History glossary
KGB
the Soviet security and intelligence agency central to surveillance, repression, and state control.
- Category
- Institution
- Region
- Soviet Union
- Date range
- 1954-1991
What it means
The KGB was the Soviet Union's main security and intelligence agency. It ran foreign intelligence, internal surveillance, counterintelligence, and political policing, and senior KGB figures took part in the August 1991 coup attempt.
