Espionage

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Espionage is almost as old as mankind itself. Spies were common in all ancient cultures and civilizations. Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as the Roman Empire, employed spies to find out the secrets of their enemies.  In the middle Ages, Queen Elizabeth I of England organized a spy network to gather information about Spain, her long-time enemy.

During the American Revolution George Washington set up a complicated network of spies to gather information about the British army, Both Unionists and Confederates used spies during the American Civil War.

During World War II the American Office of Strategic Services gathered the information for the Allies. The organization, which was founded after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, later came to be known as the CIA, the most powerful intelligence agency in the world. Britain's notorious MI5 was a reliable organization that fed the Allies with information about Nazi Germany.  Thus, they were aware of what was happening in most of Europe.

After Communism collapsed in the 1990s espionage between east and west became less important.

Today there are methods that help find out which information is important and which is not. Some countries have spy satellites that can take detailed images of everything that happens on the ground. Seismographs, normally used for collecting information on earthquakes, are used to detect nuclear bomb tests around the world. In addition, governments can listen in to personal calls on your cell phone or monitor everyday routines.

Spying often involves working secretly in foreign countries. In some cases, spies are employees at a foreign embassy or representatives of companies that have offices abroad.
When spies are caught, they face severe punishment. They are often expelled or await a trial and long prison sentences. In former times they were even executed.
During the Cold War spies were often exposed as double agents.  British spies were caught working for the KGB. In 1963, the most notorious, Kim Philby, fled to Moscow after he had caught spying for the Soviet Union.

Gathering intelligence has become especially important since 9/11.  The threat of terrorism has made it essential to get as much data as possible on terrorist cells and foreign governments that fund them.