The stasi files book

But the stasi spy files, according to intelligence sources here, now reside at cia headquarters in langley, va. Stasi officers tried to destroy their files when the berlin wall fell in 1989, but they were saved by ordinary east german citizens who stormed the stasi offices in the city of erfurt to protect. Marshall poe of new books in history interviewed him for their podcast the file. The stasi files conscientious photography magazine. The stasi were among the most successful security and intelligence services in the cold war. The definitive, revelatory account of the gdrs cold war espionage activities against the uk. May 11, 2006 and in a book accompanying the film, mr muhe speaks about his sense of betrayal when he found out about his wifes alleged stasi role. Now the stasi files are part of beleites daily life.

The untold story of the east german secret police new ed by koehler. Photos from east germanys secret intelligence files a new book documents the absurd and terrifying history of the stasi. After german reunification, the surveillance files that the stasi had maintained on millions of east germans were laid open, so that any citizen could inspect their personal file on request. Germany east german stasi had 189,000 informers, study says. The stasi file by peter bernhardt combines espionage with opera, a combination that gives the book its unique flavor. T he file is timothy garton ashs compelling 1997 excavation of the stasi and the people who came into contact with it. The definitive, revelatory account of the gdrs cold war espionage a. Memorable in this respect is the socalled brown book. Has anyone in quora read stasi documents on themselves or a close family member. Has anyone in quora read stasi documents on themselves or.

The stasi files are not a history of that organisation nor a comprehensive look at its operations. It holds a pair of 3inchthick black binders copies of the most important documents in poppes secret police files. The federal commissioner for the records of the state. This office was responsible for preserving the records of the ministry for state security of the gdr, including files the secret police had compiled on individuals and stored in archives. The german democratic republic of spying telegraph. East germanys secret operations against britain by anthony glees and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Guilt and compliance in a unified germany ebook written by barbara miller. There were some about my parents, and some letters i received s. Numerous stasi officials were prosecuted for their crimes after 1990. East german stasi files open to public online for first time telegraph. Clark told how he sewed secrets inside dolls and hollow books, photographed.

Bstu access to records the stasi records agency bstu is responsible for making the records of the state security service of the former gdr accessible to the public. Following a declassification ruling by the new german government in 1992, the remaining files were opened. Probably no secret police network was ever as pervasive as the stasi s, not even the gestapos. In 1991, after considerable debate, the unified german parliament passed the stasi records law, which granted to germans and foreigners the right to view their stasi files. What are some good books to read on the stasi, the kgb. Sep 19, 2007 the stasi files are a product of four decades of meticulous notetaking. The stasi file was named a finalist for book of the year by the british arts council sponsored website, and is ranked a bestseller by the site.

Because the author is analyzing his own life there is a deal of personal bias when it comes to how an particular informantperson should be viewed, however, this does not diminish from the book. Click download or read online button to get stasi book now. Bringing out her first book through the twenty7 books publishing label, young initially released stasi child to much acclaim in 2015 on the 1st of october. Concerned that stasi officials were destroying the organizations files, east german citizens occupied its main headquarters in berlin on january 15, 1990. The book is not simply about a stasi file, but also gives a very authentic picture of life in east germany around 1980. The file is a historical analysis of one file and one persons experience with the stasi and east german government. According to the telegraph, almost 7 million applications to view these files have been registered since then. East german stasi had 189,000 informers, study says dw. Every individual has the right to request to view his own personal file. This experiment was realized because the freedom for my file demands made during the peaceful revolution were heard and respected by the political leaders. Ash was a western student studying in east germany and the file is his memoir of examining his stasi file.

