ABSTRACT
The various models and theories that Western scholars have offered to explain the Soviet system present a contradictory picture of the Committee of State Security's (KGB) political role. It has been variously referred to as “the party’s obedient instrument,” a “national security bureaucracy,” and one of “the pillars of the Soviet system.” The political police, tsarist and Soviet, has always been the ultimate symbol of repression, and the degree of repression at any given time has been a useful gauge for measuring the apparent powers of the police. KGB officials have become more sophisticated, employing subtler psychological techniques to subdue manifestations of political dissent and increasing their role in the political socialization process. Another asset for the KGB has been its involvement in the campaign against official corruption. The KGB is a key institution for furthering Soviet foreign policy objectives abroad and protecting the state from subversive activities by foreign governments.
