The Stasi Records Archive – From Repression to Revolution to School of Democracy

When the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records started its work on the day of German unification in 1990, a unique institution was launched as a world-wide first: 40 years of secret police work, the complete left-over documentation of the Ministry of State Security of East Germany, became available for public access. Bringing to light the information that the state had secretly gathered to change the fates of hundreds of thousands over the course of East Germany’s existence became the central and longest lasting mechanism of transitional justice in a united Germany. It brought clarity to individuals about their fate under the dictatorship and transparency into the new united German democracy and it aimed to understand the mechanisms of repression as an educational tool for democracy. The paper will address the historical conditions and basic legal principles on which access to the Stasi records was made possible. It will look at the effects on society, in the area of vetting of officials and public exposure of those responsible for injustice but also in the field of education and research. It aims to assess the success of this model as a mechanism to address the injustices of the past, including its character as an international model. It will conclude by examining and outline the future prospects of the archive.