Militarism in Germany
European Commission President Juncker calls for state-build up and war
By Johannes Stern, 15 September 2016
Two days before Friday's post-Brexit summit in Bratislava, Jean-Claude Juncker warned that the EU faces “an existential crisis” and called for police-state build-up and war.
Germany, France propose EU military alliance before post-Brexit summit
By Alex Lantier, 13 September 2016
In response to Brexit, Berlin and Paris aim to transform the EU into a military alliance capable of waging major wars abroad and large-scale repression at home.
German government plans massive expansion of spy services
By Sven Heymann, 13 September 2016
The strengthening of the German intelligence agencies is part of a comprehensive buildup of the state apparatus at home and abroad.
German weekly Die Zeit defends Al Qaeda
By Peter Schwarz, 13 September 2016
Die Zeit is angry that the Russian-American accord on Syria instructs the “moderate rebels” to distance themselves from Al Qaeda.
“The danger of a third world war was never as great as it is today”
PSG candidate in Berlin election speaks on German television
By our correspondents, 12 September 2016
Christoph Vandreier made clear that the PSG is the only party in the Berlin Senate election campaign drawing attention to the war danger and mobilising the working class against it.
German army steps up military intervention in Middle East
By Johannes Stern, 9 September 2016
According to media reports, the German army will massively expand its presence at the Incirlik air base in southeastern Turkey.
The repulsive spectacle of the Berlin Senate election television debate
By Ulrich Rippert, 9 September 2016
The debate took place Tuesday night between the leading candidates for multiple parties standing in the election to the Berlin Senate on September 18.
German Luftwaffe begin NATO patrols over the Baltic
By Johannes Stern, 5 September 2016
NATO’s growing operations in Eastern Europe heighten the danger of direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.
German military desperate for new recruits
By Ludwig Weller, 5 September 2016
The aim of the current recruitment campaign is to solve the Bundeswehr’s manpower problem and win over young people for Germany’s war drive.
Warmongers united: Germany’s Left Party welcomes former top army general
By Johannes Stern, 3 September 2016
On World Peace Day, the German Left Party invited the former Chief of Staff of the Bundeswehr and chairman of the NATO military committee to a meeting in Hannover.
German armed forces prepare for domestic operations
By Peter Schwarz, 3 September 2016
Next February, for the first time, the German armed forces will engage in domestic exercises—a political turning point and a clear breach of the German constitution.
Berlin police to be armed with potentially lethal tasers
By Johannes Stern, 2 September 2016
Tasers are anything but harmless weapons. Human rights organisations have repeatedly pointed out that electric shock is particularly dangerous for people with weak hearts.
PSG election campaign: Anger at the government’s new civil defence guidelines
By our correspondents, 31 August 2016
Berliners discuss the growing war danger and social conditions in the capital with supporters of the Socialist Equality Party.
German chancellor demands loyalty from Turkish citizens in Germany
By Christoph Vandreier, 27 August 2016
The return of Germany to an aggressive foreign policy is being accompanied by the racist stigmatising of entire sections of the population.
Merkel seeks to reorganise Europe
By Peter Schwarz, 27 August 2016
This week the German chancellor met with 15 of the 27 EU leaders to set out the EU’s future course and ensure that Germany dictates the proceedings.
Stop the German government’s preparations for war!
By Socialist Equality Party of Germany, 25 August 2016
The “Civil Defence Concept” presented by German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Wednesday proposes a range of measures to prepare the population for war.
German interior minister supports partial ban on the burqa
By Johannes Stern, 24 August 2016
The campaign in Germany for domestic repression and war is assuming ever more openly racist forms.
German population told to stockpile food in case of war
By Sven Heymanns, 24 August 2016
Germany’s new civil defence plan underscores how the issue of war has returned to daily life 75 years after the catastrophe of World War II.
On the death of German historian Ernst Nolte
By Christoph Vandreier and Peter Schwarz, 20 August 2016
Nolte is infamous for initiating the Historikerstreit (Historians’ Dispute) in 1986 with his downplaying of National Socialism and the worst crimes in human history.
