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@@ -1,67 +1,66 @@ --- -title: The Stasi and the implications of surveillance +title: The Stasi and the nature of surveillance author: Mohit Agarwal date: July 2021 bibliography: ["reference.bib"] link-citations: true csl: https://www.zotero.org/styles/apa-6th-edition +papersize: a4 nocite: '@*' --- <!-- *y --> The Stasi's mission throughout the GDR was to practise surveillance on -the population of the country. The methods and impacts of the -organisation that operated until the recent reunification of Germany -may demonstrate the way in which a state can organise surveillance -against its own people and the implications it has for those in power -and those under their authority. +the population of the country. The Stasi's operated until the recent +reunification of Germany. The example of the Stasi might, therefore, +be a rather useful one in the consideration on surveillance and its +impacts for both those conducting it and those it is being conducted +against. -A government may get involved in the regular surveillance of its -citizens for many reasons. The interception of communications are -readily visible (inelegant) including the interception of mail in the -American colonies by the British in the years before the American -Revolution. This also included the change and destruction of -information, yet the purpose remains the same as modern surveillance: -to watch over citizens that the ruling authority does not trust or -claims cannot be trusted. Those who wish to monitor modern electronic -communications may suggest that such an operation exists in the -interest of the safety of the public, by stopping crime and terrorism. +We can find important identifying characteristics of surveillance and +what they mean for people through study of the Stasi and what it did. +This can lead us to suggest that the nature of surveillance is one +that can very effectively server authoritarian leadership, is one that +attempts to justify itself, and -Much of the Stasi's strength came from its numbers. The Stasi was able -to infiltrate every facet of the East German society to an astounding -extent. The reputation of the Stasi is well deserved from the power to -plant the seeds of doubt within the population. - -The methods of the Stasi are often described as inducing fear in -citizens. - -The tools of surveillance served the state, and in return the state -served the Stasi. Just as to us, surveillance agencies and government -may appear separate, in East Germany they were demonstrably not. There -is arguably a great deal more power and flexibility was afforded to -the rulers of the state by the actions of the Stasi. The authoritarian -stance of the ruling party existed not only in high level politics, -but in the daily lives of the individual. In this way, survaillance is -much like propaganda. Surveillance, often in a way that people may not -at first initially recognise, is able to have a widespread impact on -individuals according to the wishes of those in power. +The example of the Stasi makes it very clear that surveillance can +meaningfully serve the state and its need for power. The Stasi +existed to act for the ruling party in East Germany and to ensure that +those under the regime were kept within certain limits. The work of +the head of the Stasi, Erich Mielke, in East German surveillance +operations led him to great power politically as a member of the +ruling inner circle, the Politburo. This was because of the power and +flexibility afforded to the rulers of the state by the actions of the +Stasi, leading the party to encourage and fund the work of the Stasi. +The authoritarian stance of the ruling party existed not only in high +level politics, but in the daily lives of the individual. In this +way, surveillance is much like propaganda. In a way that is not +immediately obvious, surveillance is able to have a widespread impact +on individuals according to the wishes of those in power. In the GDR, those in power wanted to actively control the lives of their citizens, and ensure behaviour according to the rules of the state. Surveillance might serve those who want control particularly effectively. The Stasi was able to influence people through their -surveillance and their spread to all assets of society. The Stasi was -able to make its way into the groups it considered 'enemies', such as -the Church. Many members of the church were Stasi members or -informants, and by this method of infiltration, surveillance can -empower those who wish to control their populations to find and -silence dissenters. This has the ability to create an atmosphere of -fear, where one is unaware of who may be an informant and is aware of -what not to say to others. A consideration of who 'worked for' the -Stasi is important. The number of Stasi informants were much larger -than full-time Stasi officers [@popular-involvement]. This is the tool -of controlling surveillance: seeping into the small parts of our +surveillance and related actions due to their spread to all assets of +society. The Stasi was able to make its way into the groups it +considered 'enemies', such as the Church. Many members of the church +were Stasi members or informants, and by this method of infiltration, +surveillance can empower those who wish to control their populations +to find and silence dissenters. Surveillance creates a covert root