The Stasi: How East Germany Built a Surveillance State

In this episode of The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe, Lucas and Luna delve into the rise and fall of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. From its founding in 1950 under Wilhelm Zaisser to its role in crushing the 1953 Uprising, the Stasi evolved into one of history's most pervasive surveillance apparatuses. Lucas explains how Minister for State Security Erich Mielke expanded the agency to employ nearly 100,000 officers and an army of 170,000 informants—called Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter—who infiltrated every facet of life. The episode covers the Stasi's methods, from phone tapping and mail interception to psychological warfare (Zersetzung), and its infamous records that later proved crucial for prosecution. Luna asks about the Stasi's relationship with the KGB, its downfalls in the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, and the legacy of the Stasi files after reunification. Discover how a state built on surveillance crumbled and how its archives now serve as a tool for reckoning. #Stasi #EastGermany #SurveillanceState #ErichMielke #PeacefulRevolution #ColdWar #GDR #InoffizielleMitarbeiter #Zersetzung #1953Uprising #StasiRecords #GermanHistory #SecretPolice #Berlin #History #FexingoHistory #20thCentury #Dictatorship Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo