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380:, economic pressures resulting from collectivization, payment of reparations, an increasingly disadvantageous comparison with West Germany, and resentment of Soviet presence and influence. This dissatisfaction triggered a spontaneous general uprising that started in East Berlin on June 17, 1953, and rapidly spread throughout much of the country. The rebellion was quickly suppressed by Soviet troops. This short but intense episode had far-reaching effects on the evolution of the national security system.
428:(VPB) (Alert Units) for the specific function of internal security. The Alert Units were militarily structured, fully motorized units with modern weapons and equipment. Garrisoned and trained in battalion-size units, they were capable of carrying out police tasks and other security functions. They were used in major disturbances or in civil disasters affecting public order and safety.
346:. By 1952 the Sea Police had assumed the additional duties of minesweeping in coastal waters and, in cooperation with the Border Police, surveillance of the sea. Until shipyards, which began operation in 1952, could launch new ships, the Sea Police were limited to a few German World War II patrol boats and minesweepers, turned over to them by the Soviets.
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416:, who was also minister of the interior. In 1987 Stoph was chairman of the Council of Ministers and a member of the SED Politburo. General Hoffmann, who was listed as first deputy minister of defense, attended the Soviet General Staff Academy in the mid-1950s and replaced Stoph as defense minister in 1960.
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government also was forced to recognize that it lacked legitimacy in the eyes of its own people. In the short run, the most notable response was another purge in the summer of 1953. This purge resulted in changes in the top ranks of the SED, including the replacement of
Zaisser, the minister of state
357:
Organization and training for all services closely adhered to the Soviet model, and Soviet advisers were present at all levels down to battalion. Although much of the equipment and most of the weapons were initially of German World War II vintage, there was an increasingly rapid introduction of newer
419:
The creation of the
Ministry of Defense and the NVA seemingly should have been a blow to the authority and prestige of the Ministry of the Interior. The bureaucratic impact of this action was mitigated by permitting Stoph to carry both portfolios for four years. In addition, police activities, both
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In 1948, the Soviet occupation authority began laying the groundwork for the establishment of an East German police and military force, recruiting over 50,000 volunteers for the police force, which was to be armed with armored cars and light artillery. In the initial stages of this reorganization,
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were structured on the light infantry battalions of the KVP and subordinated to the Main
Administration of Garrisoned People's Police. Except for resubordination of the Border Police, the KVP changed the least of the three services.
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the nonmilitary units of the People's Police, the Border Police, and the
Transport Police were subordinated to the Main Administration of the People's Police, within the Ministry of the Interior. The Alert Units of the
253:
People not deemed sufficiently committed to the communist cause were also dismissed. With these purges, the SVAG created a force that was steadfastly loyal in its politics. To further instill the correct politics into
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Soviet matériel. In a move to assert a separate identity, the East German leadership introduced unique uniforms, similar to the Soviet field uniforms, to differentiate the armed forces from the police forces.
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or NVA. The NVA incorporated the
Kasernierte Volkspolizei, Sea Police, and Air Police into a single armed force with ground, naval, and air branches. The new Minister of Defense was Colonel General (
307:
In the spring of 1950, the process of dividing the Alert Units into separate branches of the armed services was initiated. The first pilot training occurred at an aviation club at
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By 1950, East
Germany, though officially still without an army, was able to muster a well organised and well-armed security force, and with the establishment of the
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330:, the Sea Police were initially responsible for the protection of fisheries and for antismuggling activities. A school for sailors was established at
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In the early 1950s, problems within the country were causing dissatisfaction among East German citizens. These included confusion within the ruling
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security. During the remainder of the summer, 12,000 men of all ranks and grades were dismissed from the People's Police for "unreliability."
304:(KVP) were assigned to the Main Administration of Training, as the first step toward creation of the NVA and the Ministry of Defense.
149:(SVAG) approved the arming of the community-level police forces; the forces which had been established in the regions of Germany the
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connected with being a former "VoPo", and the blame of having been on the "wrong side" during the
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of the German
Democratic Republic, five federal states were refounded in East Germany in 1990:
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The
Democratisation of the Police (With Reference to the Brandenburg Police) by John Chivers
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officer could apply for a job with the new police if he had not worked as an agent for the
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A similar process established East
Germany's navy. On June 15, 1950, the existence of the
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in East
Germany, but because of its organisation and structure it was also considered a
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was established in 1949. These training courses were run by communist heroes such as
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had more than 45,000 officers. At this time the SVAG authorised the creation of the
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began to be used and by August the organisation was placed under the control of the
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EAST GERMANY – A Country Study (based on information from the Library of Congress)
315:. In 1952 Special Section 2 was redesignated Main Administration for Air Police.
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of all "undesirable officers". This label included anybody who had served in the
204:, to prevent mass emigration into West Germany. In December, another branch, the
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and formally acknowledging the existence of East Germany's armed forces, the
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civil and secret, remained under the Ministry of the Interior, as did the
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force. Unlike police forces in most countries, they were equipped with
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country other than the USSR, anybody who had come to East Germany as
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
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officer had to undergo a new training based on West German law.
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Creation of an armed forces under the Ministry of the Interior
15:
188:. The "Volkspolizei" were organized in the same style as the
551:. United States of America: H.S. Stuttman Inc. p. 3131.
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Bauer, Eddy (1966). "Volume 23, Chapter 182: The Cold War".
342:, all on the Baltic coast. These provided the basis for the
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from former German territories that had been placed under
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424:. The Ministry of the Interior established its own
270:and the man who would later become East Germany's
475:. Every state created its own police forces, the
392:Establishment of the Ministry of National Defense
246:or Soviet control, and anybody with relatives in
218:In the spring of 1949, the SVAG ordered that the
487:. Just before and after the reunification every
43:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
137:and artillery and trained as military units.
8:
326:) was formally announced. Headquartered at
192:in the Soviet Union. By November 1946, the
180:, as well as former German members of the
549:The Illustrated World War II Encyclopedia
147:Soviet Military Administration in Germany
74:Learn how and when to remove this message
494:Even in the 21st century, there is much
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163:German Administration of the Interior
107:for "People's Police") served as the
7:
599:Volkspolizei page at polizeiautos.de
338:, and an officer training school at
285:came the foundations of the future
115:of the German Democratic Republic (
578:Official Site of the German Police
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502:is often leveled against many ex-
334:, a school for petty officers at
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374:Socialist Unity Party of Germany
368:Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
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260:Main Administration of Training
320:Main Administration Sea Police
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376:(SED) following the death of
402:Ministry of National Defense
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400:passed a bill creating the
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473:Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
443:B 1000 police van in
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324:Hauptverwaltung Seepolizei
135:armored personnel carriers
532:Federal Research Division
396:On January 18, 1956, the
230:, anybody who had been a
145:On October 31, 1945, the
125:was responsible for most
119:) from 1946 to 1956. The
593:IG Deutsche Volkspolizei
328:Berlin-Niederschöneweide
301:Kasernierte Volkspolizei
176:officers who had become
29:This article includes a
447:markings, August 1990.
153:had occupied following
58:more precise citations.
506:officers to this day.
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453:German reunification
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451:In preparation for
272:Minister of Defence
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344:future navy
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228:Wehrmacht
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