Living with the Stasi: Experiences and Opinions of East Germans, 1945-90

This paper discusses how East German citizens felt about the Secret Police (Stasi). It focuses on sentiment and everyday life during rule, rather than Germans retrospectively reacted once Berlin Wall fell true extent of Stasi surveillance had been discovered. also attempts to disaggregate different demographics society – artists, doctors, clergy, etc. posits that there was no universal ‘East experience’ Stasi. further explores equally wide range reasons why an citizen might become ‘inoffizielle mitarbeiter’ informer for notorious secret police.