See Apparatchik (disambiguation) for other meanings.

Apparatchik (аппара́тчик, plural apparatchiki) is a Russian colloquial term for a full-time, professional functionary of the Communist Party, or government i.e., a member 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.

Since members of the "apparat" were frequently transferred between different areas of responsibility, often only loosely related to professional training (if any) of the person, usually the term apparatchik, or "member of the apparatus" was 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, and 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 described people who cause bureaucratic bottlenecks in otherwise efficient organizations, especially at support services groups such as IT services.

Related articles

• Nomenklatura
• Bureaucracy
• Partmaximum