ABSTRACT
While this chapter concentrates on the Stasi security conglomerate on the eve of the collapse of communist rule, it should be stressed that the structure had evolved and changed significantly over several decades in response to developments in the political, security, economic and foreign policy environment. The exhaustive internal survey of the organisational structure of the ministry, which has been published by the Gauck Authority under the editorship of Roland Wiedmann and extends to 362 pages, represents the main empirical source for this section of the chapter. In 1989, the 91,105 full-time staff of the ministry were spread across the central apparatus in East Berlin, the 15 Regional Administrations (Bezirksverwaltungen - BVs), the 211 District Service Units (Kreisdienststellen - KDs) and 7 'objects' (Objekte), that is, major complexes such as the nuclear power station in the Greifswald region and Dresden's technical university. The breakdown into regions and districts corresponded with the territorial structure of the SED and the GDR. just under half of MfS staff worked in East Berlin and most of the remainder in the territorial organs. To what extent rivalries existed over status and operational boundaries are difficult to assess but, according to Werner Großmann, HV A officers felt that they constituted the ministry's elite troops and internal intelligence organs such as Main Department II were anxious to keep HV A off their operational patch. 1 Although there were also perceptible differences in the status of, and the salaries attached to, functions within departments, the cleavages should not be exaggerated for a high level of operational coordination existed between the various branches in the pursuit of enemies of the republic and, as will be seen in Chapter 6, the officers constituted an ideologically and politically cohesive corps.
