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Inside the pervasive surveillance by East Germany's Stasi
How the Stasi suppressed resistance in East Germany
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Stasi

East German government
Also known as: MfS, Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, Staatsicherheit(Show More)
Written by
Joel D. Cameron
Professor of History, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau.
Joel D. Cameron
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Stasi, secret police agency of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the East German communist government. The Stasi developed out of the internal security and police apparatus established in the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany after World War II. The law establishing the ministry, whose forerunner was the Kommissariat 5 (modeled along the lines of the Soviet KGB), was passed by the...

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