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

Not necessarily what I was expecting, but a very interesting look into the lives of the people who lived under the Stasi in East Germany.

Wow! Big Brother in his finest form. Don't know why the people tolerated another almost Gestapo regime so soon after the WW IIAgain,l was stationed in Berlin 1960-1962 and even I was surprised to learn the depth of their activity in both the East and the West. And I had direct unpleasant contacts on several occasions with the former MFS in East Berlin after the wall went up in 61.

Great book! Very interesting view of the Stasi from the local level. From what I can tell, the District would be the equivalent to the County here in the US, although I can't fathom my Sheriff having the powers or resources to disrupt lives that the Stasi District Commanders did!!

This book revolves around evidence derived from 'surviving' Stasi documents from two small towns. It felt more reflective of regional experiences rather than any great insight into the Stasi as it existed as a state wide organization. Maintaining a value in it's own right it's worth the read, but there are far more insightful and less repetitious books on the subject available.

A detailed work on the topic. Gary Bruce got to it's very bottom.This is an essetial work that shows the most sophisticated state security police in Cold War Era. Gary Bruce visited not only archives with endless data but managed to interview both victims, Stasi officers and civilian crew of Stasi.This book gives general information about GDR and Stasi, but mostly shows in details a case studies conducted by Stasi.This book could be a base for an interesting film comparable to "The lives of the others".I strongly recommend this book.

Well researched, and detailed but sometimes perhaps a little dense.Still the best book on the subject concerned.Definitely a good read for followers of German history of that time.

This book is as good as John O Koehler's book is bad. Unlike Koehler, Bruce presents an unbiased description of Stasi procedures and organization structure without adding unnecessary editorializing. Bruce wisely restricts his research to two districts near Berlin. By doing so, he creates not only an intimate portrait of life in the Stasi, but also a good representation of what went on at the top levels. If you have any interest in the subject, this is the book to read.

This is a very good read. It combines academic detail with a casual reading style. It's fun to read and you learn something at the same time. "The Firm" provides a deep insight into the Stasi. I highly recommend it for individuals who would like to understand how the state can control lives.

This is mainly a study of the internal culture of the Stasi in two districts, based on a series of interviews with ex Stasi staff. The book gives a good impression of what it was like to work for them, and what their working methods were like. The subject is unavoidably a bit dry - this is not a place to look for stories about people escaping over the wire in Berlin, since the Stasi seem to have been very much a bureaucracy. One limitation is that the author found that Stasi very rarely transferred between districts, leaving the possibility that the working culture might be somewhat different in other areas. Definitely worth a look if you have any interest in how a stable authoritarian state works.

easy read ..great facts