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Bundeswehr und deutsche Gesellschaft: Die Berliner Republik zwischen Militarisierung und Normalisierung
[collection article]
Abstract The chapter intervenes in current public debates about German security policy. Many observers in the media have argued that the Russian invasion has triggered a revolution in German military affairs, de facto putting an end to German pacifism. The chapter takes issue with this argument. It draws on ... view more
The chapter intervenes in current public debates about German security policy. Many observers in the media have argued that the Russian invasion has triggered a revolution in German military affairs, de facto putting an end to German pacifism. The chapter takes issue with this argument. It draws on public opinion polls and prior research of parliamentary debates in the German Bundestag to show that neither German foreign policy elites nor the German public could ever aptly be described as pacifist in a strict sense; neither elites nor the general public as a whole were ever fundamentally opposed to the military. And while German society could (mostly) be adequately described as antimilitarist (reluctant to get militarily involved abroad), since the 1990s there has been a significant shift among foreign policy elites towards increased support for military operations outside the NATO area. Even public opinion, commonly seen as sceptical of military involvement, is much more differentiated than commonly assumed, in particular among the media. Thus, while the German government has only haltingly and somewhat hesitantly expanded its military support for Ukraine, this is does not appear to be primarily a result of a lack of public support.... view less
Keywords
Federal Republic of Germany; security policy; defense policy; foreign policy; antimilitarism; Federal Armed Forces; pacifism; public opinion
Classification
Peace and Conflict Research, International Conflicts, Security Policy
Free Keywords
Zeitenwende
Collection Title
Deutschlands Verteidigungspolitik: Nationale Sicherheit nach der Zeitenwende
Editor
Riemann, Malte; Löfflmann, Georg
Document language
German
Publication Year
2023
Publisher
Kohlhammer
City
Stuttgart
Page/Pages
p. 139-153
ISBN
978-3-17-043184-3
Status
Preprint; not reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0