The People's Commissarist for Internal Affairs, abbreviated NKVD, was the law enforcement agency of the Soviet Union, under direct control of the Communist Party. It was created in 1917, succeeding the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Due to the fact that the missions inherited from the previous agency were too overwhelming for the NKVD, a lot of political missions, including the enforcement of the revolution and Bolshevik values, were given to the newly created Cheka.