Headquarters for the Protection of the National Economy
The secret police and intelligence service in the Soviet occupation zone , which emerged in October 1949 from the criminal police 5 (K5) departments, was designated as the main administration for the protection of the national economy . Four months later, the name was changed to the Ministry for State Security (MfS) of the GDR .
history
As early as 1945/46, the Soviet military administration in Germany (SMAD) established so-called “offices for information”, which were initially responsible for propaganda in favor of the Soviet Union, but at the same time also investigated the political mood in the population and performed a control function vis-à-vis other authorities should exercise. The personnel was mainly recruited from surviving KPD members, including the former KPD military apparatus ("M-Apparat"), Spain fighters , the Moscow KPD cadre and personnel from the Soviet secret service.
With the formation of the German Administration of the Interior (DVdI) on July 30, 1946, these previously federal administrative structures of the police in the Soviet occupation zone were subordinated to a central management body. In the course of the subsequent standardization of the police structures in the respective states ( Brandenburg , Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Saxony-Anhalt , Saxony , Thuringia ), all political police authorities were assigned to the criminal police and from January 1947 profiled as criminal police 5 (K5). The name was chosen on the basis of the “basic criminal offense classification” that was in force, according to which “criminal offenses of other types” were summarized under criminal offense class V. In addition to the investigative work on denazification , the K5 also carried out intelligence assignments such as the "monitoring of radio and teleprinter".
The founding of the GDR on October 7, 1949 brought about the transformation of the DVdI into the Ministry of the Interior , the K5 departments were restructured into the main administration to protect the national economy and thus remained subordinate to the MdI. By resolution of the GDR Council of Ministers , this authority was formed on February 8, 1950, into the Ministry for State Security (MfS).
assignment
The tasks were assigned directly by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD) and were subject to the laws of the Soviet Union . This included the persecution of people accused of Nazi charges, investigations into allegations of espionage , sabotage , agitation and illegal possession of weapons . Furthermore, she was involved in combating actions of the Combat Group against Inhumanity (KgU), the Gehlen Organization (Org) and other intelligence groups. Over the years, counter-espionage measures relating to the intelligence services of the Western Allies were also transferred to her.
literature
- Jens Gieseke : The full-time employees of the State Security. Personnel structure and living environment 1950–1989 / 90 ; Christoph Links Verlag, Berlin 2000; ISBN 3-86153-227-1
- Hans-Jürgen Lange: State, Democracy and Internal Security in Germany ; Leske + Budrich Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-8100-2267-5
- Helmut Roewer , Stefan Schäfer, Matthias Uhl : Lexicon of the secret services in the 20th century . Herbig, Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7766-2317-9 .