to +attack those an authoritarian state wishes to, rather than other +methods which are more easily noticeable and preventable. On the other +hand, methods such as propaganda and traditional policing cannot +prevent those working actively to escape the reach of those in power +or spreading their own ideas in secret. Furthermore, this has the +ability to create an atmosphere of fear, where one is unaware of who +may be an informant. This forces one to become acutely aware of what +not to say to others and can practically silence the spread of +unwanted information. A consideration of who 'worked for' the Stasi +is important. The number of Stasi informants were much larger than +full-time Stasi officers [@popular-involvement]. This is the tool of +controlling surveillance: seeping into the small parts of our societies; in schools, factories, churches, and families the Stasi had far greater power and knowledge than it would on a higher level. @@ -71,6 +70,32 @@ prevalence of sophisticated devices with microphones and cameras, which the Stasi went to great lengths to plant in private places, but that we carry around with us as granted. +Whilst the Stasi operated, there often seemed a need to justify its +actions, either politically or to the people. The East German +authorities presented themselves as acting against Fascism and for +the people as a very strong reaction to the Nazis. Much as the +authorities held mock elections that were held, where the SED would +always win as well as the Berlin Wall which the authorities in the GDR +would describe as an Anti-Fascist measure (*Antifaschistischer +Schutzwall*), the actions of authoritarianism are often explained in +some way that appears genuine. Similarly, surveillance is often +described in a similar way. In our own lives we may see heavy +surveillance explained as preventing crime or terrorism. Similarly the +Stasi's reported purpose is visible in its name the Ministry for State +Security (*Ministerium für Staatssicherheit*). Here the reasoning for +surveillance is presented just as the elections and wall were; as a +genuine and necessary part of East German society. In this case, the +Stasi justified its existence to the people in a rather dangerous way. +By presenting itself as protecting the people whilst instead working +against them and treating many of them as enemies of the state, the +Stasi presented outwardly a rather different image to what it was. +Although many East Germans surely knew of its true purpose, the naming +and presentation gives the opportunity for one to see the actions of +the Stasi in a good light and accept as necessary as it described +itself. It is by this alongside the other tools of authoritarianism +including the Stasi's practices that the Stasi was able to recruit so +many officers and informants. + The Stasi came to an unexpected end. Following the declining interest of the previously heavily invested Soviet Union in maintaining a powerful regime in East Germany, and the later fall of the Berlin Wall @@ -90,8 +115,8 @@ people against authorities need surveillance in order to ensure these very things become non existent. In this the Stasi was somewhat successful. Although the regulation of -items such as typewriters or printing equipent were highly regulated, -particularly before the beggining of the end for the Stasi, the Stasi +items such as typewriters or printing equipment were highly regulated, +particularly before the beginning of the end for the Stasi, the Stasi was not able to prevent a rather powerful weapon used by the western powers. Although the state engaged in heavy censorship of materials such as books, and the state control of radio, television, and print @@ -105,12 +130,12 @@ allowing in outside knowledge. Arguably, this is where the Stasi could have done more work to further exert and maintain control over the people. The ability of people to listen to outside broadcasting afforded great influence to West -Germany and NATO in East German borders. Censorship can thusly be -viewed as a very powerful tool of authoritarianism, and the lack of -limitation by the Stasi on what people were watching and listening to -may have disintegrated the other tools of propaganda and -disinformation that the authorities were naturally trying to -simultaneously leverage. +Germany and NATO in East German borders [@npr-radio;@nyt-television]. +Censorship can thusly be viewed as a very powerful tool of +authoritarianism, and the lack of limitation by the Stasi on what +people were watching and listening to may have disintegrated the other +tools of propaganda and disinformation that the authorities were +naturally trying to simultaneously leverage. In a sense the reality of the Stasi and the ways in which it impacted the lives of people in East Germany present us with an opportunity to diff --git a/reference.bib b/reference.bib index 1b92af8..dc060ce 100644 --- a/reference.bib +++ b/reference.bib @@ -38,3 +38,11 @@ journal = "NPR", url = "https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/11/08/361160675/the-cold-war-broadcast-that-gave-east-german-dissidents-a-voice" } +@article{nyt-television, + title = "TV Brings Western Culture to East Germany", + author = "James M. Markham", + year = "1984", + journal = "The New York Times", + url = "https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/13/arts/tv-brings-western-culture-to-east-germany.html" +} + |