German report criticizing Turkey highlights growing tensions within NATO
By Johannes Stern, 19 August 2016
Relations within NATO have reached new lows, four weeks after the failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
German media steps up anti-Russian agitation
By Ulrich Rippert, 17 August 2016
Over the past week, virtually every leading newspaper in Germany has published articles denouncing Russia for its intervention in Syria, Ukraine, or both.
How Germany’s pseudo-lefts support the Left Party’s right-wing politics
By Peter Schwarz, 13 August 2016
Two pseudo-left tendencies within the Left Party—Marx21 and SAV—paint a devastating picture of the Left Party when it was in power in Berlin.
German Social Democratic Party leader calls for strengthening of federal police
By Dietmar Henning, 11 August 2016
The SPD intends to press ahead with the construction of a paramilitary police force and avoid challenging the separation of the police and army laid down in Germany’s constitution.
German defence minister announces domestic use of Armed Forces
By Johannes Stern, 6 August 2016
The minister left no doubt that “in an emergency”, the Armed Forces would not only handle “logistics,” but would “also provide military support.”
What is behind the campaign against Erdogan?
By Ulrich Rippert, 5 August 2016
German politicians are demanding firm measures against Turkey and the break-off of accession talks to the EU.
The origins of the attack in Ansbach, Germany
By Christoph Vandreier, 28 July 2016
Even as the terror attack is being exploited to press ahead with the strengthening of the state and agitation against refugees there is silence on the true source of the violent outburst.
Massive police operation in Munich—an attack on democracy
By Socialist Equality Party (Germany), 25 July 2016
The shooting spree by an 18-year-old in Munich is serving as a pretext to implement long-standing emergency plans and a state of emergency.
The Munich shooting spree and the Americanization of German society
By Christoph Vandreier and Peter Schwarz, 25 July 2016
The massive police operation in Munich, as well as the reaction of many media outlets and politicians, showsthat the tragic event is being used to justify a new law-and-order campaign.
German Left Party and Greens: Warmongering after the attack in Nice
By Johannes Stern, 18 July 2016
Seizing on the murderous attack in southern France, two leading members of the German Left and Green parties demanded an intensified military intervention in Syria and Iraq.
“No more war, ever!”: PSG presents posters for Berlin state election
By Partei für Soziale Gleichheit, 18 July 2016
The PSG’s election campaign connects the struggle against social cuts and war with the struggle against their source—capitalism.
Major police operation in Berlin prepares law-and-order election campaign
By Verena Nees, 16 July 2016
Last weekend, 1,000 police were illegally deployed in Berlin against 1,800 protesters, provoking a street battle.
White Paper 2016: Another step in the revival of German militarism
By Johannes Stern, 15 July 2016
On Wednesday, the German federal cabinet adopted the long announced “White Paper 2016 on German Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr.”
German militarism on display at NATO summit
By Johannes Stern, 13 July 2016
Two years after German officials announced plans to remilitarise the country, media outlets are warning of preparations for “total war.”
Merkel calls for German rearmament ahead of NATO summit
By Johannes Stern, 9 July 2016
At the heart of the chancellor’s speech was a justification for war preparations against Russia, which NATO is slated to announce in Warsaw this weekend.
NATO convenes summit in Warsaw to make war preparations against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 8 July 2016
The measures to be decided on by the western military alliance in the Polish capital will further escalate the threat of war in Europe.
German arms exports almost doubled in 2015
By Johannes Stern, 8 July 2016
In all probability, German arms exports will increase again this year.
Brexit and the return of European militarism
By Johannes Stern, 5 July 2016
The European Union has reacted to the outcome of the referendum on UK membership of the European Union by calling for the militarization of the continent.
Brexit vote heightens tensions in Europe
By Peter Schwarz, 1 July 2016
Last week’s vote by the United Kingdom has been met by an intensified drive by Germany to exert dominance over the European continent.
Merkel announces massive military buildup
By Johannes Stern, 24 June 2016
That Germany plans an unprecedented military buildup was clear from the speech given by the chancellor Tuesday night to the Business Forum of the CDU in Berlin.
