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The beginning -

In 425 BCE, Sparta established the first recorded secret police called Crypteia, also known as Krypteia. Comprising young Spartans, this state organization aimed to maintain control over the Helots, and potentially the Perioeci too.

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Roman Empire -

The Praetorians served as the Roman Empire's covert law enforcement agency. Initially established as bodyguards, their authority and prominence expanded over time. The Praetorian Guard, founded in 275 BCE, was dissolved by Constantine the Great in 318 ACE. 

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Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) -

The Hongwu Emperor (depicted in the picture) established the imperial secret police in China in 1368, serving the Ming dynasty's emperors. Originally, these guards protected the emperor, but eventually, they took on additional, more influential roles.

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Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) -

The Embroidered Uniform Guard possessed the authority to question, detain, prosecute, and penalize anyone they wanted (including aristocrats). They were infamous for eliminating political hazards by means of assassinations and legal prosecutions.

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Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) -

The Jinyiwei ceased to exist when Li Zicheng's rebel forces overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644, after serving for 262 years.

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China’s second secret police -

In 1420, the Yongle Emperor established a new covert law enforcement group known as the Dongchang (Eastern Depot). Managed by eunuchs, their primary duty involved monitoring individuals who could potentially endanger the emperor. Once identified, suspects were promptly handed over to the Jinyiwei for further questioning and subsequent legal actions.

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Oprichnina -

In 1565, Tsar Ivan the Terrible established the Oprichnina in Russia with the intention of suppressing those who resisted his authority. The Oprichnina became infamous for instilling fear in the population and carrying out brutal acts of torture and execution, such as dismemberment, impalement, and death by boiling or burning.

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Geheime Staatspolizei -

The Geheime Staatspolizei served as the undercover police force for the Archduchy of Austria. Established in 1786, their operations involved recruiting informers from the public and monitoring mail in order to gather intelligence.

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The Third Section -

From 1826 to 1880, the Third Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery functioned as a clandestine law enforcement agency in Imperial Russia. Its mission was to safeguard the Tsar and the empire, utilizing methods like monitoring, controlling information, and influencing public opinion.

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Okhrana -

The Department for Preserving Public Security and Order was established in 1881. The recently formed secret police of the Russian Empire came under scrutiny for their alleged involvement in the tragic Bloody Sunday incident of 1905, during which troops ruthlessly killed hundreds of unarmed protesters.

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Okhrana -

Known for employing arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture as tactics to extract information, they instilled fear in numerous individuals. The organization disbanded in 1917.

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Cheka -

Various Soviet secret police agencies were established in the years that followed. In 1917, the All-Russian Extraordinary Committee to Combat Counter-Revolution and Sabotage was formed.

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Cheka -

The group, also known as Cheka, committed many atrocities. Their methods of torture and execution involved skinning people alive, impaling, crucifying, beheading, hanging, and burning them.

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Cheka -

According to reports, Chekists allegedly subjected naked prisoners to cold water, causing them to freeze to death during winter. Their reign of terror ended in 1922.

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GPU/OGPU -

The establishment of the GPU, also known as the State Political Directorate, marked the emergence of Soviet Russia's intelligence agency and clandestine law enforcement. Its tenure lasted only a year before the inception of the USSR necessitated a new secret police, leading to its transformation into the OGPU.

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Before KGB -

During the subsequent years, the duties of secret police involving intelligence and counterintelligence were assumed by various USSR agencies, such as the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) and the Ministry of State Security (MGB).

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KGB -

The Committee for State Security (KGB) was established in 1954. Primarily known for espionage, especially during the Cold War, the KGB played a crucial role in safeguarding Soviet Union's interests until it disbanded in 1991.

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Russia -

The KGB was succeeded by the Federal Counterintelligence Service (1991-1995) and then the Federal Security Service (1995-present).

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Federal Security Service -

The Federal Security Service has gained attention for various reasons, such as a doping scandal leading to the suspension of Russian Olympic athletes, their alleged role in the 2016 US presidential elections, and a WikiLeaks disclosure exposing the state's surveillance of Russian cellphone users.

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Gestapo -

The Prussian Secret Police, known for its notorious operations during the 19th to early 20th centuries, underwent a renaming in 1933, becoming the Gestapo. Infamous for its oppressive tactics, the Gestapo, officially known as the Geheime Staatspolizei, played a crucial part in the implementation of the Holocaust. Operating within Nazi Germany and German-occupied territories in Europe, their primary objective was to uncover and eradicate any opposition to the Nazi regime.

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Gestapo -

The Gestapo, condemned as a criminal organization during the Nuremberg trials after World War II, saw many of its members individually prosecuted and convicted. However, leader Heinrich Müller remained elusive and consequently was never brought to trial.

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Stasi -

The secret police of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was established in 1950 and remained active until German reunification in 1990.

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Stasi -

Their tasks primarily involved espionage and monitoring. This encompassed maintaining an extensive network of informants embedded across diverse sectors of society. Additionally, they collaborated with the KGB.

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OVRA -

The Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism, commonly called OVRA, was established in 1927 during Benito Mussolini's reign. OVRA's primary objective was to covertly penetrate every sector of Italian society. The organization was dissolved in 1945.

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Political-Social Brigade -

The Political-Social Brigade operated in Spain from 1941 to 1978 during the rule of dictator Francisco Franco. It was infamous for its brutal interrogation tactics, which often involved torture.

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PIDE -

The International and State Defense Police, commonly referred to as PIDE, came into existence in 1945 under the reign of the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal. Notably, PIDE relied on ordinary citizens to gather information. PIDE possessed the authority to scrutinize and apprehend individuals suspected of conspiring against the government.

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CIA -

Although not classified as a secret police, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States has experienced its fair share of controversies involving the monitoring of civilians and various undercover operations.

See also: History´s most famous military code names

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