On February 6, 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks decided to establish the State Political Administration. What is GPU? What did the Bolsheviks not like about the previous punitive-controlling body - the Cheka? We will try to answer in this article.
Reorganization of the Cheka
Before answering the question of what the GPU is, it is necessary to understand why the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK) ceased to arrange party members in 1922.
The Cheka was created almost immediately after the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks. The Communists themselves called this event a revolution, and in Soviet historiography it was called the "Great October Socialist Revolution." Recall: in February 1917 the Great Bourgeois Revolution had already passed. The emperor was overthrown, power was to be transferred to a democratic government - the Constituent Assembly. However, on October 25, Lenin and his comrades-in-arms carried out an armed seizure of power.
Naturally, the revolutionary forces did not support such an adventurous trick. Oppositionists began to be called "counter", i.e. supporters of counter-revolution. Subsequently, this term began to endow everyone who at least somehow did not agree with the actions of the Bolsheviks. It was to combat the “counter” that the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission was created in December 1917. It was headed by F.E. Dzerzhinsky, nicknamed "Iron Felix" for his solid character and hard temper.
Why did the Cheka cease to suit the Bolsheviks?
The Cheka is a punitive body whose work was directed against supporters of counter-revolution. Any citizen who at least somehow showed dissatisfaction with the current government could declare “Counter”. To understand what the GPU is and how it differed from the Cheka, we list the powers of a punitive organization. Local security officers had unlimited power. Their competence included:
- Search at any time of the day or night without explanation.
- The arrest and interrogation of any suspicious, according to the Chekists, citizen.
- The expropriation of property from the "fists" and "counter" without trial. Which in practice led to total robbery.
- Detention and execution without trial.
No one controlled the Chekists. They considered themselves "special", having the right to any action in the "interests of the revolution" and against the "fight against counter." Thousands of ordinary citizens fell under the gunfire without trial during the “Red Terror". The Chekists themselves sometimes did not even see the accused. The executions were carried out after the compilation of certain lists. Often the cause of the reprisal was the surname, appearance, occupation, etc. The Bolsheviks won the civil war, so they considered the repressive measures justified. Then events occurred that completely changed the consciousness of the Bolsheviks: peasants and soldiers went to war. The most famous of them is the Tambov uprising. Chemical weapons were used against the rebels, partisans' children and wives were sent to camps, forcing fathers and husbands to surrender. But truly unexpected was the uprising in Kronstadt. In fact, a force came out against the Bolsheviks, which brought them to power. After that, it became clear: this can not continue anymore.
GPU: decryption
GPU stands for Main Political Directorate. The reorganization of the Cheka took place on February 6, 1922. After the creation of the USSR, the OGPU - the United State Political Administration was formed in November 1923. The combined structure includes the GPU NKVD of the RSFSR (the main political department of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), as well as all former organizations of the Cheka and the GPU of the other republics. In fact, all disparate punitive bodies were included in a single and understandable management system. So, what is GPU (decryption), we have covered. We list the domestic changes that followed after the creation of this organization.
Restriction of the arbitrariness of the KGB
The reform significantly reduced the arbitrariness of the fighters with the "counter". Total arbitrariness came to an end. Of course, the GPU staff also went too far in the field, but this was already a violation of the law for which punishment was supposed. Even the top leaders of the Chekists - Yagoda and Yezhov - were shot for arbitrariness and numerous excesses.
After the reform, the Main Political Directorate became not a punishing, but a law enforcement organization. Her competence also included the fight against enemies and spies, border protection, control over the work of the police, etc. However, now all the arrests and executions were ordered by the courts, and not by the distraught security officers. In addition, there was a significant reduction in local staff, and the work of employees was controlled by the prosecutor's office.
In fact, the Chekists were demoted: no one controlled them before the reform, they could repair any arbitrariness “in the interests of the revolution”, and the body itself was directly subordinate to the Council of People's Commissars (council of people's commissars). The Cheka was higher than the NKVD. After the reform, the KGB did not become a “special” unit, but police officers, since the OGPU became one of the NKVD units. A prosecutor’s office was created to control the work of the new department.
Liquidation
So, what is GP, we found out. Let's say a little about further reorganizations.
In 1934, the OGPU was completely liquidated as an organization. She completely merged with the NKVD. From 1934 to 1936, the organization was led by G.G. Berry, from 1936 to 1938 - N.I. Yezhov. And since 1938 - L.P. Beria. All of them were later shot.
In 1941, the NKVD was divided into the NKVD and the NKGB (People's Commissariat of State Security). NKGB and became the successor of the Cheka-GPU-OGPU.
In 1946, the NKGB was reorganized into the MGB (Ministry of State Security). After coming to power N.S. Khrushchev MGB turns into the KGB (State Security Committee) in 1954. It lasted until the collapse of the Union. Today, the functions of the OGPU are carried out immediately by 4 departments: the GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate), the FSB (Federal Security Service), the Investigative Committee, and the National Guard.
However, only FSB officers are considered to be the successors of the “Chekists”.