Set up in 1950, it was dissolved, prior to german unity, in 19891990. In this gripping narrative, john koehler details the widespread activities of east germanys ministry for state security, or stasi. As human rights activist rainer hildebrandt observed. The german democratic republic, or gdr, also simply known as east germany, was founded as a second german state on october 7, 1949 four years after the end of world war ii. The stasi game oberleutnant karen muller, book 6 by david young book cover, description, publication history. The untold story of the east german secret police by john o. Gunter guillaume, a close aide to the west german chancellor willy brandt, was a hva agent. The stasi arose in 1950 following the birth of the german democratic republic in 1949. What are good books in english on the stasieast german. Army intelligence officer, koehler offers a study spanning the history of the gdr, a time in which stasi brutality sustained an illegitimate communist regime. Giles macdonogh is gripped by personal histories of stasi rule in anna.
The surveillance state 03 east germanys stasi state youtube. Cold war articles by other authors stasi decorations and. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the stasi files unveiled. The infamous blue pills passed off as vitamins to many young east german athletes during the stasi secret policerun program to produce better national sports results between 1966 and the. The untold story of the east german secret police, their history is the history of totalitarian east germany. The organizations main charge was preserving the communist regime in east germany through clandestine operations. The public launch of two new books on the infamous east german stasi secret police sparked angry outbursts here on wednesday, showing. Not german here, but i can give you a parallel example that maybe will bring you closer to understanding why. Stasi, secret police agency of the german democratic republic east germany. The stasi developed out of the internal security and police apparatus. The result has been an outpouring of books and articles in germany, and some.
In this gripping narrative, john koehler details the widespread activities of. The stasi infiltrated almost every aspect of gdr life. What book is considered the definitive history of the ddr. Th e banalities of east german historiography berghahn books.
A study of the stasi, the east german secret police that forced. East german uniforms, badges, medals, insignia, hats. Particularly singled out were the former members of the stasi, the east german secret police, who previously had considered themselves the shield and sword of the party. The german photographer arwed messmer has a new book from hatje cantz called reenactments mfs which gathers a collage of this evidentiary material from those escape attempts from among the. Ash was a western student studying in east germany and the file is his memoir of examining his stasi file. What are some good books to read on the stasi, the kgb.
His former interrogator today writes books defending the gdr. All branches of west german government have been thoroughly infiltrated by stasi agents, both east and west german. This efficient, seemingly thorough trawl through old stasi files reveals no irish kim philbys or, for that matter, little real east german. Get the best deals on east german period item when you shop the largest online selection at. This book proved to be an excellent history of the east german secret police force, the stasi. East german leaders were on a par with hitlers gang, and stasi crimes were as brutal as those perpetrated by their nazi predecessors. Stasi in this gripping narrative, john koehler details the widespread activities of east germanys ministry for state security, or stasi. As a child in communist romania, ive heard a joke about a naughty rabbit being punished by being hanged on a nail in the wall next to wh. East germanys doping legacy lives on, 25 years later. Because you have a choice of material, which is either from fanatical communists who loved the ddr, or from ddrhating westerners who only state the bad things and make us out to be bad people. Th e banalities of east german historiography andrew i. In the mid1980s, a network of ims began growing in both german states.
Books by former gdr secret police officers spark outrage dw. The stasi game oberleutnant karen muller, book 6 by. About one out of every 63 east germans collaborated with the stasi. In the books melodramatic last lines, the autobiography of the spymaster markus wolf has become a best seller in germany. Koehler chronicles many of the cases involving stasi espionage against west germany, the u. The untold story of the east german secret police movies. An east german crime novel reim by max hertzberg isbn. The stasi, which infiltrated every walk of east german life, suppressed political opposition, and caused the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, proved to be one of the most powerful secret police and espionage services in the.
The tone of his observations is ironic understatement, much like the american hardboiled detective authors. How east german secret police banned me in the 80s by lucy komisar. The stasis size and its huge financial assets most of. Copies of my address books for stockholm and paris, which i was visiting. East germanys secret police, 19451990 gieseke, jens on. She wanted to know if east germans had been capable of individual. The untold story of the east german secret police new ed by koehler. East german ddr stasi grey nylon belt adjustable to 43in l x 1 78in w e799. As john koehler suggests in the impressively detailed stasi. The first stasi agents were trained by the soviet kgb. The stasi, which infiltrated every walk of east german life, suppressed political opposition, and caused the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of citizens, proved to be one of the most powerful secret police and espionage services in the world. The east german government, with the assistance of the soviet intelligence community, established the stasi on february 8, 1950. I was in berlin recently, and was fascinated by the stasi museum and the extensive surveillance in the east german state more surveillance than anywhere else in the east and discovered there are essentially no books in english on the subject. The untold story of the east german secret police 97808337449 by koehler, john o and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices.
Including informants, the stasi at one point would number one operative for every 66 east german citizens. The untold story of the east german secret police kindle. The original 1949 version of the east german constitution did not provide for censorship of the press, but did guarantee in article 9, section 2 that censorship of the media is not to occur. The stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the east german communist government. The untold story of the east german secret police koehler, john o on. A personal history by timothy garton ash is also an excellent look at police surveillance from the other side. East german secret police saw evidence of western sabotage in the most mundane events, new book reveals. Marshall poe of new books in history interviewed him for their podcast the file.
Reim is a jaded but somewhat gifted member of the east german communist state security service. Dwtv reporter georg matthes is searching through the files of the former east german secret police. A shooting at chateau rock bruno, chief of police investigation, book. The east german ministry for state security stood for stalinist oppression and allencompassing surveillance. The inside story of the stasi by gary bruce is an excellent introduction to the stasi.
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