3.2 - Repression and Control

What is a police state?

A totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities.

Who was Erich Mielke?

He was the leader of the Stasi from 1958-the fall of the GDR.

What was the National People's Army (NVA)?

The East German military force formed in 1956 out of the People's Police.

What could conscientious objectors do if they were conscripted? Why?

Serve in construction units. To keep moral up.

How many were in the army (non-conscripted) in 1980?

125,000

How many border troops were there in the late 1980s? And how many of them did what?

50,000. 30,000 policed the border with the West, 8,000 were stationed in Berlin and 12,000 elsewhere.

What was the job of a border troop?

To prevent escapes and utilise the shoot to kill policy.Who

Who were the KVP?

The paramilitary police who were responsible for internal security. They were used during the June Revolt.

Who were the criminal police of the GDR?

The police force that investigate normal types of crime.

Who were the special police of the GDR?

Discreet unites who were responsible for border protection and security around sensitive buildings.

When were the Stasi formed?

February 1950

How were the Stasi organised?

Along military lines with 13 Major Departments, each with 20 sub-departments.

What was the Stasi budget in 1989?

4 billion Ost

What was the role of the Stasi?

To prevent or throttle, at the earliest stage, all attempts to delay or hinder socialism in the GDR, (using whatever means necessary).

How many files did the Stasi have on citizens?

By 1989, it had files on 6 million citizens or 33% of the population.

What surveillance methods did the Stasi use?

Phone tapping, video surveillance, trailing suspects, radiation tagging, defaming opponents, honey traps and blackmail.

How many people were Unofficial Collaborators?

500,000 people or 1/30 of the population.

What were Unofficial Collaborators on Special Duties?

Informers who infiltrated suspect organisations and reported on them.

What were Officers on Special Duties?

Officers who spied on the leadership itself.

What interrogation techniques were used in Stasi prisons?

Sleep deprivation and psychological pressure.

Who were detained in Stasi prisons?

Mainly political 'criminals' - escapees or rioteers.

How many Soviet troops were stationed in the GDR in the 1980s?

400,000

What is propaganda?

Bias or misleading information used to promote a political cause or point of view. Often engendered support for the regime or national unity.

How were parades used in the GDR?

They were used to celebrate the regime and also on labour days or important events.

What was the impact of parades?

They rarely achieved their objective due to their Nazi past.
Crowds were sparse and participants were unenthusiastic.
Could be an opportunity for protest.

What was the FDJ?

The Free German Youth movement with Honecker at its head. It was used for political indoctrination and organised camping, discos and festivals.

How many FDJ members were there in the 1980s?

2.3 million or 75% of 14-25 year olds.

What percentage of 18-25 year olds left the FDJ?

66%

What was the FDGB? What made it up?

The Free German Trade Union Federation.
It was made of 16 Trade Unions and 97% of the work force.

What did the FDGB do?

Organised holidays, oversaw pensions and social insurance.
1.8 million holidays were organised and it ran 1,600 holiday camps.

What incentive did the FDGB introduce to try make people work harder?

The Hero of Labour Award

How was censorship used in the GDR? (3).

Post and phone calls from the FRG were censored and trapped.
Russian was the main foreign language in schools.
Art and Culture must subordinate to politics and must be to support the regime - Socialist Realism.

How were newspapers used for control? (2).

The GDR had 38 newspapers with 8 million readers - 66% of them were directly controlled by the SED and all of them were screened by them.
Orders were issued to news editors from the Dept. for Agitation and Propaganda.

How was literature used to control the people?

It was heavily censored or banned.
In 1952 8 million books were purged.
People just read less as a result.

How was theatre used to control the people? (2).

Much of it was very boring - shows were produced to promote socialism and support the regime.
Many just stopped going to the theatre as a result.

What was Eingaben?

It was individual or group petitions sent to the authorities about concerns.

When was Eingaben taken seriously?

When you had a good record with the Stasi.

What could happen if an Eingaben problem was serious enough?

It could go to the Politburo - there was a shortage of good coffee in the 1970s and so many people complained that the GDR traded with Angola for coffee beans.