Commissariats

Commissariat, or commissariats in plural, is a term used to describe governmental or administrative offices responsible for provisioning, logistics, or policing, depending on historical and national context. In general usage, a commissariat is an office or department analogous to a ministry or department of state, with a remit to organize resources or enforce policy.

Historically, the term was widely used in the Russian Empire and, after 1917, in the Soviet Union to designate political and administrative ministries known as People’s Commissariats (narodnye kommissariaty). These bodies held executive authority over a broad range of policy areas, such as foreign affairs, internal affairs, education, and finance. In the postwar period, many were renamed to ministries, but the English term “commissariat” remains in historical reference.

In French-speaking contexts, commissariat can refer to the police station or the office of a police commissioner (commissaire). The term also appears in some colonial and military administrations to denote supply and provisioning departments, especially in the context of logistics and quartermaster functions.

In modern English, commissariat is largely found in historical or specialized discussions. It is sometimes used in translations of foreign terms, or to describe the police or civil administration in certain languages. The term is less common as a contemporary administrative label in most countries, where “ministry” or “department” is preferred.