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Cited by 50Eastern European Communism and ReformsPolitical Conflict and GovernanceIntelligence, Security, War Strategy

State Security, Information, and Repression: A Comparison of Communist Bulgaria and Ba'thist Iraq

Dimitrov, Martin K., Sassoon, Joseph·2014·Journal of Cold War Studies
DOI 10.1162/jcws_a_00448
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Abstract

The centrality of a strong state security apparatus to the maintenance of authoritarian rule via the threat or use of repression has been highlighted in classic studies of single-party regimes as well as in more recent analyses of authoritarian resilience in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This article focuses on two other fundamental questions related to the operation of state security forces in single-party autocracies during the Cold War. First, how did the state security agencies of East Germany and Saddam Hussein's Iraq collect information? Second, how was this information used? The article underscores the importance of the recruitment of informants for the state security apparatus, and it also reveals how information affects decisions about the deployment of repression. These single-party autocracies continuously extracted information by recruiting ordinary citizens to participate (voluntarily or involuntarily) as informants in the state security networks and used the information gathered to mete out repression.

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Authors
Dimitrov, M. K., & Sassoon, J.
Affiliations
  • Tulane University (US)
  • Georgetown University (US)
ORCID
Dimitrov, Martin K.
Venue
Journal of Cold War Studies
Publisher
MIT Press - Journals
Published
2014-04
Volume
16
Issue
2
Pages
3-31
ISSN
  • 1520-3972 (ISSN-L)
  • 1531-3298
DOI
10.1162/jcws_a_00448
OpenAlex
W2155615286
Cited by
50
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1
FWCI
3.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Cold War Studies (publishedVersion)
  • Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Eastern European Communism and Reforms
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Intelligence, Security, War Strategy
Keywords
state security, intelligence gathering, repression, informants, communist Bulgaria, Saddam Hussein, authoritarian regimes, Cold War, authoritarian resilience, East Germany, secret police

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