Watching the Watchers

Communist Elites, the Secret Police and Social Order in Cold War Europe

Inbunden, Engelska, 2024

AvHenry Thomson

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Throughout history, dictators have constructed secret police agencies to neutralize rivals and enforce social order. But the same agencies can become disloyal and threatening. This book explores how eight communist regimes in Cold War Europe confronted this dilemma. Divergent strategies caused differences in regimes of repression, with consequences for social order and political stability. Surviving the shock of Josef Stalin's death, elites in East Germany and Romania retained control over the secret police. They grew their coercive institutions to effectively suppress dissent via surveillance and targeted repression. Elsewhere, ruling coalitions were thrown into turmoil after Stalin's death, changing personnel and losing control of the security apparatus. Post-Stalinist transitions led elites to restrict the capacity of the secret police and risk social disorder. Using original empirical analysis that is both rigorous and rich in fascinating detail, Henry Thomson brings new insights into the darkest corners of authoritarian regimes.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2024-02-29
Mått158 x 235 x 24 mm
Vikt650 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor354
FörlagCambridge University Press
ISBN9781009413596

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Part I. Introduction and Theory: 1. Introduction; 2. Theory; Part II. Comparative Historical Analysis: 3. Introduction to part II; 4. The Polish People's Republic; 5. The German Democratic Republic; Part III. Cross-National Quantitative Analysis: 6. Introduction to part III; 7. Elite cohesion and coercive agent tenure; 8. Officers and secret informants; Part IV. Conclusion: 9. Conclusion; Appendix A: Secret police agencies and chiefs; Appendix B: Survival analysis; Appendix C: Agency size analysis.

'With rigorous empirics and deep historical knowledge, Henry Thomson takes us inside the workings of secret police organizations across Central and Eastern Europe, showing that efforts to control these coercive organizations set otherwise similar communist regimes on divergent pathways for decades during the Cold War. His careful analysis is a model of comparative scholarship, and sheds important light on one of the darkest areas of authoritarian rule.' Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Associate Professor, University of Texas, Austin