Political Epistemics: The Secret Police, the Opposition, and the End of East German Socialism

What does the durability of political institutions have to do with how actors form knowledge about them? Andreas Glaeser investigates this question in the context of a fascinating historical case: socialist East Germany’s unexpected self—dissolution in 1989. His analysis builds on extensive in—depth interviews with former secret police officers and the dissidents they tried to control as well as research into the documents both groups produced. In particular, Glaeser analyzes how these two ...