"Berlin while the Berlin Wall was still up. The name ""MFS"" was actually taken from the initials of Ministry for State Security(German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, MfS), commonly known as the Stasi in East Germany. The label was originally started by Reeder and the distribution was run by Mirko Withfield. Reeder brought in Torsten Jurk and Matt Graver, who shortly after left the label to become the manager of Atari Teenage Riot. After the collapse of DSB and the sale to BMG in the late 1993, Reeder and Jurk secured all the rights on the label name and catalogue, which had"
"Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, MfS) or State Security Service (, SSD), commonly known as the (), was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). It has been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. The Stasi was headquartered in East Berlin, with an extensive complex in Berlin-Lichtenberg and several smaller facilities throughout the city. The Stasi motto was (Shield and Sword of the Party), referring to the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, SED) and also echoing a theme of"
"anticommunist agitation and psychological terror against minors"". Similar letters have also been received by schools organizing field trips to the museum. Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, MfS) or State Security Service (, SSD), commonly known as the (), was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). It has been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies ever to have existed. The Stasi was headquartered in East Berlin, with an extensive complex in Berlin-Lichtenberg and several smaller facilities throughout the city. The Stasi motto was (Shield and"
"Ministry of State Security (Soviet Union) The MGB (), an initialism for ""Ministerstvo gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti SSSR"" (, translated in English as Ministry for State Security), was the name of the Soviet state security apparatus dealing with internal and external security issues: secret police duties, foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence, etc from 1946 to 1953. The MGB was just one of many incarnations of the Soviet State Security apparatus. After the revolution, the Bolsheviks relied on a strong political police or security force to support and control their regime. During the Russian Civil War, the Cheka were in power, relinquishing"
"Existing People's Commissariats were renamed ""ministries."" People's Commisariat for Internal Affairs (or NKVD) was renamed Ministry of Internal Affairs (""Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del"") or MVD, and the People's Commissariat for State Security was renamed Ministry for State Security (""Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti"") or MGB. People's Commissariat for State Security The People's Commissariat for State Security () or NKGB, was the name of the Soviet secret police, intelligence and counter-intelligence force that existed from 3 February 1941 to 20 July 1941, and again in 1943, before being renamed the Ministry for State Security (MGB). Changes in Soviet apparatus began in February 1941 with"
"Mass surveillance in East Germany Mass surveillance in East Germany was a widespread practice throughout the country's history, involving Soviet, East German, and Western agencies. East Germany, known formally as the ""German Democratic Republic"" or the ""Deutsche Demokratische Republik"", was an Eastern Bloc state from 1949 to 1990. Its territory consisted of the region of Germany that had been controlled by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Penalties for unapproved political contacts were most severe. Though initially those sent to the NKVD special camps in Germany 1945–49 were largely interned members of the Nazi Party or the"
"Committee for State Security The Committee for State Security (, ""Komitet za dǎržavna sigurnost""; abbreviated КДС, CSS, KDS), popularly known as State Security (Държавна сигурност, ""Darzhavna sigurnost""; abbrievated ДС, DS) was the name of the Bulgarian secret service under the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Cold War, until 1989. In 1964, the State Security formed Service 7, led by Colonel Petko Kovachev, dedicated to murder, kidnapping, and disinformation against Bulgarian dissidents living abroad. The unit executed actions against dissidents in Italy, Britain, Denmark, West Germany, Turkey, France, Ethiopia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Documents describing its activities were declassified in 2010."
