ABSTRACT
Demilitarization was imposed by the victors in World War II, not only on Germany but on Japan as well. New regional coalitions emerged, seeking to use partnerships to reduce disputes, in some cases, trying to overcome centuries of violence and instability. German demilitarization launched with timing and motivation very similar to those present in postwar Japan. In many ways the process went even farther in Germany, making today's unified Germany probably the least militarized of all industrialized states. By the 1960s and 1970s, though most clearly in West Germany, a growing popular culture identified with demilitarization. Costa Rica had experienced a brief dictatorship in the early 1920s, with an effort to grow the military as a means of regime protection. Many parts of the world sought regional agreements to promote peace. Organizational initiative was an arena in which regional developments varied widely. The Organization of African Unity formed in 1963, as many new nations were emerging from European colonial control.
