Institution

Cheka

1917–1922 · 20th century · Also known as All-Russian Extraordinary Commission

The Cheka, the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission, was the first Soviet secret police, founded in December 1917 under Felix Dzerzhinsky to fight counter-revolution and sabotage. During the Russian Civil War it carried out the Red Terror, with mass arrests, hostage-taking and executions without trial. In 1922 it was replaced by the GPU, a forerunner of the NKVD and the KGB.

Cheka
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Russian SFSRGovernanceSoviet UnionGovernance

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Russian SFSRKholodny Yar Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cheka. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cheka
MLA
“Cheka.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cheka. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cheka.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cheka.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cheka’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cheka (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