Stasi

• employed over 91,000 full-time staff for 16.4 Million East Germans ; compared to gestapo 7000 for 66 million Germans
• The Stasi relied on informers of neighbours and had a highly organised system; intervene in every activity of peoples life
• in mid 1950s 20-30,000 informers which rose to 100,000 in 1968 and 180,000 in 1975
• infiltrate every society and aspect of life, keep government informed, quash discontent
• 'sword and shield of the party'
• People though they were everywhere which created fear
• many informants were committed members of the GDR and wanted to help the state
• many employed as 'apart of their job' while many persuaded
• only 7.7% informants were recruited through coercion
• Stasi founded Feb 1950, ordered to 'fight against capitalist agents'
• by 1955 had 13,000 staff and by 1989 91,000
• stopped at nothing e.g., private letters opened, homes bugged, searched bank statements and records