Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

apparatchik

 
Dictionary: ap·pa·ra·tchik   (ä'pə-rä'chĭk) pronunciation
 
n., pl. -tchiks or -tchi·ki (-chĭ-kē).
  1. A member of a Communist apparat.
  2. An unquestioningly loyal subordinate, especially of a political leader or organization.

[Russian, from apparat, apparat. See apparat.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a word or phrase...
All Community Q&A Reference topics
Wikipedia: Apparatchik
 
Russian term
аппаратчик
Translit: apparatchik
English: functionary

Apparatchik (Russian: аппара́тчик, Russian pronunciation: [ɐpɐˈratɕɪk] plural apparatchiki) is a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party or government; i.e., an agent of the governmental or party "apparat" (apparatus) that held any position of bureaucratic or political responsibility, with the exception of the higher ranks of management.

Members of the "apparat" were frequently transferred between different areas of responsibility, usually with little or no actual training for their new areas of responsibility. Thus, the term apparatchik, or "agent of the apparatus" was usually the best possible description of the person's profession and occupation.

The term was usually associated with a specific mindset, attitude and appearance of the person; when used by "outsiders", it often bore derogatory connotations.

Today this term is also used in contexts other than Soviet Union. For example, it is often used to describe people who cause bureaucratic bottlenecks in otherwise efficient organizations. It is also frequently used to describe individuals, appointed to positions in any government, on the basis of ideological or political loyalty rather than competence.

Related topics

References

External links


 
Translations: Apparatchik
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - apparatjik, medlem af det kommunistiske apparat, partipamper

Nederlands (Dutch)
apparatsjik (lid van Communistisch apparaat), ijverige politicus

Français (French)
n. - apparatchik

Deutsch (German)
n. - Apparatschik, (Mitglied des kommunistischen Apparats)

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ιστ.) μέλος ή χαφιές του Σοβιετικού Κομουνιστικού Κόμματος, μέλος του κομματικού μηχανισμού

Italiano (Italian)
burocrate

Português (Portuguese)
n. - membro (m) (f) de um aparelho comunista, oficial (m) (f) devotado cegamente aos seus superiores, membro ativo (m) de um partido político

Русский (Russian)
аппаратчик

Español (Spanish)
n. - miembro del "aparato" comunista

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - byråkrat, partipamp

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
共产党组织的官员

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 共產黨組織的官員

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 공산당 스파이

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 機関員

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עובד מנגנון של מפלגה קומוניסטית (מיושן), סוכן או מרגל קומוניסטי, אפארצ'יק, עסקן פוליטי נלהב, איש-מנגנון של ארגון פרטי או ציבורי‬


 
 
Learn More
Angi Vera (1979 Drama Film)
Apparat (Russian history)
The Farewell (2000 Drama Film)

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Apparatchik" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more