1917 7th December
Creation of Cheka
The Soviet government creates the Cheka to combat counter-revolution and sabotage.
Russian Revolution · permanent subject timeline
Cheka and Revolutionary Security
The early Soviet political police established in December 1917. This page combines historical context with 6 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Russian Revolution collection.
Historical context
Cheka and Revolutionary Security: overview and significance
What happened?
The Bolshevik government created the Extraordinary Commission, usually known as the Cheka, to combat counter-revolution and sabotage. Under Felix Dzerzhinsky it became an important institution of political security during the new regime's consolidation.
Why was it important?
The Cheka marked the rapid growth of coercive institutions under Soviet power. During the civil war it became closely associated with political repression and the Red Terror.
World History Database records
Cheka and Revolutionary Security timeline
The records below are selected from the 726-record Russian Revolution collection and rendered as static HTML for reading and indexing.
1917
1918
1918 30th August
Assassination of Moisei Solomonovich UritskII
The head of the Petrograd cheka is assassinated
1918 30th August
Cheka
The head of the Petrograd cheka is assassinated
1918 30th August
Death of Moisei Solomonovich UritskII
The head of the Petrograd cheka is assassinated
1918 1st September
Cheka
The Petrograd Cheka Chief is assassinated
1918 1st September
Rebellion
The Red Army search for suspects & Kronstadt sailors shoot 500 hostages. The Petrograd Cheka Chief is assassinated
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Russian Revolution records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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