First Class Comrades: The Stasi in the Cold War, 1945-1961

Summary

'It is the definitive account, a compelling exploration of a mind-bending ideological experiment, its secret servants and the lives they defined' —Sunday Times

After the Second World War, divided Germany was saturated with spies. Among them were the 'first class comrades' of the Stasi—the East German Ministry for State Security. The early Cold War saw the Stasi establish itself as one of the world's most notorious spy and secret police agencies.

Drawing on rarely seen files from the Stasi archives, First Class Comrades tells the Stasi story from a fresh perspective: how it helped to create a new European state, how its foreign intelligence service became one of the most successful ever, and how its spy-catchers tackled vigorous attempts by the West to infiltrate East Germany—attempts that influenced the decision to build the Berlin Wall.

Full of new insights on Cold War espionage, and featuring newly discovered details of the Stasi's operational methods, First Class Comrades shines a light on this lesser-known period of Stasi history, and why its stories and lessons still matter today.