The GDR: Repression and Control Flashcards
(37 cards)
How did the GDR employ a preventative system of security?
•The GDR was a police state which used repression.
•They arrested suspected dissidents before they had actually done anything.
•This preventative system of security was partly achieved through an extensive system of surveillance and informers.
•Security forces were extensive, far more than in Nazi Germany.
•Generally, they worked harmoniously with the state and SED.
1.There were no rivalries that threatened its competency.
2.As with many dictatorships, the security forces essentially took military forms.
What was the NVA?
- The National People’s Army was the East German military force formed in 1956 out of the People’s Police.
- It was noted for its efficiency and professionalism and could, in theory, be called out to address protest in the GDR.
What was the NVA subordinated to?
•It was subordinated to the Warsaw Pact, but its troops had not taken a significant part in any of the interventions – such as in Czechoslovakia in 1968.
How did the NVA combat recruitment issues?
Conscription was introduced in 1962
Was there provision for conscientious objectors within the NVA?
Yes, those who objected could serve in construction units rather than the military. In 1964, 12 to 15000 recruits chose this option
Who controlled the NVA and how many members did it have by the late 1980s?
By the late 1980s the numerical strength of the NVA was 179,000 with 123,000 in the army itself.
It was controlled by the SED, virtually all officers and 33% of NCO’s were members of the SED and subjected to party discipline.
How many border troops were there in the late 1980s?
By the late 1980s there were about 50000 border troops. 30,000 policed the border with the West, 8000 were stationed in Berlin and 12,000 were stationed elsewhere.
What was the role of border troops?
Their apparent role was preventing external threats but in reality it was preventing escape.
Did border troops operate a shoot-to-kill policy?
This question is still debated but many died at the wall and if escapes were successful, those on duty would be punished.
What were the branches of the Police force?
KVP: The paramilitary police were responsible for internal security. They were called out during June 1953 and policed demonstrations etc.
Criminal Police: Performed the role of traditional policemen, e.g. investigating crimes.
Special Police: Discrete units who were responsible for border protection, transport and security.
Volunteer Police: Organised around the workplace, they acted as auxiliary police when social disorder threatened- one estimate puts their numbers at around 400,000
Were the police effective within the GDR?
Yes, the presence of police deterred potential criminals / dissidents but the police themselves were not oppressive. The majority of people accepted their presence and got on with their daily lives / were not significantly affected by them.
When was the Stasi formed?
February 1950.
When was Erich Mielke in charge of the Stasi?
From 1957 to the end of the GDR in 1989- he was one of the most feared people within the GDR.
How was the Stasi organised?
It was similar to the army with 27 Generals heading specialised divisions. It was divided into 13 Major Departments, each of which managed 20 Independent Departments.
Which Department was responsible for the observation and control of the domestic population? What about the Churches or underground activity?
Major Department XX.
Independent Department XX/4 controlled the Churches and XX/9 was in charge of suppressing underground activities.
What was the Stasi’s total budget in 1989?
4 billion Ostmarks.
What was the official role of the Stasi?
The brief was defined in a guideline in 1958 after Mielke took charge. It was to prevent or throttle at the earliest stages, dissidence within the GDR using whatever methods necessary.
Any attempts to delay the victory of socialism would be suppressed.
By 1989, how many files did the Stasi have?
By 1989, the Stasi had files on 6 million citizens, 33% of the population.
How did the Stasi perform surveillance? (4)
- Surveillance was quite sophisticated with phone tapping, video surveillance and agents following suspects.
- They even bottled smells of suspects to give to tracker dogs.
- Stasi officers had been accused of using radiation tags to track people. This could be responsible for some unusual cancers in some of their quarries.
- They were also expert in dirty tricks such as defaming opponents, setting a honey trap – male prostitutes worked for the Stasi- and blackmail.
What was the most common category of informers?
The Unofficial Collaborators (IM): By the end of the GDR, some 500,000 people had fulfilled this role at some point. In 1989 specifically, there were 189,000, one for every 90 citizens.
What was the motivation behind IMs?
- Motivation was varied – it might be greed, desire for promotion at work, a feeling of power over others, personal grudges, blackmail by the authorities, or ideology.
- Some were informers by accident, for example talking injudiciously about someone to work colleagues who were in fact informers.
Were IMs rewarded?
- The monetary reward was unlikely to be a consideration.
- One former senior Stasi officer assured journalist Anna Funder that IMs were paid only very occasionally – sometimes a birthday present.
What were some other active informer categories?
Unofficial Collaborators for Special Duties (IMBs): They infiltrated suspicious organisations and Officers on Special Duties (OibEs) were active in spying on the leadership themselves.
Give an example of a Stasi prison camp
Hohenschönhausen in the East Berlin suburb of Lichtenberg.
o This was a complex of prison, interrogation centre and Stasi offices half a kilometre square which was blanked out of street maps.
o Officially it did not exist.
o People were taken there to be interrogated and had psychological pressure such as threats and family arrests put on them.
