apparatchiks

Noun

apparatchik (plural apparatchiks or apparatchiki)

1. (historical) A member of the Soviet apparat; a Communist bureaucrat or agent.
   • Whether conservatively toeing their Marx or boldly advocating such heretical Western-style reforms as the primacy of profits, every important planner, apparatchik and economist in Russia is caught up in Communism's greatest debate since Stalin set backward Russia on its cruel-but successful-forced...1965 February 12, “Russia: Borrowing from the Capitalists”, in Time, volume 85, →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 Mar 2009
2. (broadly) A blindly loyal bureaucrat.
   • Mr. Gonzales came across as a dull-witted apparatchik incapable of running one of the most important departments in the executive branch. […] He delegated responsibility for purging their ranks to an inexperienced and incompetent assistant who, if that’s possible, was even more of a plodding...2007 April 20, “Gonzales v. Gonzales”, in The New York Times, →ISSN