NKVD - KGB - KDS - MfS - Bezpieka - Securitate - StB - AVH - the secret police of the Soviet bloc stand for endless suffering and the rigidity of an ideological system. They left tens of thousands dead and millions of political prisoners and the persecuted. Only after the collapse of state socialism was it possible to reveal their secret history. The Handbook of Communist Security Apparatus is a unique compendium of this research. In the extended German edition of this standard work, an international team of the best experts analyzes the security apparatus of all countries of the Eastern Bloc in Europe for the first time. 14 authors from 7 countries present the historical development of the secret police and portray them in great detail. In addition to apparatus, personnel and budget, they shed light on the interdependence in the political hierarchies, the thrusts and methods of persecution and its victims. Short biographies of the leading secret police and a photo pad with photo documents from all countries round off the manual.