In Germany, the debate on rearmament awakens the ghosts of Nazism

From our special envoy in Berlin,

Future threats sometimes require expiating the ghosts of the past. Faced with the Ukrainian crisis and the general turmoil of the planet, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his intention to build the largest conventional army in Europe and make the country the continent’s leading military power. This long-unimaginable goal is challenging due to the elephant in the room: its Nazi past.

Since 1952, the reconstruction of a politically acceptable army after World War II was based on the principle of “Staatsbürger in Uniform,” the citizen in uniform. At the individual level, soldiers received numerous lessons in civic education, emphasizing democratic duties and the right to disobey an order contrary to morality. At the army level, the Bundeswehr mainly participated in diplomatic or humanitarian missions, far from its Prussian conquests of the past.

The return of warrior culture

Today, this philosophy seems somewhat anachronistic. This is the provocative thesis presented by historian Sönke Neitzel in his book “Guerriers allemands. Du Reich allemand à la République de Berlin – Une histoire militaire,” a bestseller in his country.

According to the book, the German soldier remains, throughout all periods, a warrior who fights and kills. Since 1945, Germany has tried too hard to “civilize and moralize” its army. It is this deviation from the historical roots of the army that, according to the historian, explains the recruitment difficulties. Instead of the “Staatsbürger in Uniform,” Neitzel suggests embracing Prussian warrior culture and creating the “Demokratischer Krieger,” the democratic warrior.

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A December 2025 DeZIM-Institut survey showed that only 23% of respondents stated they would be personally willing to perform mandatory military service or engage as a voluntary or professional soldier. Among the 18-28 age group, only 14% were willing to serve in the army. In reality, the Bundeswehr struggles to achieve its annual target of 20,000 volunteers.

“As for soldiers, what can be offered?”

However, there remains an insoluble problem: with what funding? Germany only generated 0.2% growth in 2025 after two years of recession. Its industrial pillars and energy prices are skyrocketing. Moreover, Germany lacks national aircraft, a nuclear deterrent, aircraft carriers… If the arms industry is operating at full capacity, orders are slow to leave the factories.

“I am in favor of military service. What can we offer to Europe if not soldiers?” justified Sofia, a sexagenarian. She hopes that European agreements will lead to “full collaboration between countries on armaments.” A cooperation far from the shadows of 1939-45 that continue to loom over Berlin.