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| ] included the former ] (1983 photo)]] | ] included the former ] (1983 photo)]] | ||
| '''Mass surveillance in East Germany''' was a widespread practice throughout the country's history, involving Soviet, East German, and Western agencies. |
'''Mass surveillance in East Germany''' was a widespread practice throughout the country's history, involving Soviet, East German, and Western agencies. | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| ] and ] until 1990, with ] in yellow.]]], known formally as the "German Democratic Republic" or the "Deutsche Demokratische Republik", was an ] state from 1949 to 1990. Its territory consisted of the region of Germany that had been controlled by Soviet forces at the end of |
] and ] until 1990, with ] in yellow.]]], known formally as the "German Democratic Republic" or the "Deutsche Demokratische Republik", was an ] state from 1949 to 1990. Its territory consisted of the region of Germany that had been controlled by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. | ||
| Penalties for unapproved political contacts were most severe. Though initially those sent to the ] |
Penalties for unapproved political contacts were most severe. Though initially those sent to the ] were largely interned members of the ] or the juvenile ], sentenced inmates came to include many supporters of the ], which became the focus of Soviet authorities in 1946.<ref>Petra Weber, ''Justiz und Diktatur: Justizverwaltung und politische Strafjustiz in Thüringen 1945-1961 : Veröffentlichungen zur SBZ-/DDR -Forschung im Institut für Zeitgeschichte'', Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2000, p.99, {{ISBN|3-486-56463-3}}</ref> When the Social Democratic Party was merged into the ], renamed ] (SED), Social Democrats were interned to ensure Stalinist dominance in the party.<ref name=Cornelius129>Kai Cornelius, ''Vom spurlosen Verschwindenlassen zur Benachrichtigungspflicht bei Festnahmen'', BWV Verlag, 2004, p.129, {{ISBN|3-8305-1165-5}}</ref> Also, people were interned as "spies" for suspected opposition to the ] regime, e.g. for contacts to organizations based in the ], on the basis of ] dealing with "anti-Soviet activities".<ref name=Cornelius129/> | ||
| Of 123,000 Germans and 35,000 others held in the NKVD special camps, 43,000 |
Of 123,000 Germans and 35,000 others held in the NKVD special camps, 43,000 died.<ref name="Cornelius132">Kai Cornelius, ''Vom spurlosen Verschwindenlassen zur Benachrichtigungspflicht bei Festnahmen'', BWV Verlag, 2004, p.131, {{ISBN|3-8305-1165-5}}</ref> Of the 10,000 youths and children interned, half did not return.<ref name=swr>{{cite news|url=http://www.swr.de/swr2/programm/sendungen/wissen/-/id=6163770/property=download/nid=660374/1dqc2hs/swr2-wissen-20100507.pdf|title=Die Lüge vom Werwolf. Warum Tausende Jugendliche in sowjetischen Lagern landeten|last=Fruth|first=Pia|date=7 May 2010<!--, 8:30 – 9:00 CEST -->|work=] 2|language=German|accessdate=16 May 2010}}</ref> | ||
| ==Soviet surveillance== | ==Soviet surveillance== | ||
| In 1947, the ] (SMAD) issued Order No. 201, which established a fifth organization of Eastern German police, called ] (K-5). The mission of K-5 was primarily to conduct surveillance of individuals in East Germany, especially those in East German governing bodies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/bruce.htm |title=JCWS 5:2 | "The Prelude to Nationwide Surveillance in East Germany: Stasi Operations and Threat Perceptions, 1945-1953" by Gary Bruce |publisher=Fas.harvard.edu |date= |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref> While nominally controlled by the young East German government, in practice, K-5 operated as a sub-unit of the Soviet ].<ref name="google2">{{cite |
In 1947, the ] (SMAD) issued Order No. 201, which established a fifth organization of Eastern German police, called ] (K-5). The mission of K-5 was primarily to conduct surveillance of individuals in East Germany, especially those in East German governing bodies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/bruce.htm |title=JCWS 5:2 | "The Prelude to Nationwide Surveillance in East Germany: Stasi Operations and Threat Perceptions, 1945-1953" by Gary Bruce |publisher=Fas.harvard.edu |date= |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref> While nominally controlled by the young East German government, in practice, K-5 operated as a sub-unit of the Soviet ].<ref name="google2">{{cite book|last=Alexander|first=Martin S.|title=Knowing Your Friends: Intelligence Inside Alliances and Coalitions from 1914 to the Cold War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vewgVKbbH_AC&pg=PA261|accessdate=20 March 2014|year=1998|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7146-4879-8|page=261}}</ref> Most of K-5's cases came from the KGB, and KGB officers were present through the organization. KGB officers were involved in day-to-day K-5 operations like training and interrogations.<ref name="google2"/> | ||
