- Stasi: It's official name in German: Ministerium für Staatsicherheit (“Ministry for State Security”) founded in 1950.
- "secret police" of the East German Government post World War II.
- Its main responsibility was counter intelligence against the West by public surveillance and espionage (such as the USA and other countries seen as a threat) (Cameron).
- Had Spies all over the Country
- Based on a model from Moscow
- Enforce unity
- Destroy all opostion
- In 1967, Karl-Heinz Kurras shot Benno Ohnesorg, a college student, at a demonstration.
- According to Kulish of the New York Times, Kurras lived a double life as a West Police officer, and a spy for the Stasi (Kulish 2009).
- Erich Mielke
- Joined communist party at the age of 15
- 1957-1989
- Positions in the GDR as well
- Though, it seemed that there was enough evil he did as the head of Stasi, it took a 61 year old murder to put him in jail in 1992 for 6 years.
- He died in 2000.
- Looking at this it is shocking to see the end of this German tragedy is still remembered by many and this man's death was only 12 years ago.
Thousands of people demonstrated against Stasi informants in the eastern German city of Leipzig on March 3, 1990.
Erich Mielke in 1985
Stasi surveillance files.
Benno Ohnesorg being cradled by a woman after he was shot during a demonstration in West Berlin in 1967
Sources:Schulze, Hagen. Germany: A New History. London: Harvard University Press. 1998.
Cameron, Joel D. Encyclopedia Britannica: Stasi. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563751
/Stasi
Binder, David. Erich Mielke, Powerful Head of Stasi, East Germany's Vast Spy Network, Dies at 92
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/26/world/erich-mielke-powerful-head-of-stasi-east-germany-s-vast-spy-network-dies-at-92.html
Kulish, Nicholas. New York Times: Spy fired Shot that Changed West Germay http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/world/europe/27germany.html?hpw&_r=0
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