US+in+the+Middle+East



The KGB The KGB  (komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti) was the Soviet equivalent of the CIA. They were established on January 1st, 1955, but it's origins began in 1917. An organization named Cheka was formed when the communist government was established during the Bolshevik Revolution. After a few years Cheka turned into what we know as the KGB, which means "Committee of State Security."

Significance The KGB was created to ensure the political loyalty of the Soviet Union. They were in charge of protecting political figures, protecting the Soviet Union's borders, and create security among the armed forces. They allowed the Soviet Union to further their foreign policy by collecting secret information about a country's military, political settings, and technology advances.

Impact Due to the KGB's ability to gather information, the Soviet Union knew what was happening all over the world. The KGB also handled crimes such as treason and would create investigations against those in question. The KGB was, at one point, the most powerful organization in the world. This, however, is why it disbanded. It was decided that the KGB was too powerful, so it was disbanded and reorganized.