After World War II, the fear of uncontrolled industrial growth in Germany was the main cause of the country's division. These drastic actions were taken to ensure peace, and on the night of August 12, 1961, the Berlin Wall was built that would divide Germany for nearly four decades. This wall separated two nations, one occupied by the Allies and the other occupied by the Soviets. The topic of this article refrains from delving into the area occupied by the Allies and focuses on the Soviet side, and more specifically on an instrument used by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit aka Stasi ). The Stasi was particularly known for its ruthless and efficient methods. The Stasi is considered “omnipotent” due to the “extraordinary duration” to protect the East German Communist Party regime” (Epstein). Their methods included but were not limited to: creating a state within a state, enlisting informants, instilling fear, and maintaining Stasi files. Founded in February 1950, the Ministry of State Security was modest in size but experienced rapid growth. In 1956 the Stasi had around 16,000 employees, in 1971 20,000, and during its heyday (1982) it boasted “90,000” staff members and “unofficial collaborators estimated at 170,000 – for a total Stasi staff of around a quarter of a million, or 2% of the total. the adult population” (Miller). The main role of the Stasi was to create a surveillance network that controlled the population through the help of these collaborators. To illustrate the wide range of surveillance, “at least two departments spied on the East German army and police. One focused on dissident and ecclesial groups, two on postal and telephone surveillance”; “Another controlled section… half of the paper… pect as the media began to enter their daily lives. Once again the man's privacy was breached. The Stasi created a monopoly on fear while maintaining a state environment within the GDR. They effectively controlled surveillance, authority, economic and other government institutions. They all pooled their vast numbers and were expected to grow over the nearly fifty years of service. Through the use of informants they created a web of fear that made it difficult to navigate daily life. The war on privacy, honesty and trust had been waged. Even in defeat, the Stasi emerged victorious and the scar left on earth was that of suspicion and mistrust. The daily bonds of daily life were broken. Although the initial aim of the Stasi was not to cause such a catastrophe, the mark on history is such that any organization (positive or negative) can be proud.