The Firm: The Inside Story of the Stasi (Oxford Oral History Series) Review

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The Firm: The Inside Story of the Stasi (Oxford Oral History Series) ReviewThe excellent book focuses on the East German (the GDR) domestic spy agency (the Stasi) in two relatively rural districts. Based on surviving files and extensive interviews, the book provides an illuminating account of how the Stasi functioned. The book's vivid stories give life to the dry statistic that the Stasi had a hundred miles of files on 6,000,000 citizens.
In contrast to many recent studies of East Germany, Professor Bruce leans toward the "totalitarian" approach to East Germany, noting that although total totalitarianism is hardly possible, the goal of the Stasi was to know as much as possible about as many citizens as possible. Although most East Germans did not suffer the fear of midnight knocks on the door, everyone knew that the Stasi was there (even if they did not know the true extent of its activities), and such knowledge influenced their behavior. And more than enough people's lives were diminished (or ended) by the Stasi's activities. His book is also a useful reminder that bad memories often fade faster than good ones. In 1990, 72.6% of East Germans thought that there was "complete surveillance" in the GDR. In 1995, only 42% did (p. 9). This book is good evidence that the 1990 statistic is the one to believe.
To my mind, Professor Bruce concludes by trying too hard to make contemporary parallels, and in his last sentence quotes a phrase "attributed to Mark Twain": "To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I'm pretty sure that is not an accurate attribution. I can't find anyone who gives a traceable reference, and the almost always reliable "Yale Book of Quotations" attributes it to Abraham Maslow.
But those are quibbles. If you want a lively account of how the Stasi affected life in East Germany, read this.The Firm: The Inside Story of the Stasi (Oxford Oral History Series) Overview

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