Abbreviations
| ADMV |
German Motorsports Association |
| APO |
Extra-Parliamentary Opposition |
| ARD |
(West) German public broadcaster |
| BStU |
Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic (Stasi Records Agency) |
| CDU |
Christian Democratic Union of Germany |
| Comecon |
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance |
| CPSU |
Communist Party of the Soviet Union |
| ČSSR |
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic |
| DKP |
German Communist Party |
| ESG |
Protestant Student Community |
| FDJ |
Free German Youth |
| FDP |
Free Democratic Party |
| FRG |
Federal Republic of Germany |
| GDR |
German Democratic Republic |
| GNU |
Society for Nature and the Environment (GDR) |
| HDS |
University Initiative Democratic Socialism |
| HU |
Humboldt University |
| IPW |
Institute for International Politics and Economics |
| Jusos |
Young Socialists in the SPD |
| KGB |
Committee for State Security of the Soviet Union |
| KPD |
Communist Party of Germany |
| KPD/AO |
Communist Party of Germany (Aufbauorganisation) |
| KPD/ML |
Communist Party of Germany (Marxists-Leninists) |
| KWI |
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute |
| MfS |
Ministry for State Security (Stasi) |
| MIT |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| ML |
Marxism-Leninism |
| ND |
Neues Deutschland |
| NDR |
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (radio and television broadcaster) |
| NÖSPL |
New System for Economic Management and Planning |
| OV |
Operativer Vorgang, a Stasi file on suspected enemies of the state |
| PDS |
Party of Democratic Socialism |
| RAF |
Red Army Faction |
| RIAS |
Radio in the American Sector |
| SBZ |
Soviet Occupation Zone |
| SED |
Socialist Unity Party |
| SPD |
Social Democratic Party of Germany |
| SPÖ |
Social Democratic Party of Austria |
| UN/UNO |
United Nations |
| USSR |
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| VAO |
Vorlauf Operativ, a preliminary Stasi file prior to the opening of an OV |
| VdN |
Persecutee of the Nazi regime |
| ZDF |
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (German public broadcaster) |