Civil authority in the context of "Reichskommissariat Ostland"

A police state is a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little to no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive, and the deployment of internal security and police forces play a heightened role in governance. A police state is a characteristic of authoritarian, totalitarian or illiberal regimes (contrary to a liberal democratic regime). Such governments are not exclusive to simply one-party states or dominant-party states, as they can also arise in a democracy or multi-party system.

Originally, a police state was a state regulated by a civil administration, but since the beginning of the 20th century it has "taken on an emotional and derogatory meaning" by describing an undesirable state of living characterized by the overbearing presence of civil authorities. The inhabitants of a police state may experience restrictions on their mobility, or on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force that operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state. Robert von Mohl, who first introduced the rule of law to German jurisprudence, contrasted the Rechtsstaat ("legal" or "constitutional" state) with the anti-aristocratic Polizeistaat ("police state").

The Reichskommissariat Ukraine (RKU; lit. 'Reich Commissariat of Ukraine') was an administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. It served as the German civilian occupation regime in the Ukrainian SSR and parts of the Byelorussian SSR, Russian SFSR, and eastern Poland during the Eastern Front of World War II.

Reichskommissariat Ukraine was established after the early success of the Wehrmacht's Operation Barbarossa for territory under the military administration of Army Group South Rear Area. The German civil administration was based in Rovno (Rivne) with Erich Koch serving as the only Reichskommissar during its existence.

The Jones–Shafroth Act (Pub. L. 64–368, 39 Stat. 951, enacted March 2, 1917), officially called the Organic Act of Puerto Rico or the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1917, is an organic act of the 64th United States Congress that was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on March 2, 1917. The Act expanded the civil administration of the insular government of Puerto Rico, which was established under the federal jurisdiction of the United States as the local governance of an unincorporated territory through the Foraker Act of 1900. It served as the primary organic law for the government of Puerto Rico and its relation with the United States until it was superseded by the Constitution of Puerto Rico in 1952 as per the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 and its Pub. L. 82–447 joint resolution.

Bearing the names of its sponsors, Representative William Atkinson Jones, (D-Virginia), chairman of the House Committee on Insular Affairs, and Senator John Shafroth, (D-Colorado), chairman of the Committee on Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico, the Jones–Shafroth Act, which operated as a de facto constitution, established a bill of rights based on the United States Bill of Rights and granted statutory birthright United States citizenship to anyone born in the archipelago and island on or after April 11, 1899.

Civil control of the military is a doctrine in military and political science that places ultimate responsibility for a country's strategic decision-making in the hands of the state's civil authority, rather than completely with professional military leadership itself. As such, a "fundamental requirement of any nation is to ensure that the activities of its armed forces be subordinated to the political purposes of constitutional government; hence, the armed forces must be under civil control". The concept of civil control falls within the overarching concept of civil-military relations representing the "societal imperative that the military remain subordinate to civil authority and that it reflect, to an appropriate degree, societal values and norms".

Civil oversight over militaries puts the power to take military action in the hands of a civil authority, such as through government ministers or legislative bodies, or the democratic apparatus of the Crown in constitutional monarchies. Allowing the civil component of government to retain control over the military or state security illustrates the power of the citizenry, a healthy respect for democratic values, and what can be described as good governance. Giving power to the civil component of the government over what the military can do and how much money it can spend protects the democratic process from abuse. Nations that can achieve legitimate relationship between the two structures serve to be more effective and provide accountability between government and military.

Generalbezirk Estland (German for "General District Estonia"; Estonian: Eesti kindralkomissariaat) was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered Estonia from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Estonia during World War II, and supervised the collaborationist Estonian Self-Administration of Hjalmar Mäe.

Karl-Siegmund Litzmann was the only Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Estland during its existence.

Generalbezirk Lettland (German for "General District Latvia"; Latvian: Latvijas ģenerālapgabals) was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered Latvia from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Latvia during World War II, and supervised the collaborationist Latvian Self-Administration of Oskars Dankers.

Otto-Heinrich Drechsler was the only Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Lettland during its existence.

Generalbezirk Litauen (Lithuanian: Lietuvos generalinė sritis, lit. 'General District Lithuania') was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered Lithuania from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Lithuania during World War II.

Adrian von Renteln was the only Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Litauen during its existence.

Generalbezirk Weißruthenien (Belarusian: Генеральная акруга Беларусь; lit. 'General District White Ruthenia') was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered western Belarus from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Belarus during World War II, and supervised the collaborationist Belarusian Central Council of Radasłaŭ Astroŭski.

Wilhelm Kube was the Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Weißruthenien until his death in 1943. Kube was succeeded by SS and Police Leader Curt von Gottberg who served as Generalkommissar for the remainder of its existence.