The term "commissar" has been in use in Russian language since early 18th century, but it is most commonly associated with government officials during the USSR. The commissars were of many blends and types depending on times and circumstances, including people's commissars (ordinary officials), political commissars (who served in military as coequals with ordinary commanders), and military commissars (who were in charge of conscription process). While the title "commissar" went obsolete long before the fall of the Soviet Union, it became an emblem of everything the West feared in their Communist opponent: ruthlessness, efficiency, power, and hatred.