Military Education and Militarization: The Case of the German Democratic Republic

Summary

Military education is usually understood to encompass the training and development of recruits and soldiers. However, both in the past and in the 21st century, dictatorships in particular have utilized military content in young people’s education with the aim of disciplining, standardizing and controlling society. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR), military education was omnipresent in the form of Sozialistische Wehrerziehung (“Socialist Defense Education”) in schools and leisure time, in lessons and training camps, as well as in ideological training courses. The disciplining effect of military education on society and the subordination of the individual to the system is well documented. The intended internalization of socialist ideology, however, was of questionable success. Military education must also be understood as concrete and military training for future soldiers. This becomes clear when analyzing the social and state militarization in the GDR. Militarization was pursued not only to secure the rule of the GDR’s ruling party internally but also as concrete preparation for a state of war, which was considered inevitable due to ideological principles.