"Erich Mielke Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (; 28 December 1907 – 21 May 2000) was a German communist official and served as head of the East German Ministry for State Security (""Ministerium für Staatsicherheit""), better known as the Stasi, from 1957 until shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. A native of Berlin and a second-generation member of the Communist Party of Germany, Mielke was one of two triggermen in the 1931 murders of Berlin Police Captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck. After learning that a witness had survived, Mielke escaped prosecution by fleeing to the Soviet"
"Ministry of National Defence (East Germany) The Ministry of National Defense (German: ""Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung - MfNV"") was the chief administrative arm of the East German National People's Army. The MND was modeled on the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union. The headquarters of the Ministry was in Strausberg near East Berlin. The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein provided security and guard services to the Ministry. The Ministry also had its own publishing house, Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic. The NVA was administered through the Ministry of National Defense, one of the principal branches of the"
"the NVA. Content of these agreements was the preferred treatment of the army in the food issue, to entering and use of forests and open spaces in the GDR. Ministry of National Defence (East Germany) The Ministry of National Defense (German: ""Ministerium für Nationale Verteidigung - MfNV"") was the chief administrative arm of the East German National People's Army. The MND was modeled on the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union. The headquarters of the Ministry was in Strausberg near East Berlin. The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein provided security and guard services to the Ministry. The Ministry also had"
"Wolfgang Schwanitz Wolfgang Schwanitz (born 26 June 1930) is a former East German communist official, who was the last head of the Stasi, the East German secret police. It was officially renamed the ""Office for National Security"" on 17 November 1989. Unlike his predecessor, Erich Mielke, he did not hold the title ""Minister of State Security"", but held the title of ""Leader of the Office for National Security"". Since the German reunification, he has been active as a historical revisionist and author of works that seek to portray the Stasi in a positive light. Schwanitz was born in Berlin. He"
"18, 1946: All People's Commissariats were renamed to Ministries. The East German secret police, the Stasi, took their name from this iteration. May 30, 1947: Official decision with the expressed purpose of ""upgrading coordination of different intelligence services and concentrating their efforts on major directions"". In the summer of 1948 the military personnel in KI were returned to the Soviet military to reconstitute foreign military intelligence service (GRU). KI sections dealing with the new East Bloc and Soviet émigrés were returned to the MGB in late 1948. In 1951 the KI returned to the MGB. March 5, 1953: MVD and"
"State Security Administration The State Security Service (SDB or SDS), more commonly known by its original name as the State Security Administration (UDBA or UDSA), was the secret police organization of Yugoslavia. Best known at all times simply by the acronym UDBA, in its latter decades it was composed of six semi-independent secret police organizations—one for each of the six Yugoslav federal republics—coordinated by the central federal office. Although it operated with more restraint than other secret police agencies in the communist dictatorships of Eastern Europe, the UDBA was nonetheless a feared tool of control. It is alleged that the"
"were renamed ""ministries"". Accordingly, the Peoples Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD) of the USSR became the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), while the NKGB was renamed as the Ministry of State Security (MGB). In 1953, after the arrest of Lavrenty Beria, the MGB merged back into the MVD. The police and security services finally split in 1954 to become: In 1935–1945 Main Directorate of State Security of NKVD had its own ranking system before it was merged in the Soviet military standardized ranking system. 1 – 1943; 2 – 1943–1945. The main function of the NKVD was to protect the"
"website, so they are currently not accessible. State Security Administration The State Security Service (SDB or SDS), more commonly known by its original name as the State Security Administration (UDBA or UDSA), was the secret police organization of Yugoslavia. Best known at all times simply by the acronym UDBA, in its latter decades it was composed of six semi-independent secret police organizations—one for each of the six Yugoslav federal republics—coordinated by the central federal office. Although it operated with more restraint than other secret police agencies in the communist dictatorships of Eastern Europe, the UDBA was nonetheless a feared tool"
"plans. See Putinism. On 7 November 1989, in response to the rapidly changing political and social situation in the GDR in late 1989, Erich Mielke resigned. On 17 November 1989, the Council of Ministers ""(Ministerrat der DDR)"" renamed the Stasi as the ""Office for National Security"" ""(Amt für Nationale Sicherheit"" – AfNS), which was headed by ""Generalleutnant"" Wolfgang Schwanitz. On 8 December 1989, GDR Prime Minister Hans Modrow directed the dissolution of the AfNS, which was confirmed by a decision of the ""Ministerrat"" on 14 December 1989. As part of this decision, the ""Ministerrat"" originally called for the evolution of"
"Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein The Guard Regiment Hugo Eberlein, officially Wachregiment ""Hugo Eberlein"" and also known as NVA Wachregiment 2, was a military unit which provided security to the East German Ministry of National Defence. It was formed in 1956 as the ""Wachregiment der Hauptverwaltung Ausbildung"" (""Guard regiment of the Main Administration for Training""). It had its location at the East German Ministry of National Defence in Strausberg suburb near Berlin. The regiment was named after the Communist Hugo Eberlein, a victim of Stalin's purges. Last commander of the Guard Regiment was in September 1990, Colonel Steinkopf. Unlike the Friedrich"
