The Stasi: A Tale of Surveillance, Fear, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Erich Mielke's message was clear: the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, systematically monitored citizens. Informants could be anyone, even colleagues. The GDR labeled anyone who criticized the regime as a threat. The Berlin Wall was built to protect against Western capitalists. Stasi methods included surveillance, wiretapping, and intimidation. Employees were often behind the camera, not in front. They worked in secret, sometimes spreading lies about their colleagues. The Stasi had around 90,000 full-time employees and 100,000 informal collaborators. Many were imprisoned for criticizing the regime. After the fall of the Wall, the Stasi was stormed by demonstrators who demanded access to their files. Over 111 km of files were preserved.