What was the KGB?

# Stuff You Should Know: The KGB

Josh and Chuck dive deep into the Soviet Union's notorious secret police force, the KGB, exploring how this massive intelligence and domestic surveillance apparatus operated from its origins in 1917 through the Cold War and beyond. They unpack the chilling tactics the KGB used to maintain control—from infiltrating opposition groups to creating sleeper agents embedded in other countries—while also examining how the organization became a master of disinformation campaigns that influenced everything from American politics to global conspiracy theories. The episode reveals how successful the KGB was at turning American spies, stealing advanced military technology, and sowing discord both domestically and internationally, all while operating under a blanket of secrecy and fear that shaped Soviet society for decades.