Marianne Birthler, former Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives, is holding a position as public policy scholar at the George Washington University and previously at the Woodrow Wilson Center. She will be in Washington, DC until mid-December.
Biography
Marianne Birthler, politician and former federal parliamentarian for the Alliance ‘90/the Greens, was the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives from 2000 to 2011. Through her position, Marianne Birthler helped the federal government investigate the past crimes of the former East German secret police. After her service with the federal agency, she moved to the United States and worked as a visiting scholar for the Woodrow Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program.
Throughout the ‘90’s, Marianne Birthler played an important role with the Alliance ‘90/ The Greens. From 1993 to 1994 she was co-chairperson of the party, and afterwards she became the head of their Berlin office from 1995 to 2000. She was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1995 – the highest honor that the German federal government bestows upon civilians.
Marianne Birthler was born in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin and spent her childhood in East Germany. She played an active role in the youth-driven civil society movement that eventually led to the fall of the Berlin Wall: Between 1985 and 1989, Marianne Birthler was a member of the Working Committee for Church Solidarity and the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights.