Народный комиссариат внутренних дел

  • The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs
  • Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del
  • НКВД
  • NKVD
Identifier
001388
Dates
Type of Entity
Corporate Body

Dates of Existence

1917-1946

History

The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was a law enforcement agency of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the All Union Communist Party. It was closely associated with the Soviet secret police, which at times was part of the agency, and is known for its political repression during the era of Joseph Stalin. The NKVD contained the regular, public police force of the USSR, including traffic police, firefighting, border guards and archives. It is best known for the activities of the Gulag. The NKVD conducted mass extrajudicial executions, ran the Gulag system of forced labor camps and suppressed underground resistance, and was also responsible for mass deportations of entire nationalities and Kulaks to unpopulated regions of the country. It was also tasked with protection of Soviet borders and espionage, which included political assassinations abroad, influencing foreign governments and enforcing Stalinist policy within communist movements in other countries.

Places

  • Soviet Union

Sources

  • The NKVD by Mesrob Vartavarian in www.nkvd.org