| ==Domestic surveillance== | ==Domestic surveillance== | ||
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| {{Main|Stasi}} | {{Main|Stasi}} | ||
| On 8 February 1950, ] saw the establishment of |
On 8 February 1950, ] saw the establishment of the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit), commonly known as the ].<ref name="Glees1996">{{cite book|last=Glees|first=Anthony|title=Reinventing Germany: German political development since 1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S-f-6xq2mvQC&pg=PA213|accessdate=14 January 2012|date=1 August 1996|publisher=Berg|isbn=978-1-85973-185-7|page=213}}</ref> The Stasi sought to "know everything about everyone".<ref name="google1">{{cite book|last1=Holland|first1=Jack|authorlink1=Jack Holland (writer)|last2=Gawthrop|first2=John|title=The Rough Guide to Berlin|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetoberl00holl|url-access=registration|accessdate=20 March 2014|year=2001|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-682-2|page=}}</ref> Its annual budget has been estimated at approximately $1 billion.<ref name="google1"/> The Stasi kept files on about 5.6 million people.<ref>Schaer, Cathrin (10 July 2009) on ]. Retrieved 20 August 2019 | ||
| </ref> | |||
| The Stasi had 90,000 full |
The Stasi had 90,000 full-time employees who were assisted by 170,000 full-time unofficial collaborators (''Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter''); together these made up 1 in 63 (nearly 2%) of the entire East German population. Together with these, a much larger number of occasional informers brought up the total to 1 per 6.5 persons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/12/27/1166895360957.html |title=East German children to learn evils of secret police - World |publisher=smh.com.au |date=2006-12-27 |accessdate=2014-01-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hollington|first=Kris|title=Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8LHU4f_hkQC&pg=PA184|accessdate=20 March 2014|date=5 August 2008|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4299-8680-9|page=184}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/k/koehler-stasi.html |title=Stasi |website=] |date= |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Keefe|first=Patrick Radden|title=Chatter: Uncovering the Echelon Surveillance Network and the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8two8SbGSG8C&pg=PT130|accessdate=20 March 2014|date=11 July 2006|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-58836-533-0|page=130}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arlindo-correia.com/081203.html |title=STASI |publisher=Arlindo-correia.com |date= |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2013/12/photos-east-germany-stasi-simon-menner-surveillance |title=Spy Camp: Photos From East Germany's Secret Intelligence Files |work=Mother Jones |date= |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref> | ||
| People in East Germany were subjected to a variety of techniques, including audio and video surveillance of their homes, reading mail, extortion, and bribery.<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry |first=Andrew |url= |
People in East Germany were subjected to a variety of techniques, including audio and video surveillance of their homes, reading mail, extortion, and bribery.<ref>{{cite web|last=Curry |first=Andrew |url=https://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/16-02/ff_stasi?currentPage=all |title=Piecing Together the Dark Legacy of East Germany's Secret Police |website=Wired.com |date= |accessdate=2014-01-28}}</ref> | ||
| ==International surveillance== | ==International surveillance== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| {{ |
{{see also|Listening Station: Field Station Berlin}} | ||
| The West German intelligence agency ] (BND) employed approximately 10,000 East Germans as spies.<ref>{{cite web|author= |
The West German intelligence agency ] (BND) employed approximately 10,000 East Germans as spies.<ref>{{cite web|author=Siobhán Dowling |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/cold-war-espionage-10-000-east-germans-spied-for-the-west-a-508518.html |title=Cold War Espionage: 10,000 East Germans Spied for the West - Spiegel Online |publisher=Spiegel.de |date=2007-09-28 |accessdate=2014-01-30}}</ref> | ||
| The US ] (NSA) built one of its largest listening stations on top of Teufelsberg hill in the British sector of West Berlin, allegedly part of the global surveillance network ]. "The Hill", as it was known colloquially, began operation in July 1961. |
The US ] (NSA) built one of its largest listening stations on top of Teufelsberg hill in the British sector of West Berlin, allegedly part of the global surveillance network ]. "The Hill", as it was known colloquially, began operation in July 1961.<ref name="voicesunderberlin.com"> retrieved on 12 September 2013</ref> A large structure was built atop the hill, which would come to be run by the NSA (National Security Agency). Construction of a permanent facility was begun in October 1963.<ref name="voicesunderberlin.com"/> The station continued to operate until the fall of East Germany and the ], after which the station was closed and its equipment removed. However, the huge buildings and massive radar domes still remain in place. | ||
| ==Reunification and aftermath== | ==Reunification and aftermath== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| On 3 October 1990, the states of East Germany formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany to reunite East and West Germany. |
On 3 October 1990, the states of East Germany formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany to reunite East and West Germany. | ||
| As a result of the revolution, Stasi files fell into the hands of the reunited German government. The ] was formed to control those files. | As a result of the revolution, Stasi files fell into the hands of the reunited German government. The ] was formed to control those files. | ||
| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| ⚫ | {{reflist}} | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| ⚫ | {{reflist}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{Mass surveillance by location}} | {{Mass surveillance by location}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 01:43, 20 October 2024
Mass surveillance in East Germany was a widespread practice throughout the country's history, involving Soviet, East German, and Western agencies.
Background
East Germany, known formally as the "German Democratic Republic" or the "Deutsche Demokratische Republik", was an Eastern Bloc state from 1949 to 1990. Its territory consisted of the region of Germany that had been controlled by Soviet forces at the end of World War II.
Penalties for unapproved political contacts were most severe. Though initially those sent to the NKVD camps were largely interned members of the Nazi Party or the juvenile Werwolf, sentenced inmates came to include many supporters of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), which became the focus of Soviet authorities in 1946. When the Social Democratic Party was merged into the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), renamed Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), Social Democrats were interned to ensure Stalinist dominance in the party. Also, people were interned as "spies" for suspected opposition to the authoritarian regime, e.g. for contacts to organizations based in the Western occupation zones, on the basis of Article 58 of the Soviet penal code dealing with "anti-Soviet activities".
Of 123,000 Germans and 35,000 others held in the NKVD special camps, 43,000 died. Of the 10,000 youths and children interned, half did not return.
Soviet surveillance
In 1947, the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD) issued Order No. 201, which established a fifth organization of Eastern German police, called Kommissariat 5 (K-5). The mission of K-5 was primarily to conduct surveillance of individuals in East Germany, especially those in East German governing bodies. While nominally controlled by the young East German government, in practice, K-5 operated as a sub-unit of the Soviet KGB. Most of K-5's cases came from the KGB, and KGB officers were present through the organization. KGB officers were involved in day-to-day K-5 operations like training and interrogations.
Domestic surveillance
In Department M, mail was opened with a hot air blower (left), inspected, then resealed in assembly line fashion by a machine (right).
Main article: Stasi
On 8 February 1950, East Germany saw the establishment of the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit), commonly known as the Stasi. The Stasi sought to "know everything about everyone". Its annual budget has been estimated at approximately $1 billion. The Stasi kept files on about 5.6 million people.
