Dit onderzoek zal trachten een toevoeging te zijn aan de historiografie rondom de West-Duitse herbewapening en het dienstplichtdebat van 1956. Het is interessant om te onderzoeken in hoeverre de...Show moreDit onderzoek zal trachten een toevoeging te zijn aan de historiografie rondom de West-Duitse herbewapening en het dienstplichtdebat van 1956. Het is interessant om te onderzoeken in hoeverre de grote partijen in de Bondsdag vast hebben gehouden aan hun gedachten over het veiligheidsbeleid van West-Duitsland van zowel vóór als tijdens het herbewapeningsdebat.Show less
This thesis investigates how European security and defence shapes German security and defence policy thinking today; and has policy on a European level and the concept of responsibility within...Show moreThis thesis investigates how European security and defence shapes German security and defence policy thinking today; and has policy on a European level and the concept of responsibility within Germany led to the development of military capabilities within the German armed forces. This paper loosely uses discourse analysis to identify motivations and ideas that have shaped German security policy. The paper begins with establishing the theoretical background of European security and defence thinking and illustrates how this is explained in constructivist and realist schools of thought. The next two sections outline the development of German policy from the Cold War till the Crimean conflict. It highlights Germany’s involvement in EU policy, conflict resolution, and the motivations within German policy thinking. The final sections directly cover the Ukrainian crisis and the rhetoric within political circles in Germany and the policy of the EU formed by the European Global Strategy in 2016. The importance of Germany in European security and defence cannot be overstated given the economic clout and the geopolitical situation in and around Europe today.Show less
There are many forms and types of culture - violent cultures, peaceful ones, democracy, authoritarian, civilian and military orientated ones among many more. This paper will pay attention to German...Show moreThere are many forms and types of culture - violent cultures, peaceful ones, democracy, authoritarian, civilian and military orientated ones among many more. This paper will pay attention to German military culture and how it shifted from an aggressive culture to a pacifistic one to a ‘defensive’ military culture since the 1990s. In particular, the text will focus on changes in recent time, studying the political incentives in the 1990s. Upon it, a new case study will be made looking at the 2010s and how the new White Papers in 2006 and 2016 have changed the official military culture.Show less
