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The Soviet party and state leadership, led by N. S. Khrushchev, taking into account the experience of Stalin's rule, wanted to limit the powers of their intelligence services and therefore created the KGB in 1954.
The reform was supposed to limit the powers of state security and replace most of the previous personnel. That this was only partially successful is confirmed by 228, mostly previously unpublished, documents from Russian archives.
When Khrushchev was removed from power at the end of 1964, the KGB had already recaptured numerous powers to persecute perceived political opponents.