Questioning the “School of the Nation:” West Germans and the Rehabilitation of the Military, 1948-1958

In postwar West Germany, the seemingly abrupt shift from demilitarization to remilitarization over the course of a few years shocked many in the Federal Republic of Germany and Europe. The United States quickly recognized the need for a rearmed West Germany to help strengthen the Western Allies’ position on the frontlines of the Cold War. In order to accomplish this stark reversal in policy, the United States and the Federal Republic took steps to rehabilitate the image of the German soldier. Caught between the rising threat of the Soviet Union and the deeply seated trauma and weariness from the Second World War, West German society responded with a variety of reactions ranging from reluctant acceptance of rearmament to abject horror at the suggestion of a new German army.

This paper examines the efforts of the United States and the West German government to rehabilitate the image of the German soldier and explores the reception of these efforts by the West German population. The legacy of the Third Reich created a particularly difficult scenario where the West German government had to deal with the burden of the Nazi regime and convince potential recruits that the new German military would be different. The rhetoric on all sides of the debate provide a fascinating look into the democratic process in West Germany and help us understand how West Germans navigated the tumultuous early years of the Cold War.