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few general words about the limitations of the documents,
which has been produced by the BStU, for example, is for
and the archives themselves, are nevertheless in order.
the exclusive use of the in-house researchers.27
The extent to which the MfS documents were deficient in
Apart from limitations of the holdings, the procedure
reflecting actual developments in GDR society should
for processing a research application also poses certain
be kept in mind. On the citizens’ movement
limitations for researchers. After a researcher has applied
(Bürgerbewegung) of the 1980s, for example, the MfS
and received permission to use the archives-which is
documents are important because the movement itself did
presently a process of between 1 1/2 and 2 years—the
not leave much written material and there is little informa-
researcher is invited to the archives to discuss his/her
tion on the movement in the archives of the SED.19 Yet one
topic with a Sachbearbeiter.28 The Sachbearbeiter then
would be unwise to accept MfS documents as an accurate
commissions a search for relevant material. Once material
reflection of opposition in the 1980s. In the spring of 1989,
has been located, the researcher is invited back to the
the MfS reported approximately 150 oppositional groups
archives to see the material. Because there are no finding
with an active membership of 2,500 and a further 5,000 who
aids, the researcher is entirely dependent on the
were sympathetic to the groups or passive supporters.20
Sachbearbeiter and their instructions to the locators
However, present estimates suggest that there were at least
for retrieval of information. The dependence on the
325 oppositional groups, and between 10,000 and 15,000
Sachbearbeiter is a drawback for researchers, as
people who were actively involved with the groups.21
Sachbearbeiter often have little knowledge of the topic at
Historians interested in gaining insight into GDR society
hand, nor are they always aware of the most important
would be advised to consult other sources in addition to
archival holdings on the subject. This deficiency in the
the MfS files, such as the police records, files of the non-
archives is largely due to the inefficient manner in which
Marxist parties, SED reports, church files, or the records of
research applications are assigned to Sachbearbeiter.
the Free German Trade Union.
Topics are assigned to Sachbearbeiter based on the
There are certain subjects for which, due to several
Sachbearbeiter’s general area of responsibility, such as
reasons, MfS files are unavailable. There is little
“Border Issues,” with little regard for periodization. As a
documentation on the foreign espionage branch of the MfS
result, each Sachbearbeiter handles an enormous range of
because of the widespread destruction of documents
topics from all eras of the MfS that fall loosely under their
that took place in the fall of 1989.22 It should be noted,
jurisdiction, and, to be fair, they cannot be expected to
350
COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PROJECT BULLETIN, ISSUE 12/13
provide a thorough treatment of the application. This
problem is compounded by the clear lack of cooperation
between the division of the archives responsible for
external researchers, and the internal research division.
Sachbearbeiter are too often unaware of the research
projects being carried out by their colleagues in the
research division and thus are unable to take advantage of
their colleagues’ knowledge of archival holdings. There is,
however, usually little difficulty in retrieving material if the
researcher already has the archival call number.
IV. Present research
The research division of the archives has already
published a series of valuable documentation on and
analyses of the MfS.29 At present, the research division
continues to research its main project, the MfS-Handbuch,
which will provide a detailed history of the institution from
its beginning until 1990 once completed. Several install-
ments of the MfS-Handbuch have already been pub-
lished.30 Other projects underway include “Women in the
MfS,” “The prison system of the GDR under the influence
of the Ministry for State Security,” and “The Influence of
the MfS on the Human Rights Debate in the GDR.”
Researchers interested in the latest research projects being
carried out by the internal research division should consult
Aktuelles aus der DDR-Forschung, available on-line at
http://www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de/ddr-forschung/
Projekt.html . The forth official update produced by the
BStU (4. Tätigkeitsbericht) appeared in 1999.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Gary Bruce teaches history at St. Thomas University. His
book, Resistance with the People: Resistance in Eastern
Germany 1945-55 is due out in July 2001 from Westview
Press.
—————
3
Armin Mitter, “Die Aufarbeitung der DDR-
Geschichte,” in Eckhard Jesse, Armin Mitter (eds.), Die
Gestaltung der deutschen Einheit (Bonn: Bundeszentrale
für politische Bildung, 1992), p. 366.
4
5
Ibid., p. 372.
Ibid., p. 372.; Armin Mitter, Stefan Wolle, “Ich liebe
euch doch alle! Befehle und Lageberichte des MfS
Januar-November 1989” (Berlin: Basis Druck
Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, 1990), p. 9.
6
7
Mitter, “Die Aufarbeitung,” p. 372.
John Torpey, Intellectuals, Socialism and Dissent:
The East German Opposition and its Legacy (Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota Press, 1995), p. 188.
8
9
Ibid.
Christian Ostermann, “New Research on the GDR,”
Cold War International History Bulletin, Fall 1994, p. 34.
10
11
12
Gauck, p. 11.
See Stasi-Unterlagen-Gesetz, Paragraph 32
Siegfried Suckut, “Die Bedeutung der Akten des
Staatssicherheitsdienstes für die Erforschung der DDR-
Geschichte,” in Henke, Engelmann, p. 195.
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Engelmann, “Zum Quellenwert,” p. 28.
Ibid., p. 28.
Suckut, “Die Bedentung,” p. 204.
Engelmann, p. 28.
Ibid., p. 28.
Suckut, “Die Bedentung,” p. 198.
Ibid, p. 203.
Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, “Von der Freiheit, Ich zu
sagen. Widerständiges Verhalten in der DDR, “ Ulrike
Poppe, Rainer Eckert, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, (eds.)
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