This is by no means a complete list of German words and terms used in this volume, most of which are explained in the text or by means of footnote. What follows are simply some of the more frequently recurring words the reader will encounter.
Bundestag: The fedaral parliament of West Germany.
Bundeswehr: The armed forced of West Germany, re-established in 1954.
Jusos: Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Jungsozialistinnen und Jungsozialisten in der SPD (Workers Association of Young Socialists in the SPD); the SPD’s youth wing.
Kripo: Short for Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police); the principal German police force.
Land/Länder: The singular and plural for the German equivalent of states or provinces.
Ostpolitik: the FRG’s official policy towards the GDR and the east bloc.
Rote Zora: the independent feminist affiliate of the RZ. Its members were originally active as the Women of the Revolutionary Cells in 1975. The last Rote Zora action occurred in 1995.
Stasi: The Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Ministry for State Security), better know as the Stasi, was the East German secret police force that tracked both internal dissent and foreign threats. It was similar in some ways to the FBI or the BKA, but played a more central role in policy decision-making.
Verfassungsschutz: Literally “Protection of the Constitution” or Guardians of the Constitution; the German internal intelligence service, primary police force for intelligence actions against the guerilla and the left.