GDR benefited greatly from economic espionage in the West

The GDR benefited significantly from economic espionage in the West, according to a new study.

As a result, the country's economic output increased by 7.4 percent, according to an analysis by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).

The added value of the industry was therefore 22.3 percent higher due to espionage, which would correspond to 20.2 billion Ostmarks or 4.1 billion euros in 2020 prices. All figures are for the year 1988, the year before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"The Stasi's espionage strengthened the GDR's position within the socialist bloc. However, it did not significantly improve its success in Western markets," said RFBerlin project leader Albrecht Glitz from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

“And companies that received valuable information then had a better chance of surviving the transition to a market economy after reunification.”