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Period: to
Over 275,000 Stasi Emplyees
The Breakdown (roughly):
-2,000 Unofficial Collaborators
-13,000 Soldiers
-2,200 GDR Officers
-174,000 Unofficial Informants inside GDR
-1,600 Unofficial Informants inside West Germany
-About 10,000 of the above informants were under the age of 18 Because of the destruction of a lot of Stasi files, the above numbers are the documented people. Historians have estimated that, in reality, there were probably close to 500,000 Stasi informers (2 million with temporary informers acounted for)! -
Foundation of the Stasi
The Stasi was created on Feb 8, 1950 with Wilhelm Zaisser as the chief officer and Erich Meilke as his deputy officer. The Stasi was established as official state security service of East Berlin and a loyal ally to the Solviet Union. -
Wilhelm Zaisser replaced by Walter Ulbricht
After the June 1953 uprising Wilhelm Zaisser tried to forcefully remove Socialist Unity Party General Secretary Walter Ulbricht from office. Because of this Ulbricht threw him out of office and had him replaced by Ernst Wollweber. -
Strike Leads to 1953 Uprising
Strike by construction workers in Berlin led to the 1953 uprising. Radio hosts in West Berlin broadcasted news of this which only brough about riots in East Germany. -
Citizens Protest Government
400,000 protesters gather in East Berlin demanding Soviets leave and government be replaced, with many other protests throught all of East Germany. Stasi ans Solviet Poilice organizations and Troops forcefully suppress the riots. -
East Germany forms National People’s Army
The National People's Army was considered to be the most advanced army in the Warsaw Pact because (since East Germany was in the middle of the Cold War) the army was battle-ready at all times. -
Wollweber Resigns
In 1957, after disputes with Walter Ulbricht and Erich Honecker, Ernst Wollweber resigns and his position was succeeded by his deputy officer, Erich Meilke. -
Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung Established
Also in 1957, The Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung (General Reconnaissance Administration) was established, with Markus Wolf as its head officer. The HVA served as the foreign intelligence section of the Stasi. Wolf was allowed to infiltrate the west german government with spies, which was a great success for the Stasi as a whole. -
Construction Starts on the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (when completed) stretched more than 87 miles and included barbed wire snares, guard towers, anti-vehicle trenches, and many other tacticts to prevent people from crossing from either side. -
Walter Ulbricht Resigns
Walter Ulbricht resignes and is replaced by Erich Honecker -
Telephone Service restored between East and West Germany
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East and West Germany sign Basic Treaty
The Basic Treaty was a big ste for East and West Germany because it meant that (for the first time) they recognized each other as sovereign states. -
East Germany Defeats West Germany at World Cup
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SS-23 Nuclear Missiles deployed in East Germany
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall fell as a result of the peaceful revolution of 1989 in which german citizens protested against the authoritarian government regieme of the GDR. It was the fall of the wall that ultimately led to the fall of the GDR roughly a year later. -
Stasi ordered to stop spying on East Germans
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Deutsche Einheit (German Unity)
The long process of reunification of germany finaly came to and end. Germans still celebreate this day every year. -
Stasi files opened to Public
German citizens can (even still today) request to see their Stasi file. The process however takes almost two years (from the time of application to the time the person can actually sit down and read their file).
