Stasi

This article is about Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. See Commission Stasi for other meaning.

Statue of workers and Stasi official in front of the former Stasi archives building, Mitte district, Berlin (The official has been egged a few times)

The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (German for Ministry for State Security), commonly known by the abbreviation Stasi, was the main security (secret police) and intelligence organization of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Stasi was headquartered in the capital, East Berlin, with an extensive complex in Lichtenberg and several smaller complexes throughout the city. The Stasi was widely regarded as one of the most effective intelligence agencies in the world.

The Stasi was founded on February 8, 1950. Wilhelm Zaisser was its first leader, and Erich Mielke his deputy. In 1955, Mielke became head of the Stasi, and Markus Wolf became head of the Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung (HVA), its foreign intelligence section. The Stasi was modeled on the Soviet NKVD, and was regarded by the KGB as an extremely loyal and effective partner among the intelligence services of the Warsaw Pact countries.

Many early Stasi officers were former officers of the Nazi SS with East German Communist leaders actively seeking former Gestapo and SD personnel to lead the Stasi in its formative years.

The Stasi's flag

The Stasi's influence over almost every aspect of life in the German Democratic Republic cannot be overestimated. Until the mid-1980s, a civilian network of informants (Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter [IMs], or unofficial collaborators) grew within the GDR, and in West Germany as well. By the East German collapse in 1989, it is estimated that the Stasi had 91,000 full time employees and 300,000 informants. This means approximately one in fifty East Germans collaborated with the Stasi, possibly the highest penetration of any society by a security apparatus.

The Stasi monitored politically "incorrect" behavior among all citizens of East Germany, comparable to activity of the former Gestapo. During the 1989 peaceful revolution, the Stasi offices were overrun by enraged citizens, but not before a huge amount of compromising material was destroyed by Stasi officers. The remaining files are available for review to all people who were reported upon, often revealing that friends, colleagues, husbands, wives, and other family members were regularly filing reports with the Stasi.

After German unification, it was revealed that the Stasi also secretly aided left-wing terrorist groups such as the Red Army Faction. Loss of support from the Stasi was a major factor in the dissolution of these groups.

Notable Figures

• Erich Mielke
• Markus Wolf
• Wilhelm Zaisser
• Ernst Wollweber

Notable Informants

• Ibrahim Böhme
• Günter Guillaume (who spied upon Willy Brandt, the West German Chancellor)
• Manfred Stolpe
• Christa Wolf
• Martin Kirchner
• Robin Pearson
• Vic Allen
• Wolfgang Schnur

See Also

• Stasiland
• Mass surveillance

External links

Links in German:

• More about Stasi victims
• Office administering the Stasi files

Links in English:

• A Soviet Debriefing on the Stasi
• The Creation and Description of a Museum about the Stasi
• Photos of Stasi Headquarters in Berlin
• Read about the Defection of a Stasi Agent