The Stasi had 90,000 full-time employees who were assisted by 170,000 full-time unofficial collaborators (Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter); together these made up 1 in 63 (nearly 2%) of the entire East German population. Together with these, a much larger number of occasional informers brought up the total to 1 per 6.5 persons.
People in East Germany were subjected to a variety of techniques, including audio and video surveillance of their homes, reading mail, extortion, and bribery.
International surveillance
.jpg)
The West German intelligence agency Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) employed approximately 10,000 East Germans as spies.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) built one of its largest listening stations on top of Teufelsberg hill in the British sector of West Berlin, allegedly part of the global surveillance network ECHELON. "The Hill", as it was known colloquially, began operation in July 1961. A large structure was built atop the hill, which would come to be run by the NSA (National Security Agency). Construction of a permanent facility was begun in October 1963. The station continued to operate until the fall of East Germany and the Berlin Wall, after which the station was closed and its equipment removed. However, the huge buildings and massive radar domes still remain in place.
Reunification and aftermath
On 3 October 1990, the states of East Germany formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany to reunite East and West Germany.
As a result of the revolution, Stasi files fell into the hands of the reunited German government. The Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records was formed to control those files.
See also
- Mass surveillance in Australia
- Mass surveillance in Russia
- Mass surveillance in the United States
- Mass surveillance in the United Kingdom
References
- Petra Weber, Justiz und Diktatur: Justizverwaltung und politische Strafjustiz in Thüringen 1945-1961 : Veröffentlichungen zur SBZ-/DDR -Forschung im Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2000, p.99, ISBN 3-486-56463-3
- ^ Kai Cornelius, Vom spurlosen Verschwindenlassen zur Benachrichtigungspflicht bei Festnahmen, BWV Verlag, 2004, p.129, ISBN 3-8305-1165-5
- Kai Cornelius, Vom spurlosen Verschwindenlassen zur Benachrichtigungspflicht bei Festnahmen, BWV Verlag, 2004, p.131, ISBN 3-8305-1165-5
- Fruth, Pia (7 May 2010). "Die Lüge vom Werwolf. Warum Tausende Jugendliche in sowjetischen Lagern landeten" (PDF). Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk 2 (in German). Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- "JCWS 5:2 | "The Prelude to Nationwide Surveillance in East Germany: Stasi Operations and Threat Perceptions, 1945-1953" by Gary Bruce". Fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ^ Alexander, Martin S. (1998). Knowing Your Friends: Intelligence Inside Alliances and Coalitions from 1914 to the Cold War. Psychology Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-7146-4879-8. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- Glees, Anthony (1 August 1996). Reinventing Germany: German political development since 1945. Berg. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-85973-185-7. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ Holland, Jack; Gawthrop, John (2001). The Rough Guide to Berlin. Rough Guides. p. 185. ISBN 978-1-85828-682-2. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- Schaer, Cathrin (10 July 2009) The World from Berlin Stasi Files Reveal East Germany's 'Dirty Reality' on Spiegel Online. Retrieved 20 August 2019
- "East German children to learn evils of secret police - World". smh.com.au. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
- Hollington, Kris (5 August 2008). Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History. St. Martin's Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-4299-8680-9. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Stasi". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- Keefe, Patrick Radden (11 July 2006). Chatter: Uncovering the Echelon Surveillance Network and the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping. Random House Publishing Group. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-58836-533-0. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "STASI". Arlindo-correia.com. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- "Spy Camp: Photos From East Germany's Secret Intelligence Files". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- Curry, Andrew. "Piecing Together the Dark Legacy of East Germany's Secret Police". Wired.com. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
- Siobhán Dowling (2007-09-28). "Cold War Espionage: 10,000 East Germans Spied for the West - Spiegel Online". Spiegel.de. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ^ "pre-Field-Station ASA Units in Berlin" retrieved on 12 September 2013
External links
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