Ulrike Poppe (original name Ulrike Wick; born 26 January 1953 in

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...

, GDR) was a member of the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

opposition. In 1982 she founded the "Women for Peace" network and in 1985 joined the

Initiative for Peace and Human Rights The Initiative for Peace and Human Rights (german: Initiative für Frieden und Menschenrechte, IFM) was the oldest opposition group in East Germany. It was founded on 24 January 1986 and was independent of the churches and state. On 7 February 199 ...

. In 1989 she joined

Democracy Now ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday at ...

. Poppe was a victim of the

Stasi The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...

's psychological warfare program. In 1995 she was awarded the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

and in 2000 the Gustav Heinemann Prize. Since 2001 she has been married to

Claus Offe Claus Offe (born 16 March 1940 in Berlin) is a political sociologist of Marxist orientation. He received his PhD from the University of Frankfurt and his Habilitation at the University of Konstanz. In Germany, he has held chairs for Political Sci ...

External links

Biography (in German)
at

Deutsches Historisches Museum The German Historical Museum (german: Deutsches Historisches Museum), known by the acronym DHM, is a museum in Berlin, Germany devoted to German history. It describes itself as a place of "enlightenment and understanding of the shared history o ...

Andrew Curry Andrew Curry (born 2 July 1972, Melbourne) is an Australian producer and actor who has appeared in many television drama and comedy series, and in feature films. One of Curry's most notable roles was Larry Woodhouse in '' Neighbours'', a recur ...

:
Piecing Together the Dark Legacy of East Germany's Secret Police
'

Wired magazine ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...

16.02, 18 January 2008 1953 births Living people People from Rostock People from Bezirk Rostock East German dissidents East German politicians East German women in politics Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Germany-politician-stub