War. As the Bolsheviks
were a minority party, fear and intimidation were essential to ensure that they maintained
control over the population. For example, during War Communism in the civil war, the secret
police were used to requisition grain from the peasants and keep them under control under the
controversial policy. The extent of the use of fear can be evidenced by the fact that during the
Red Terror in 1921-22 over 200,000 people were shot, emphasising that execution now
became the rule rather than the exception. Therefore, it can be argued that the role of the
secret police was significant in maintaining communist control especially in the early years of
the USSR as in instrument to limit political resistance.
Stalin’s government is the most infamous for its use of terror and the role of the secret police.
Stalin used the Secret Police to turn the government from a dictatorship of the proletariat into
his own personal dictatorship, this was essential as he needed to maintain control as he
implemented his intense policy of industrialisation and the Five-Year Plans. In contrast with
Lenin, Stalin used the secret police to support defend his own rule rather than just as
ideological defence. The secret police were used to support his economic policies as they
would undoubtedly come under resistance from the people. This was instrumental in
maintaining control over the people as
However, during the late 1950s, under Khrushchev the method of control changed and
through his policy of de-Stalinisation, the role of the secret police became less important and
gave way to other methods such as social welfare provision. After the upheavals and
struggles of the past decades of industrialisation and reconstruction after the war, the focus
was now on ‘developed socialism’ improving welfare and standards of living for the Soviet
population. After the industrialisation during the 1930s and 40s, the population could now
begin to experience the real benefits of socialism. Thus, the ‘social contract’ was important in
maintaining communist control over the population as without real improvements the
government’s promise of improved standards of living would been seen as empty.
Nonetheless, other methods of control were also important during the years 1917-85. One of
the most significant methods was the use of mass media and propaganda. During the period,
the government strictly controlled and censored the press, which also had varying levels of
success, was someway significant in limiting the amount of debate within society and played
a key role in maintaining control. From the early 1920s, the government banned all non-
Bolshevik newspapers and established Glavit, the censorship office, to control all media
distributed to the public. In addition to restricting information, the government also ensured
that the government produced a steady diet of propaganda to the population celebrating
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