British Warriors, German Peacekeepers? the Role of History in the British and German Army Officer Corps

While Europe’s mass armies are progressively transforming into cooperative professional forces, full-scale research about the mindset of the officers employed in those forces is widely absent. This paper gives detailed insight into the perceptions and attitudes of officer cadets in two of Europe’s most influential armies: in determining the connection between British and German army officer cadets’ perceptions of their respective country’s history and their motivation to enlist, the paper suggests that history plays a central part in many cadets’ occupational decision and should therefore become an element of analysis in future recruitment research. Different perceptions of history can give insight not only into the British and German cadets’ thinking, but also into their future actions, considering that the military is heavily influenced by a contemporary understanding of history through lessons learned. By detecting the relevance of motivational factors which are history-oriented, my study develops an understanding of the officer cadets’ values, beliefs and wider cultural understanding of the past as much as an understanding of the current impact of the past in the present.