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Secret Police Force

Definition

A secret police force is a law enforcement agency that operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual leader or a political regime.

Analogy

Think of a secret police force like your school's hall monitors, but with much more power and less accountability. They're there to maintain order, but they can do so without anyone knowing exactly what they're doing or how they're doing it.

Related terms

Covert Operations: These are activities carried out by organizations in such a way that their actions can be denied by the government if discovered.

Authoritarianism: This is a form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms.

Totalitarianism: This refers to a system of government that is centralized, dictatorial, and requires complete subservience to the state.

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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.