A Brief summary of this site.

A brief summary of the DDR and subjects covered by this site

The following, is a very brief history and notes of the DDR and some of the organisations covered by this site. I hope this will help to put it into context for those who are not familiar with the DDR, or its history .* Please note this site does not represent any political view point, and is purely a historical record*

 The DDR, or Deutsche Demokratische Republik, was a socialist state that existed from 1949 to 1990. It was created in the aftermath of World War II, when Germany was divided into four occupation zones by the victorious Allied powers: the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet zone, which included the capital city of Berlin, became the foundation for the future DDR. The country was established as a satellite state of the Soviet Union, with a communist government led by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The SED, under the leadership of Walter Ulbricht, implemented a planned economy and strict control over the media and political opposition. The DDR was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, adopting many of its policies and practices, including collectivization of agriculture and industry .

In the early years of the DDR, there was a sense of optimism and unity among the population. The government implemented social programs that aimed to improve the standard of living for its citizens, such as free healthcare and education. However, as time went on, the reality of living in a socialist state began to take its toll. The economy struggled to keep up with the demands of a planned economy, leading to shortages of basic goods and a lack of consumer choice. The government also tightly controlled travel and restricted contact with the outside world, creating a sense of isolation for its citizens.

The DDR also faced political challenges, particularly in the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the Prague Spring of 1968, which saw uprisings against Soviet control in other Eastern Bloc countries. The SED government responded with force and censorship, further alienating its citizens. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were growing calls for political reform and greater freedom of expression, both from within the DDR and from the international community.

In 1989, a series of peaceful protests and demonstrations, sparked by economic and political grievances, led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the SED government. This marked the beginning of the end for the DDR, as other Eastern Bloc countries also began to break away from Soviet control. In 1990, free elections were held and a unification treaty was signed with West Germany, officially dissolving the DDR and reuniting Germany as a whole.

Today, the legacy of the DDR lives on in the memories of those who lived in it, as well as in the physical remnants of its existence .The country may have only existed for a short period of time, but its impact on the people and the world as a whole is still felt to this day. Not everything in the DDR was bad and one aim of this site, is to redress that balance.

 

The Ministry for State Security (MfS) or Stasi

The Ministry for State Security, or Stasi, played a critical role in the surveillance and control of East German citizens. The Stasi, also known as the Mfs (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit), was one of the most expansive and oppressive secret police agencies in the world. Established in 1950, the Mfs had a wide range of responsibilities, including monitoring and suppressing any form of dissent or opposition to the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and its policies. This was achieved through a vast network of informants and an intricate system of surveillance that permeated all aspects of East German society.

Under the leadership of Erich Mielke, the Mfs grew to become a powerful and feared institution. With a reported 91,000 employees at its peak, the Mfs had a presence in every workplace, school, and neighbourhood. They utilized a variety of tactics to gather information and maintain control, including wiretapping, secret searches, and psychological manipulation. The Mfs also had a notorious reputation for using blackmail and intimidation to silence any perceived threats to the government.

One of the most insidious aspects of the Mfs was its use of informants, or “unofficial collaborators.” These were ordinary citizens who were recruited by the Stasi to spy on their friends, family, and colleagues. The Mfs cultivated a culture of fear and mistrust, encouraging citizens to report on each other and creating a society where no one felt safe or free to speak their mind. It is estimated that at least one in every seven East Germans was an informant for the Mfs, leading to a pervasive sense of paranoia and suspicion.

The Mfs also had a hand in shaping the culture and media of the DDR. They closely monitored and censored all forms of media, including newspapers, books, and films, to ensure that they aligned with the government’s ideology. This control over information and expression further restricted the freedoms of East German citizens and perpetuated the propaganda of the SED.

Despite their efforts, the Mfs could not completely suppress dissent and opposition in the DDR. In the late 1980s, as the winds of change swept through Eastern Europe,The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the end of the Mfs and the beginning of a new era for East Germany. The MfS was arguably one of the most effective intelligence agencies of the Cold War.

Putin and the MfS

In 2018 following research in the Dresden achives of the Mfs by the German media, an ID card issued to Putin was found. It is a documented fact that Putin was based in Dresden between 1985 to 1989 as a KGB officer.

Contrary to speculation Putin would not have been working in any operational position with the MfS, The ID card would have been issued to allow access to MfS offices for meetings according to Article V of the 1978 agreement between the KGB and the MfS which states: “Liaison officers from the Representation of the KGB to the MfS of the GDR, as well as other employees from the Representation of the KGB to the MfS of the GDR designated to maintain contacts with directors of units of the MfS of the GDR, will be provided with official documents from the MfS of the GDR. This will allow them to enter office buildings of the MfS of the GDR in order to fulfill the tasks outlined in Article III of this protocol.”

This clearly shows that the maniac in the Kremlin would have been no more than a visitor to the MfS in his time in the DDR. No other records have been found that show otherwise.

 

 

The Inner German Border and Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall and Inner German Border were physical barriers that divided East and West Germany for nearly three decades, from 1961 to 1989. The construction of the Berlin Wall was a direct result of the Cold War, which saw the ideological divide between the Western powers and the Soviet Union. After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, with the Western powers controlling the western portion and the Soviet Union controlling the eastern portion. Berlin, located in the eastern portion, was also divided into four sectors, with the Soviet Union controlling the east and the Western powers controlling the west.

As tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers grew, East Germany saw a massive wave of emigration from its citizens to the West. This was a major concern for the East German government, as it saw its population and workforce dwindling. In response, the East German government, with the backing of the Soviet Union, decided to construct a physical barrier to prevent its citizens from fleeing to the West. On August 13, 1961, East German soldiers and police began the construction of the Berlin Wall, cutting off all access points between East and West Berlin.

The Berlin Wall was not just a simple wall, but a complex system of barriers, including barbed wire, guard towers, and anti-vehicle trenches. It was heavily guarded by East German soldiers, who were ordered to shoot anyone attempting to cross the wall. This resulted in numerous deaths and tragic incidents, such as the well-known case of Peter Fechter, an 18-year-old East German who was shot and left to bleed to death while trying to cross the wall.

In addition to the physical barrier of the Berlin Wall, East Germany also established a heavily fortified Inner German Border, which stretched for 1,393 kilometers, separating East and West Germany. It was also heavily guarded and had a similar system of barriers and obstacles as the Berlin Wall. This border not only divided the two countries, but it also cut through communities and families, further deepening the division and isolation of East Germany from the rest of the world.

For almost three decades, the Berlin Wall and Inner German Border stood as powerful symbols of the Cold War and the division of Europe. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the pressure on East Germany to maintain these barriers was no longer sustainable. On November 9, 1989, the East German government announced that its citizens could freely pass through the Berlin Wall, leading to a historic moment as East and West Germans came together.I was there that night and witnessed history being made.

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in European history. The physical barriers that once stood as a symbol of division  had crumbled, and the reunification of Germany served as a powerful reminder of the human desire for freedom and unity. Today, the Berlin Wall and Inner German Border serve as a historic reminder of the Cold War.

 

© Medyka Bahn 03 February 2024