So the where did the East Germans recruit their completely de-Nazi’d secret police?
In the early phase it consisted mostly of NKVD members from the SU and KPD members that were part of the antifacist resistance.
Pretty much everyone left in Germany at the end of WWII was in the party.
The NSDAP had 7-8 million members in 1945 whereas the population had a size of 70-80 million people. So 90% of Germans were not members of the party by the end of the war.
It’s entirely plausible and consistent that the SS that got caught behind the Iron Curtain cut a deal and suddenly became fervent communists.
That’s true. However, former SS members were usually recruited as unofficial collaborators and not into positions of power. Furthermore they were often sent to western Germany as spies.
Therefore it is rather unlikely that Putin was in touch with Nazis during his time in Dresden.
Thank you for an actually informative reply. Although, if the former SS weren’t officially attached, it is still possible that Putin handled them. Look how expertly he handled Trump as an asset. He’s definitely able at the task.
In the early phase it consisted mostly of NKVD members from the SU and KPD members that were part of the antifacist resistance.
The NSDAP had 7-8 million members in 1945 whereas the population had a size of 70-80 million people. So 90% of Germans were not members of the party by the end of the war.
That’s true. However, former SS members were usually recruited as unofficial collaborators and not into positions of power. Furthermore they were often sent to western Germany as spies.
Therefore it is rather unlikely that Putin was in touch with Nazis during his time in Dresden.
Thank you for an actually informative reply. Although, if the former SS weren’t officially attached, it is still possible that Putin handled them. Look how expertly he handled Trump as an asset. He’s definitely able at the task.