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See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Shutterstock
1 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Shutterstock
6 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
7 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Public Domain
8 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
11 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Public Domain
12 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
15 / 28 Fotos
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).
© Getty Images
16 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
Russia
- The KGB was succeeded by the Federal Counterintelligence Service (1991-1995) and then the Federal Security Service (1995-present).
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
Stasi
- The secret police of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was established in 1950 and remained active until German reunification in 1990.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
23 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
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
© Getty Images
27 / 28 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Shutterstock
1 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
2 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
3 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
4 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
5 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Shutterstock
6 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
7 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Public Domain
8 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
9 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
10 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
11 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Public Domain
12 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
13 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
14 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
15 / 28 Fotos
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).
© Getty Images
16 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
17 / 28 Fotos
Russia
- The KGB was succeeded by the Federal Counterintelligence Service (1991-1995) and then the Federal Security Service (1995-present).
© Getty Images
18 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
19 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
20 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
21 / 28 Fotos
Stasi
- The secret police of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was established in 1950 and remained active until German reunification in 1990.
© Getty Images
22 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
23 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
24 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
25 / 28 Fotos
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.
© Getty Images
26 / 28 Fotos
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
© Getty Images
27 / 28 Fotos
The mysterious and disturbing history of secret police
From 425 BCE to the present day
© <p>Getty Images</p>
Many governments have had (and continue to have) secret police forces used to control citizens and, supposedly, to protect the state. These police forces were typically established under authoritarian or totalitarian regimes and operated discreetly to counter any political opposition to the government.
To accomplish this, these secret police forces engaged in surveillance, employed informants, and infiltrated various sectors of society. However, protecting the government's interests comes at a price for its citizens: these organizations were notorious for their use of repression and violence. Many had the power to arrest, torture, and even execute civilians at their will.
Take a closer look at the disturbing past of secret police forces by exploring this gallery.
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