Seventy-five years since the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union
By Barry Grey, 22 June 2016
The war against the Soviet Union expressed the essence of the Nazi regime, which had been brought to power by the German bourgeoisie to destroy the workers movement and end the threat of socialist revolution.
German interior minister advocates auxiliary police force
By Dietmar Henning, 22 June 2016
As in the 1930s, the ruling elite in Germany is responding to growing class conflict with the increased arming of the state and police forces.
German general calls for new tanks against Russia
By Marianne Arens, 15 June 2016
The rearmament of the German armed forces and calls for its use at home are being accompanied by a large-scale propaganda offensive orchestrated by the Ministry of Defence.
NATO orders four additional battalions to Russian border
By Thomas Gaist, 14 June 2016
The deployments are among the most provocative actions taken by the NATO high command in the course of its anti-Russian buildup, now well into its second year.
The return of German militarism to Eastern Europe
By Johannes Stern, 11 June 2016
Germany’s Armed Forces are playing an increasingly prominent role in the NATO deployment in Eastern Europe, which serves to openly prepare a war against Russia.
German government tightens anti-terror laws
By Johannes Stern, 6 June 2016
Throughout Europe, the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris are being used as a pretext for constructing a police state, just as happened in the US following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
What is behind the Armenian resolution passed by the German parliament?
By Johannes Stern, 4 June 2016
On Thursday, the German parliament passed a resolution describing the mass murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as “genocide.”
German Green Party leader confronts Jörg Baberowski with his war propaganda
By Christoph Vandreier and Peter Schwarz, 1 June 2016
The national chair of the Green Party confronted Professor Baberowski on the “Maybrit Illner” talk show with his demand to employ the methods of a war of extermination to fight terrorists.
Right-wing German academic Jörg Baberowski demands more repression against refugees
By Christoph Vandreier, 31 May 2016
At the Phil.Cologne congress, the Humboldt University professor declared that “men in Germany” were helpless against refugees because they had forgotten how to fight.
German chancellor boosts anti-refugee deal in visit to Turkey
By Peter Schwarz, 26 May 2016
Angela Merkel traveled to Turkey last week in an attempt to shore up the deal stuck between Turkey and the EU to block refugees from entering Europe.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung lobbies for militarism and war
By Johannes Stern, 26 May 2016
The mouthpiece of the Frankfurt banks has provided a platform for former general Wolf Poulet to advocate an aggressive German war policy.
Further evidence of ties between German neo-Nazi group and domestic intelligence agency
By Dietmar Henning, 25 May 2016
How could 10 murders, bomb attacks and a series of bank robberies take place under the noses of the police and intelligence agencies?
German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung demands military deterrence against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 23 May 2016
In the lead-up to the NATO summit in Poland in early July the professional warmongers in the German media are intensifying calls for a military build-up in Eastern Europe.
German government steps up military intervention in Africa
By our reporter, 19 May 2016
Separate missions in Mali and the Horn of Africa are aimed at strengthening Germany’s economic and strategic interests in Africa by military means.
German defence minister announces military expansion
By Ulrich Rippert, 12 May 2016
Following a dramatic increase in the defence budget, the German government has now announced a “personnel about-face.”
German army prepares for cyberwar
By Johannes Stern, 2 May 2016
Contrary to claims that the new department only serves for “defence” against cyber-attacks, the final report makes clear that the Bundeswehr is preparing for offensive cyberwarfare.
The German chancellor’s PR tour in Turkish refugee camps
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 29 April 2016
The trip by the German chancellor and EU Council president to the refugee camp at Nizip resembled a visit to a Potemkin village.
IYSSE meetings in Germany oppose militarism and war
By our correspondents, 29 April 2016
The IYSSE held public meetings in Bochum, Frankfurt and Berlin to discuss the return of German militarism and the danger of a third world war.
Obama in Germany: New joint aggression and growing imperialist rivalries
By Johannes Stern, 26 April 2016
Obama’s fifth trip to Germany was aimed primarily at expanding imperialist aggression in the Middle East and NATO’s military build-up against Russia.
