Diktatur im Wandel

This book tells the story of the GDR through its changing repressive mechanisms. From the founding of the state in 1949 to its surprising collapse in 1989/90 for many eyewitnesses, the GDR underwent constant reorientations and regulations passed down from above. In the tension between the enforcement, establishment, and securing of power, the GDR demonstrated remarkable longevity. Drawing from various sources, Markus Mirschel and Samuel Kunze narrate personal fates, normative directives from the state and party leadership, as well as adaptation processes within the security organs of the GDR during the 40-year history of the second dictatorship on German soil.