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Commissar
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Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title ( used in Russia after the Bolshevik revolution.
The title was mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in many Bolshevik and Soviet government military forces during the Russian Civil War; the White Army widely used the collective term bolsheviks and commissars for their opponents. After that, it was mostly used for People's Commissar (or narkom) for government ministers, and political commissar in the military.
It is based on similar titles in a variety of languages (such as commissaire in French, Kommissar in German) most often attached to a criminal investigator in the police; they are usually translated as commissioner.
The term was also used in some other Communist countries.
Variants
People's Comissar
A People's Comissar (informally abbreviated narkom) is a government official serving in a Council of the People's Commissars.
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Encyclopedia
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title ( used in Russia after the Bolshevik revolution.
The title was mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in many Bolshevik and Soviet government military forces during the Russian Civil War; the White Army widely used the collective term bolsheviks and commissars for their opponents. After that, it was mostly used for People's Commissar (or narkom) for government ministers, and political commissar in the military.
It is based on similar titles in a variety of languages (such as commissaire in French, Kommissar in German) most often attached to a criminal investigator in the police; they are usually translated as commissioner.
The term was also used in some other Communist countries.
Variants
People's Comissar
A People's Comissar (informally abbreviated narkom) is a government official serving in a Council of the People's Commissars. This title was first used by the Government of the Russian SFSR and then copied among the many Soviet and Bolshevik-controlled states in the Russian Civil War.
The goverment departments headed by a People's Commissar were called People's Commissariat.
People's Commissars and People's Comissariats were renamed Minister and Ministries in 1946 by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet.
Political comissar
A political commissar was a high-ranking is a functionary at a military headquarters who holds coequal rank and authority with the military commander of the unit. Political commissars were established to control the military forces by the Communist party. No military order might be issued which did not have the prior approval of both the commander and the comissar.
Although lower-level political officers never had received the samed military training as commanding officers, most commissars were high-ranking party bosses and never had any military training or talent.
Following the disasters of the 1942, the political command was abolished. Political officers only survived at the regiment level, in a form of a Deputy for Political Matters, and at the front level, where they formed the Military Councils with respective military commanders.
Military comissar
The voenkom , translated as military comissar, is the head of a military commissariat - a regional office that drafts men for military service, executes plans for military mobilization, and maintains records on military reserves.
NKVD
Until late 1930s, the People's Militsiya and Internal Troops of the NKVD had no personal ranks, and used many various position-ranks instead. In 1935, Militsiya acreated a special system of personal ranks what was a blend of standard military ranks and position-ranks; this system was largely reused by the newly-created Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB) in their rank structure, although they had Comissar-style ranks for top officers in place of Militsiya-style inspector and director.
From 1943, the Militsiya switched to a new rank system and insignia introduced in the Soviet Army. Instead of General ranks, top officers used Commissar of Militsiya 3rd, 2nd, and 1st rank, even though they wore standard Major Genaral, Lieutenant General and Colonel General shoulder boards. These Commissar ranks were replaced by corresponding General ranks in 1975.
The GUGB also switched to military-style ranks and indignia in 1945, although they replaced Commissar-style ranks with General officer ranks right away.
Other uses
The term commissary was used by the British and U.S. Military to denote an officer in charge of supplying an army with provisions and equipment( and Commissariat).
A similar term in French describes the equivalent of the rank of Major both in the army of the ancien regime and the French revolution. Such officials were not military officers but reported back to the political authorities: the king and the National Assembly, respectively.
See also
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