KGB

KGB

KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti, Committee for State Security) The name for the Soviet Security Service since 1954, which included the operations of the NKVD. It was to secure Communist rule, supervise and eliminate all internal opposition, protect the state borders, and control the state administration and bureaucracy. In addition, it conducted foreign intelligence (i.e. spy) missions, and worked actively to maintain Soviet hegemony in the Warsaw Pact states of Eastern Europe. Its effectiveness was greatly improved under the alert Andropov, who introduced new techniques such as the use of psychology against dissidents. During the 1980s, it had over one million official employees, plus an even greater number of informers. As part of Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika, its operations against dissidents were wound down in 1990. Because of its involvement in the 1991 August coup, its old structures were dissolved. It was completely reorganized, and succeeded by a much smaller Russian security service.

Stasi

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JAN PALMOWSKI. "KGB." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAN PALMOWSKI. "KGB." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-KGB.html

JAN PALMOWSKI. "KGB." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB

Soviet espionage organization.

KGB, or Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security), was the Soviet Union's state security and political police agency, serving as the main internal and external intelligence and counterintelligence bureau, and external espionage and counterespionage organization from 1954 to 1991. It was somewhat similar to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British MI-6. Under Communist Party control, it was the world's largest secret police and espionage organization, with seven directorates including foreign operations; internal political control; military counter-intelligence; surveillance; and border guards. The latter included 300,000 personnel dispersed in Eastern Europe and the Central Asian Republics. Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan were special targets.


Bibliography


Yost, Graham. The KGB: The Russian Secret Police from the Days of the Czars to the Present. New York: Facts On File, 1989.

charles c. kolb

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

Kolb, Charles C.. "KGB." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Kolb, Charles C.. "KGB." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3424601522.html

Kolb, Charles C.. "KGB." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3424601522.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB (Russian abbreviation, Committee of State Security) Formed in 1953, the KGB was responsible for external espionage, internal counter-intelligence, and internal ‘crimes against the state’. The most famous chairman of the KGB was Yuri Andropov (1967–82) who was Soviet leader (1982–84). He made KGB operations more sophisticated, especially against internal dissidents. In 1992 the KGB was dissolved, to be replaced by the Central Intelligence Service of the Russian Republic. This pledged itself to work with Western Intelligence in the prevention of nuclear proliferation and the development of chemical and biological weapons, and to fight terrorism and drug trafficking.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"KGB." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"KGB." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-KGB.html

"KGB." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoye Bezhopaznosti, Rus. Committee for State Security) Soviet secret police. In the 1980s, it employed an estimated 500,000 people and controlled all police, security, and intelligence operations in the Soviet Union. It also gathered military and political information about other countries. Opposing liberalization under Gorbachev, its chief was a leader of the attempted coup against him in 1991. After the collapse of communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union, it underwent extensive reform.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"KGB." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"KGB." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-KGB.html

"KGB." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB the state security police (1954–91) of the former USSR with responsibility for external espionage, internal counterintelligence, and internal “crimes against the state.”
Russian, abbreviation of Komitet gosudarstvennoĭ bezopasnosti ‘Committee of State Security.’

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"KGB." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"KGB." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-KGB.html

"KGB." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB the state security police (1954–91) of the former USSR with responsibility for external espionage, internal counterintelligence, and internal “crimes against the state.”

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"KGB." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"KGB." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kgb.html

"KGB." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kgb.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB see secret police .

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"KGB." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"KGB." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-KGB.html

"KGB." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

KGB

KGB Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti (Russian: Committee of State Security)

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KGB." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KGB." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-KGB.html

FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KGB." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-KGB.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Facts and information from other sites

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of KGB