Copies of my address books for stockholm and paris, which i was visiting. Krusche could have talked to stasi, but not reported on people, said rainer eppelmann, a leading dissident in east german times and now a member of parliament from the conservative christian democratic party. Jan 09, 2015 the files of the stasi, communist east germanys notorious secret police, have been made generally available for the first time on a german government website. The inside story of the stasi by gary bruce is an excellent introduction to the stasi. If the pictures in the book were all terrible, there wouldnt be any problem. Jul 07, 2003 the fruits of this trawl through the surviving stasi files now closed to researchers, tell an extraordinary story the stasi files, free press. John macdougallafpgetty images four decades of domination over almost all aspects of life in east germany came to an abrupt halt exactly 25 years ago today. How east german secret police banned me in the 80s by lucy komisar november 8, 2009. The secret lives of the stasi radiofreeeuroperadioliberty. The compelling main characters take you on a ride through a part of the world in the very recent past, that has and continues to have an impact on all of us. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.

Stasi museum berlin 2020 all you need to know before you. East germanys secret operations against britain new ed by glees, anthony isbn. Stasiland is the former east germany, a country where the stasi, the secret police, spied on every inhabitant, kept files on everybody, and seemed allpowerful. Stasi victims and citizens who had been under surveillance were allowed to examine their stasi files. The agency commonly refers to itself and is also known as the stasiunterlagenbehorde stasi records agency. A conference room in the former ministry of state security. Barbara miller graduated from the university of glasgow in 1991 with a degree in german and psychology. In this book, garton ash examines the file that the stasi built on him between 1978 and 1989, which he was able to access after the fall of east germany. It was established when the stasi records act came into force on 29 december 1991. Army intelligence officer, koehler offers a study spanning the history of the gdr, a time in which stasi brutality sustained an illegitimate communist regime.

In this gripping narrative, john koehler details the widespread activities of east germanys ministry for state security, or stasi. The stasi was a network of secret police and informers, and the mostfeared branch of the gdrs communist regime. The stasi file is a heartthumping novel full of action and intellectual intrigue. Jan 17, 2010 dwtv reporter georg matthes is searching through the files of the former east german secret police. In search of my stasifile memories of life in east germany. East germanys secret operations against britain by. The 20 th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall has called forth a plethora of memories and celebrations. They were discovered by archivists working at the government commission for the stasi files in berlin, the 10yearold organization responsible for collating the voluminous data gathered by the. As a result, the stasi was able to destroy only about 5% of all documents. The stasi records agency was the first institution established worldwide to make secret police files publicly accessible. Guilt and compliance in a unified germany offers important new perspectives on the nature of individual and collective memory and is a fascinating investigation of modern german society. Anthony glees the east german stasi was a highly professional and dangerously conspiratorial organisation, the selfstyled sword and shield of a vicious communist regime. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the stasi files unveiled. Anna funder has written about the stasi in a way that sometimes seems like fiction, other times like memoir, and ultimately like an exceptionally readable history.

Dwtv reporter georg matthes is searching through the files of the former east german secret police. At its height in 1988, the allseeing, allpowerful agency employed 91,000 people and a network of 189,000. It brought back to me many of my own memories, and while reading i was surprised time and again how precisely the author, a visitor from the west, understood what was. Angela merkel may currently be the most discussed and least understood. The legal basis for this is provided by the stasi records act. If you buy the book now, you will find these sections of it blacked out owing to the court injunction. Setting up the karin muller franchise, it would come to be the first in the now much loved series of books from david young.

What are some good books to read on the stasi, the kgb, and. Nov 08, 2009 the files which contain these points are secret. East german stasi files open to public online for first time. It was established when the stasi records act came into force on.

As the plot twists and turns you will find this book unputdownable borrowed this word from somewhere. Zaisser tried to depose sed general secretary walter ulbricht after the june 1953 uprising, but was instead removed by ulbricht and replaced with ernst wollweber thereafter. Stasi chief, general mielke, prided himself on this situation. Vintage books, 1998, timothy garton ash tells us how a stasi file.

