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The Guilt of Others

November 9, 2014

Open it up, or close it for good, forget it or work through it - what is the best way to heal the wounds of the past?

https://p.dw.com/p/1DVZl
Image: DOKfilm

The guilt of others - Part 1

Whether during the apartheid era in South Africa or under German or Soviet-style socialism - the power of tyranny is always based on the police and intelligence services.

The guilt of others - Part 1

When they collapse, they leave behind them mountains of files - unless, of course, they managed to destroy them at the last moment.

When the East German regime crumbled, activists managed to save the files of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) from destruction and the newly reunified Germany established the Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records (BStU) to administer and process them in 1991.

15.10.2014 DW Doku Schuld der Anderen Aktendeckel
East Germany's Ministry for State Security gathered material on millions of people - primarily its own citizens, but also on many from the former West Germany and other countriesImage: DOKfilm

Today, over 100 kilometers (62 miles) of files are stored in the BStU archives, a testimony to the East German regime's mistrust of its own citizens.

In the euphoria after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the issue of dealing with the Stasi's legacy became an explosive social and political issue, pitting people who had been betrayed, persecuted and humiliated against their former tormentors and their accomplices.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, filmmaker Inga Wolfram looked at the risky attempt to secure and release personal documents through legislation and the establishment of the BStU after the collapse of the East German state.

15.10.2014 DW Doku Schuld der Anderen Joachim Gauck
Germany's current president, Joachim Gauck, was the first head of the BStU, which administers and allows access to the Stasi filesImage: DOKfilm

She talked to former East German opposition and civil rights activists as well as the three commissioners responsible for the files over the years about guilt, forgiveness and dealing with the legacy of the past.

This two-part documentary also looks at Russia and South Africa to see how they have dealt with legacies of state terror and injustice and asks under what conditions is reconciliation between victims and perpetrators even at all possible.



Broadcasting hours:

Part 1:

DW


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DW (Europe)

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DW (Arabia)

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DW (Amerika)

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Vancouver UTC -8 | New York UTC -5 | Sao Paulo UTC -2

Part 2:

DW


SAT 08.11.2014 – 22:15 UTC
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MON 10.11.2014 – 10:15 UTC

Cape Town UTC +2 | Delhi UTC +5,5 | Hong Kong UTC +8
San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5

DW (Europe)

SUN 09.11.2014 – 04:15 UTC
SUN 09.11.2014 – 17:15 UTC
MON 10.11.2014 – 06:15 UTC
MON 10.11.2014 – 13:15 UTC

London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +4

DW (Arabia)

SUN 09.11.2014 – 04:15 UTC

Tunis UTC +1 | Cairo UTC + 2 | Dubai UTC +4

DW (America)

SUN 09.11.2014 – 06:15 UTC

Vancouver UTC -8 | New York UTC -5 | Sao Paulo UTC -2