A Straight Black Line From East German Stasi To Egypt Of Today worldcrunch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from worldcrunch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wild stories have circulated for years about Vladimir Putin s time with the KGB in Dresden. There are even rumors he helped orchestrate a murder carried out by German terrorists. But reporting by DER SPIEGEL has found that the Russian leader was more of a pen-pusher than a top agent.
Amid the darkness of economic hardship and state-sponsored fear, East Germany could also be a society of opportunity and hope. Katja Hoyer explores why the black-and-white comparisons with West Germany do not tell the full story, and profiles some of the people who bring this full, complex picture to life