East german stasi had 189,000 informers, study says dw 11. Reading my stasifile memories of life in east germany. The stasi archive includes 69 miles of shelved documents about german citizens. Jul 21, 2016 has anyone in quora read stasi documents on themselves or a close family member. The revelations from these documents sparked feuds old and new among a population already struggling through enormous social and political upheaval. A personal history by timothy garton ash is also an excellent look at police surveillance from the other side. Two years ago i applied to the german government to see my file, in order to find out exactly what the stasi thought i was doing. The book promised a great deal, and was selected on the grounds of its promise to uncover the extent of the stasi s penetration by utilising both recently uncovered stasi files, and previous informants, vicitims of the stasi s. Koehler writes a good read that tells many individual stories that paint a good picture of the life and times of a secret police that surpassed the nazi gestapo in its depth, staffing, and ruthlessness. The workshop was a bust, but it did push me into tackling my first book, the stasi file opera and espionage. New book digs up stasi files on gunter grass the local. Revelatory and controversial, the stasi files is the most important book on espionage to appear since the mitrokhin archive. East germanys secret operations against britain by anthony glees 2003, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay.

For victims, reading their file provided a means of re. Barbara miller graduated from the university of glasgow in 1991 with a. Giles macdonogh is gripped by personal histories of stasi rule in anna funders stasiland. Stasi files catalogue tragedy and trauma of four toxic decades. The story unfolds from multiple povs, which in the hands of a less gifted writer could have spelled disaster. Its secret service, the stasi, consisted of as many as 150,000 agents by the time of its demise in 1990. Drawing upon the stasi files and upon interviews with onetime informers, this book examines the impact of the stasi legacy in united germany. If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. A personal history main by ash, timothy garton isbn. Keils brother is not named in his file, but referred to by a stasi code name.

Behind the berlin wall, colleagues, friends, husbands and wives, informed on each other. Sep 26, 2003 the opening of the stasi files in 1992, made possible by the stasi documents legislation, was an important symbolic act of reconciliation between victims and perpetrators. The stasi arose in 1950 following the birth of the german democratic republic in 1949. Before the collapse of communist east germany the country ran one of the most extensive intelligence networks in the world. Revelatory and controversial, the stasi files is the most important book. A recently released book visualizes the intrusion into the private lives of east germans by ministry for state security stasi agents. He is the german state of saxonys national representative for stasi. Along the way he explains the elaborate structure of intelligence officers, agents and sources who together constituted the troops on the ground for the stasi s campaign against the uk. The stasi records agency is the organisation that administers the archives of ministry of state. The publishers are trying to get the injunction reversed. Piecing together the dark legacy of east germanys secret police. East germanys secret operations against britain new ed by anthony glees isbn. A rare look at the archives of the german secret police wired.

A terrific read for anyone who likes history, especially that of the cold war, and does not mind a different sort of narration of it. Photos from east germanys secret intelligence files. The stasi records agency is the organisation that administers the archives of ministry of state security stasi of the former german democratic republic east germany. The words nazi, ss, and auschwitz are already global synonyms for the deepest inhumanity of fascism. It is not as readable as many of the others on this list it is a primarily academic monograph, and a bit different from your standard stasi book it is almost exclusively about the stasi s efforts to acquire foreign technology, as opposed to domestic surveillance, but i learned a lot from it. The stasi s massive archive held files on millions. Wilhelm zaisser was the first minister of state security of the gdr, and erich mielke was his deputy. The opening of the stasi files in 1992, made possible by the stasi documents legislation, was an important symbolic act of reconciliation between victims and perpetrators. Dissidents, however, say some church leaders lacked courage.

About one in 100 east germans was an informer for communist east germanys secret police in 1989, according to a new study. The novel was a quarter finalist in the 2011 amazon breakthrough novel award contest. 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. East german stasi files open to public online for first. Has anyone in quora read stasi documents on themselves or a.

A new book showing the huge lengths the east german secret police, the stasi, went to in order to spy on nobel prizewinning author gunter. The spys the limit guardian first book award 2003 the. Dec 12, 2018 4 an award being bestowed on a member of a stasi phonetapping unit. Drawing upon the stasi files and upon interviews with onetime informers, this book examines the. We recommend booking stasi museum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. It is a government agency of the federal republic of germany. East german secret police files highlight role of exnazis.