East German Stasi

E87213

The East German Stasi was the secret police and intelligence agency of the German Democratic Republic, notorious for its extensive surveillance, informant networks, and repression of political dissent.

Observed surface forms (5)


Statements (85)

Predicate Object
instanceOf government organization
intelligence agency
secret police agency
alsoKnownAs East German Stasi
surface form: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit

East German Stasi
surface form: Ministry for State Security

East German Stasi
surface form: Stasi
archivesLocation Berlin
Stasi Records Agency
archivesStatus partially opened to the public
collaboratedWith KGB
other Eastern Bloc security services
continent Europe
country East Germany
surface form: German Democratic Republic
dateDissolved 1990-03-31
dateFounded 1950-02-08
dissolutionCause Peaceful Revolution
surface form: Peaceful Revolution in East Germany

collapse of the GDR
employer Erich Mielke
Ernst Wollweber NERFINISHED
Markus Wolf
Wilhelm Zaisser NERFINISHED
estimatedEmployees tens of thousands
estimatedInformants hundreds of thousands
followedBy Amt für Nationale Sicherheit
governedBy laws of the German Democratic Republic
headquartersBuilding Normannenstraße complex
headquartersLocation Berlin
East Berlin
ideology Marxism–Leninism
jurisdiction East Germany
surface form: German Democratic Republic
languageOfWork German
legacy Stasi Records Law
public access to secret police files in Germany
legalStatusAfter1990 disbanded
nativeNameLanguage de
notableBuilding Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial
surface form: Stasi Museum Berlin
notableDirector Erich Mielke
Ernst Wollweber NERFINISHED
Wilhelm Zaisser NERFINISHED
notableFor extensive surveillance of population
human rights abuses
large network of unofficial collaborators
maintaining files on millions of citizens
repression of political dissent
notableOfficial Markus Wolf
notableOperation espionage against NATO
espionage against West Germany
operatedIn Eastern Bloc
opposedBy Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz
Bundesnachrichtendienst
West German intelligence services
opposedIdeology anti-communism
liberal democracy
parentOrganization Council of Ministers of the GDR
Ministry of the Interior of the GDR
partOf East German Stasi self-linksurface differs
surface form: security apparatus of the GDR
politicalAlignment Socialist Unity Party of Germany
precededBy Deutsche Verwaltung des Innern
region eastern Germany
surface form: Eastern Germany
responsibleFor border security support
censorship enforcement
counterintelligence
domestic surveillance
foreign intelligence
monitoring dissidents
political repression
surveillance of churches
surveillance of cultural institutions
shortName MfS
significantEvent storming of Stasi headquarters in 1989
subjectOf Stasi Records Agency investigations
documentary films
The Lives of Others
surface form: feature film "The Lives of Others"

numerous historical studies
timePeriod Cold War
usedMethod Zersetzung
blackmail
bugging devices
covert searches
infiltration of organizations
informant networks
mail interception
psychological harassment
surveillance photography
telephone tapping

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

East German Stasi alsoKnownAs East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Stasi
East German Stasi alsoKnownAs East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit
East German Stasi alsoKnownAs East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Ministry for State Security
Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde enemy East German Stasi
subject surface form: Lorraine Broughton
this entity surface form: Stasi agents
East Germany hadSecurityService East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Stasi
Eastern Bloc security forces notableExample East German Stasi
East German Stasi partOf East German Stasi self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: security apparatus of the GDR
DSS similarTo East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Stasi
Służba Bezpieczeństwa similarTo East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Stasi
SED stateSecurityOrgan East German Stasi
this entity surface form: Stasi