Berlin college rector protests police intervention
By Verena Nees, 26 April 2016
On April 2, around 30 police stormed into Alice-Salomon College, forced all students and tutors present into the main auditorium, blocked all exits and collected personal information.
German government backs draconian refugee “integration” law
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 22 April 2016
The planned legislation does nothing to help refugees, but is instead an attack on basic democratic rights.
German vice chancellor praises the hangman of Cairo
By Johannes Stern, 21 April 2016
“In my opinion you have an impressive president,” said Social Democratic Chairman Sigmar Gabriel, speaking in Cairo of the Egyptian despot Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
German Chancellor Merkel gives green light for prosecution of satirist Jan Böhmermann
By Peter Schwartz, 16 April 2016
The prosecution of Böhmermann for his denunciations of the Turkish president sets a precedent for censorship and political repression in Germany.
White Paper 2016: Blueprint for a new German police and military state
By Johannes Stern, 15 April 2016
The paper dispenses with the limitations imposed on German imperialism following its defeat in two world wars and amounts to a blueprint for a new German police and military state.
German military to station Heron drones in Mali
By Johannes Stern, 7 April 2016
The defence minister’s visit to troops in Mali is part of the return to an aggressive foreign policy.
German army calls for domestic deployments
By Peter Schwarz, 1 April 2016
On the German army’s official website, CDU politician Rupert Scholz calls for a reform of the country’s constitution to enable the domestic deployment of the armed forces.
Marxism and the pseudo-left: David North interviewed at Leipzig Book Fair
1 April 2016
Following a presentation of the new German edition of The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left, North was interviewed by the newspaper Schattenblick on the theoretical and political issues addressed in his book.
Politicians and media promote far-right Alternative for Germany
By Johannes Stern, 31 March 2016
The friendly overtures extend from the Left Party to the Christian Democrats.
German government increases defence budget and plans massive rearmament
By Johannes Stern, 28 March 2016
Germany’s defence spending will grow by more than €10 billion by 2020, according to the government’s new budget plan.
Electoral success of AfD strengthens far-right forces in Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 24 March 2016
Seventy years after the collapse of the Nazi regime, Germany’s ruling elite is responding to the global economic crisis and the growing war drive by building a right-wing movement.
Hundreds attend meetings in Leipzig, Germany on the danger of war and the politics of the pseudo-left
By our correspondents, 22 March 2016
Nearly 500 participants attended two meetings held by Mehring Verlag at the Leipzig Book Fair on The Frankfurt School, Postmodernism and the Politics of the Pseudo-Left: A Marxist Critique and Scholarship or War Propaganda?.
Die Zeit campaigns for military intervention in Libya
By Johannes Stern, 14 March 2016
In its latest lead article, Die Zeit calls for the West to intervene militarily in Libya under the guise of the fight against ISIS.
Public meeting at Leipzig Book Fair
The return of German militarism and the threat of World War III
14 March 2016
Mehring Books speakers will present the book Scholarship or War Propaganda at the Leipzig Book Fair, which begins this week.
German state elections: The repackaging of right-wing politics
By Peter Schwarz, 12 March 2016
Although all of the parties claim they will not collaborate with the far-right AfD, they have adopted its extreme right-wing programme.
What do the electoral gains of the right-wing Alternative for Germany signify?
By Marianne Arens and Ulrich Rippert, 11 March 2016
The AfD, which achieved 13.2 percent of the vote in its first outing in the Hesse municipal elections, is a party created from above, not a movement from below.
University of Leipzig students speak out against right-wing professor
By Christoph Vandreier, 27 February 2016
The xenophobic and militaristic tirades of University of Leipzig Professor Thomas Rauscher have met with opposition from both students and faculty.
German news magazine Der Spiegel urges war against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 25 February 2016
The lead article in the latest issue of Der Spiegel, entitled “Putin’s aggressions,” calls for the Western powers to decisively “counter” Russia.
German defence ministry spent billions on wars abroad
By Johannes Stern, 22 February 2016
The German armed forces has spent at least €17.2 billion on foreign deployments since 1992, Spiegel Online reported.