"result of the revolution, Stasi files fell into the hands of the reunited German government. The Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records was formed to control those files. Mass surveillance in East Germany Mass surveillance in East Germany was a widespread practice throughout the country's history, involving Soviet, East German, and Western agencies. East Germany, known formally as the ""German Democratic Republic"" or the ""Deutsche Demokratische Republik"", was an Eastern Bloc state from 1949 to 1990. Its territory consisted of the region of Germany that had been controlled by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Penalties for"
"Służba Bezpieczeństwa The Służba Bezpieczeństwa ""Ministerstwa Spraw Wewnętrznych"" (; Security Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; Polish abbreviations: SB and MSW, respectively), commonly known as ""Esbecja"", was established in the People's Republic of Poland in 1956. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had been established in 1954, but it did not play a significant role until the winding-up of the Committee for Public Safety. It was the main security organization in Poland from 1956 until the end of the People's Republic in 1989. The post-World War II Ministry of Public Security (MBP) was responsible for security, intelligence and counterintelligence. It"
"were not listed as IMs. As an example, that could involve people who simply lived or worked as neighbours of objects deemed relevant to national safety. Additionally, people identified by the Stasi as persistent political adversaries (""""Feindlich-negative Personen""""), were – each according to his/her importance – subject to surveillance by several IMs recruited for the purpose from among their personal contacts. From 1957 to 1989 the East German Minister for State Security was a man called Erich Mielke. In Guideline 1/79, which was in effect between 1980 and 1989, Mielke classified the work of the Informal Collaborators as follows: An"
"intelligence services of the Bulgarian National Army"" (or ComDos). It began checking persons who once held or still hold public positions to establish any affiliation. Regular reports are delivered to the parliament and all disclosures are made public on the Committee website and in special publications. Committee for State Security The Committee for State Security (, ""Komitet za dǎržavna sigurnost""; abbreviated КДС, CSS, KDS), popularly known as State Security (Държавна сигурност, ""Darzhavna sigurnost""; abbrievated ДС, DS) was the name of the Bulgarian secret service under the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Cold War, until 1989. In 1964, the State"
"terms like ""Ostzone"" (Eastern Zone), ""Sowjetische Besatzungszone"" (Soviet Occupation Zone; often abbreviated to ""SBZ""), and ""sogenannte DDR"" (or ""so-called GDR""). The centre of political power in East Berlin was referred to as ""Pankow"". (The seat of command of the Soviet forces in East Germany was referred to as Karlshorst.) Over time, however, the abbreviation ""DDR"" was also increasingly used colloquially by West Germans and West German media. The term ""Westdeutschland"" (West Germany), when used by West Germans was almost always a reference to the geographic region of Western Germany and not to the area within the boundaries of the Federal"
"Stasi Arbeitsgruppe des Ministers S The Working Group of the Minister Task Group ""S"" (AGM/S) (German: ""Arbeitsgruppe des Ministers Aufgabenbereich ""S"""") was an elite special operation unit of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) of the German Democratic Republic. Established in the 1970s, the official mission of AGM/S was to combat terrorism with military, police and intelligence methods. However its real mission was to serve as a paramilitary stay-behind organization trained to operate behind enemy lines. Effective 1 April 1988, the AGM/S was renamed ""Department XXIII"" (anti terrorism) and on 1 March 1989 it was integrated into Department XXII (counter-terrorism)."
"People's Commissariat for State Security The People's Commissariat for State Security () or NKGB, was the name of the Soviet secret police, intelligence and counter-intelligence force that existed from 3 February 1941 to 20 July 1941, and again in 1943, before being renamed the Ministry for State Security (MGB). Changes in Soviet apparatus began in February 1941 with the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet decision. It started with Military Counterintelligence. On 3 February 1941, the 4th Department (Special Section, OO) of GUGB within the NKVD security service responsible for the Red Army military counter-intelligence, consisting of 12 Sections and one"
"German government and was founded in its present form in 1956, after the Bundeswehr was created. Until 1984, its headquarters was called ""Amt für Sicherheit der Bundeswehr"" (ASBw, ""Federal armed forces office of security""). As of September 1984, on the basis of the Höcherl report, the service was restructured and more civilian positions were created. The MAD had 7 groups and 28 regional offices after the former East German army, the NVA (the National People's Army), was incorporated into the Bundeswehr in October 1990. This was reduced to 14 offices in 1994 when there was a reduction of the armed"
"Republic in return for the easing of restrictions on the travel of East German citizens to the West. West German politician Egon Bahr later said in an interview that this had ""worked wonderfully."" Kommerzielle Koordinierung Kommerzielle Koordinierung was a secret commercial enterprise in East Germany, run by the Stasi officer Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski and called ""KoKo"" (short for ""Kommerzielle Koordinierung""). KoKo developed from the official smuggling operations of the 1950s. Its main goal was to bring foreign currency to the German Democratic Republic. It was officially established in 1966 and was involved in business dealings and industrial espionage in Western countries."
"Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment The Friedrich Engels Guards Regiment (also known as NVA Guard Regiment 1) was a special guard unit of the East German National People's Army (NVA). The regiment was named after Friedrich Engels, the German socialist that collaborated with Karl Marx in systematizing Marxism. It served representative purposes and for surveillance of various objects in NVA East Berlin, including the City headquarters, the office of the Ministry of National Defense of the GDR in East Berlin and the terrain of management education, the military intelligence service of the GDR in Berlin-Köpenick. The regiment's headquarters was with the"
"of the Presidium of the Central Committee, ministers of the U.S.S.R. and their deputies, secretaries of the Central Committee, and a number of high officeholders specifically listed. The Division was also responsible for guarding important agencies and installations of the secret police themselves. A number of the top officials from this department were implicated in the Doctors' Plot, showing the inherent mistrust and suspicion within the Soviet security apparatus. Ministry of State Security (Soviet Union) The MGB (), an initialism for ""Ministerstvo gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti SSSR"" (, translated in English as Ministry for State Security), was the name of the Soviet"
"unit and ordered to keep silent. By contrast, when a fugitive was successful and crossed the border into West Germany, disciplinary measures taken against those border guards who had failed to prevent this ""Grenzverletzung und Republikflucht"" (border violation and desertion from the Republic), which often included prison terms in the infamous military prison at Schwedt. Many soldiers tried to let fugitives escape while deflecting such accusations by deliberately shooting off-target. Each attempted or successful escape was followed by a formal investigation by the military prosecution authority and the ""Ministerium für Staatssicherheit"" (MfS, or ""Ministry for State Security"", better known as"
"Ministry for Foreign Affairs (East Germany) The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic (, abbreviated ""MfAA"") was a government body of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) that existed from 1949 to 1990. It had its seat at Schinkelplatz in Berlin-Mitte. A new foreign ministry building was constructed from 1964-1967, but the building was demolished in 1996 after German reunification. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs was led by the Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Republic and a number of deputies. However, the Foreign Minister had less actual influence over the foreign policy than the central committee"
"union"") used Russian language syllabic abbreviations. This has given syllabic abbreviations negative connotations in some countries, (as in Orwell's Newspeak), notwithstanding that such abbreviations were used in Germany even before the Nazis came to power, e.g., """" for ""Schutzpolizei"", and are still used, e.g. """" for """". In the modern Russian language words like ""Minoborony"" (from Ministerstvo oborony — Ministry of Defence) and ""Minobrnauki"" (from Ministerstvo obrazovaniya i nauki — Ministry of Education and Science) are still commonly used. Syllabic abbreviations were also typical for the German language used in the German Democratic Republic, e.g. ""Stasi"" for Staatssicherheit"" (""state security"","
"Stasi Lieutenant General and deputy of the Minister for State Security Erich Mielke. During the collapse of the communist regime in the autumn of 1989, both the long-time Head of State of East Germany, Erich Honecker, and the long-time head of the Stasi, Erich Mielke, resigned from their positions. Schwanitz was appointed the successor of Mielke as Leader of the Office for National Security and member of the Council of Ministers. The Stasi was dissolved on 31 March 1990. Schwanitz has been a leading member of the historical revisionist organisation Gesellschaft zur Rechtlichen und Humanitären Unterstützung, consisting of Stasi veterans"
"Aufklärung"". English-language sources sometimes translate this as ""Military Intelligence Service"" although until 1956 East Germany was not permitted an army of its own. Linke enjoyed the full confidence of the country's Soviet sponsors and his time in charge saw early successes for the service which was well supported by the political establishment. There was a move from Pankow to new premises in central Berlin (Behrenstraße 42-45) and in 1956 a change of name to ""Verwaltung 19"" (""""Administration [department] 19"""") apparently in order to conceal the true nature of the organisation. By 1957 it was clear that regardless of its new"