DW describes a new German history book that explores the life of the Stasi and their informants.

These unofficial informants would spy on their friends and family — either willingly, or because they themselves were put under pressure.

But what made them work for the authoritarian regime?

That depends, said historian Philipp Springer, whose book, “Die Hauptamtlichen” (“Staffing the Stasi”) was published in July in Germany.

“One reason was the feeling of having power over your fellow citizens,” Springer explained of motivations for joining the Stasi. “And then there were the promises made by the ministry, which would claim that the job was interesting and might even allow for deployments abroad. At the end of the day, it was a very secure job to have — especially for people struggling with their career prospects.”