History Essay Prize Success

Earlier this year, my history teacher recommended entering The History of Totalitarianism Essay Prize. The topic for the 2021-22 essay prize was the Stasi, the East German secret police. I decided to enter the competition as it was linked to our unit on authoritarian states and leaders in our history course and I thought that it would be interesting to learn more about the topic outside of the curriculum. I found researching and writing the essay extremely fascinating as I previously had no idea about the Stasi. I was shocked by how the Socialist Unity Party managed to form such an intricate surveillance system and maintain power over East Germany for so long.

Given the topic of the Stasi, I decided to use my essay to explore whether an authoritarian regime can ever be successfully maintained. I chose this essay question as many countries around the world are still impacted by previous authoritarian regimes, with some even operating as an authoritarian state currently. Authoritarian states strip individuals of their freedoms and involve extreme human rights violations. I wanted my essay to offer hope that we can strive towards a free world where everyone’s rights and freedoms are protected and respected. This is how I came to my thesis: The downfall of the Stasi provides hope that no matter how effective the utilisation of fear and oppression is to maintain an authoritarian regime, freedom triumphs in the end.

Attending the awards ceremony at the Athenaeum Club in London was very exciting! It was lovely to get the chance to meet other passionate history students, and learn more about the history of the Stasi and how people resisted the oppression of the Socialist Unity Party.

Chloe, SFC1 (Year 12)

Deadlines and Reminders