Germany: Trial opens against SS guard at Auschwitz
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 22 February 2016
Reinhold Hanning, former SS guard at the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, is accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder.
Washington denounces Russia, backs escalation of Syria war
By Alex Lantier, 15 February 2016
The NATO powers are supporting plans for a Turkish and Saudi invasion of Syria that could engulf the entire Middle East in war and trigger a global conflict.
The German president’s imperialist mission in Africa
By Gustav Kemper, 15 February 2016
German President Joachim Gauck’s trip to Nigeria and Mali is a sign of Germany’s growing economic and political influence in Africa.
German Chancellor Merkel announces NATO intervention in Aegean Sea
By Ulrich Rippert, 11 February 2016
Merkel was once again in Ankara on Monday. This time, political and military collaboration against Russia was at the heart of the talks.
Editor of Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper demands rearmament and war
By Johannes Stern, 6 February 2016
For a substantial lobby of war-mongering scribblers in the editorial offices of the bourgeois press, the rearmament of Germany is not taking place fast enough.
German economics minister seeks to smooth relations with Poland
By Clara Weiss, 4 February 2016
The Nord Stream pipeline, which supplies gas from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea, is one of the most important issues of dispute between Berlin and Warsaw.
Austrian municipalities impose ban on refugees using swimming pools
By Markus Salzmann, 2 February 2016
The ban on refugees in two Austrian cities, unless they are accompanied by an “escort,” recalls the darkest chapters in Austrian history.
Divisions mount in German government over refugee policy
By Ulrich Rippert, 1 February 2016
The swing to the right by the entire German political establishment has unleashed violent tensions within the government.
German parliament backs new military intervention in Mali
By Johannes Stern, 1 February 2016
The speeches in parliament left no doubt that the German military is intervening in Mali to defend the economic and geopolitical interests of German imperialism.
Prominent German journalist beats the drum for nationalism and war
By Christoph Dreier, 27 January 2016
German media outlets are seeking to outdo each other in stirring up hatred against refugees, calling for a strong state and for more military missions.
Left Party steps-up anti-immigrant agitation in Germany
By Johannes Stern, 25 January 2016
The Left Party’s open promotion of xenophobic, right-wing, anti-refugee political positions is bound up with its support for German imperialism.
New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Germany: Growing inconsistencies
By Ulrich Rippert, 23 January 2016
After three weeks of intense investigations, what really took place at the central train station in Cologne, Germany on New Year’s Eve remains unclear.
What is behind the growing criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel?
By Ulrich Rippert, 21 January 2016
The chancellor, whose position seemed unassailable a few months ago, could now prematurely lose office as she comes under attack from sections of the political establishment.
German IYSSE wins four seats in Humboldt University Student Elections
By our correspondent, 21 January 2016
According to the preliminary election results released early Thursday morning by Humboldt University in Berlin, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality received 149 votes and will have four seats in the student parliament.
German chancellor announces massive expansion of military budget
By Johannes Stern, 16 January 2016
The ruling elite intends to make the working class pay for the return of an aggressive German foreign policy.
German media incites racist hysteria
By Peter Schwarz, 12 January 2016
Unsubstantiated and racist allegations of mass sexual harassment are being used to witch-hunt immigrants and legitimize German preparations for an expanded military intervention in the Middle East.
German government votes to expand military interventions in Mali and Iraq
By Gustav Kemper and Johannes Stern, 11 January 2016
A glance at the foreign ministry’s web site leaves no doubt about the economic interests being pursued by German imperialism.
The assaults in Cologne and the call for a strong state
By Dietmar Henning and Peter Schwarz, 9 January 2016
The events in Cologne have much to do with the social crisis in major German cities, but nothing to do with the influx of almost one million refugees over the past year.
German Luftwaffe joins the Syrian war
By Johannes Stern, 6 January 2016
The entry of the Luftwaffe into the Syrian war, backed by some 1,200 German soldiers and a frigate, opens a new and ominous chapter in the resurgence of German militarism.
Follow the WSWS