ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that the primary influences on German strategic culture are history and political culture. Germany's defeat in the Second World War resulted in a major reorientation of its political culture. Germany's security policy prior to the Second World War was traditionally based on its 'geographic position at the center of Europe, its self-perceived strength but also its many vulnerabilities'. The chapter discusses the several elements underpinning the emergence of the new strategic culture. These included: the re-examination of history and German figureheads; the ban on wars of aggression; multilateralism; military service and conscientious objection; and Innere Fuhrung. The principle of conscientious objection complements the requirement of military service by ensuring that those who take part do so of their own free will. Innere Fuhrung encompasses both political and civic education and stemmed from the post-war determination to ensure that no military aggression would ever be started from German soil again.
