Chekism

Chekism (Russian: Чекизм) is a term that relates to the situation in the Soviet Union where the secret police strongly controlled all spheres of society. It is also used to point out similar circumstances in post-Soviet intelligence states such as modern Russia. The term can refer to the system of rule itself, and to the underlying ideology that promotes and popularizes political police violence and arbitrariness against real and imagined enemies of the state.

The name is derived from Cheka, the colloquial name of the first in the succession of Soviet secret police agencies. Employees of Soviet and Russian state security organs have been called Chekists.