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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE August 2, 2005
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| July 15, 2005 |
Dealing with the Past in Germany, Today – International Students from Germany |
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| Some of graduate students from Institute of Political Science (IFP) of the University of Tübingen |
From Le Havre, France to Dublin, Ireland, 14 guest educators from Tübingen University in Germany arrived aboard the Peace Boat as part of the international students (IS) programme. The team was organized by the Institute for Peace Education Tübingen e.V (IFT) and the Institute of Political Science (IFP) of the University of Tübingen. The group included eight students enrolled in the masters programme on Peace Research and International Politics; two PhD students; two programme directors; and two journalists. Together they carried out intercultural workshops dealing with questions and issues regarding Germany today, specifically the way Germany is dealing with its violent past. |
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| David, Kristen and Emily (from left) advertise the German IS workshop |
Uli Jäger, a programme coordinator, summarized the key points of Germany’s past aggressions. “Germany is responsible for having committed unprecedented crimes of war,” stated Mr. Jäger. The most serious being the systematic extinction of the estimated six million people of Jewish faith. The German public has faced “painful yet necessary experiences” in its efforts to deal with its violent past and find its way back into the community of democratic states. Mr. Jäger then outlined the steps Germany underwent to cope with its wartime aggressions. Firstly, the Nuremburg Tribunals were held where major war criminals were tried for their crimes. “As a result many Germans grew conscious of the magnitude of the crimes they had been involved in either as violators or silent bystanders to the regime,” explained Mr. Jäger. Additionally, in 1985 then-president of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker formally recognized the end of war as a “day of liberation” rather than a “day of defeat,” an important part of the process of apology for the crimes Germany committed. Thirdly, from a peace education perspective, Germany began open dialogue about the past “to express why it happened, who was involved, who were the victims and perpetrators.” This pro-active attitude brought about reconciliation with France, Britain, the former Soviet Union and Israel. Moreover, importance was placed on peace education in school curriculums for young people to accurately learn and discuss the past. Lastly, Germany adopted a “no more war” stance. |
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| Brigitte speaks at the “Dealing with the Past” talk show |
In light of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the first workshop conducted by the German IS was a talkshow entitled “Dealing with the Past.” The aim was to reveal how people in Germany are coping with the wartime past. A talk show format was used to creatively express different voices, roles and opinions within civil society about the past. Three different voices were represented: a survivor of World War Two; a professor who specializes in modern German history; and a typical highschool student. These roles were performed by graduate students Emily Haeusler, David Füchtjohann and Galo Nina. The mediator was played by PhD student Brigitte Weiffen. |
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| André, Brigitte, Sebastian (from left) at a workshop |
“Responsibility, guilt and information are key words when it comes to dealing with the past. Because it is essential to know what we are guilty and responsible for, information is important. In order to deal with the past, we have to know what the past is”—so began the talkshow. Emily, as the survivor, remembered the postwar experience as a time when occupying forces began to re-educate the German public about its wartime aggressions by forcing them to confront their past. The past was revealed in the media, a forum where information about concentration camps and other atrocities were disclosed. The information was gathered from the ally-organized Nuremburg Tribunals in 1945. For ten months eyewitnesses and documents were utilized as evidence against war criminals. |
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| Galo and André visit the Captain’s bridge |
Galo’s role represented the voice of the current generation of youth. In general, they perceive the end of the war as liberalization of Germany rather than its defeat. There are many today who believe Germany would not have its prosperous economy or be involved in human rights activism without having gone through its postwar experience. The current school curriculum in Germany uses history, ethics, literature, field trips, films and documentaries to reveal the past. Germany’s history must be “cemented in memorials and education” to ensure “traces will never vanish.” It is crucial to learn why and how we remember. With this in mind, Christian Hörburger, a programme director, read an important poem called “Say No.” The poem is a refusal to obey orders for the participation and preparation of war. |
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| The German IS team sponsored a game of “Street Soccer for Tolerance” |
In their second workshop the German IS team connected their discussion about the past with an overview of the current social, economic and political challenges in Germany. Kristen Heim, a graduate student, began by comparing the international policies of Japan and Germany. Presently both nations are facing remilitarization. The Japanese government is in the process of revising Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, allowing for the formal remilitarization of the country. Similarly, Germany’s government is considering increasing the scope of its military. Both countries renounced war after World War Two, but now it seems the urgency for militarism has returned.
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| The German IS prepare for a lecture |
In 1956 the German army was reestablished to defend the western part of Germany from the Soviet-led eastern bloc. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990 the need for a German army for defense purposes was deemed obsolete. However, in 1993 the highest decision-making power in Germany determined it was legal for the German military to operate out-of-area missions “in the name of peace.” The German army “marked its new identity” during the Iraqi war, one of its first out-of-area missions. Now there are 65,000 active German soldiers stationed outside of Germany. |
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| Sophia, André and Emily enjoy Japanese tea ceremony |
Despite this, Germany has seen a decrease in military personnel and heavy weapons since the early 1990’s. But relative to other countries Germany is a large supplier of weapons. And while Japan has increased expenditure for its Self-Defense Forces, Germany has decreased its expenditure on out-of-area missions. However, public opinion polls in Germany reveal 59% are not in favor of reducing the military, and 65% are in agreement with out-of-area missions in accordance with NATO. In general, the German population favors continuing the tradition of mandatory military service for 18-year-old males. Service entails either military service or civil service (ie. working in hospitals) for a minimum of 10 months. The civil service is highly dependent on military refusals; if there was to be a professional army in Germany it would be problematic for the civil service. |
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| The German IS engaged in many discussions with participants |
Regarding the maintenance of international peace, there is great debate around Germany’s role in the decision-making body of the United Nations—the Security Council. At the moment the Security Council has fifteen members—five permanent members and ten rotating members. It will soon be reformed to six new permanent seats, with no veto and three new two-year term elected seats. Germany is vying for a permanent seat, as is Japan. The question is whether Germany should get a permanent seat. On the positive side, it would support European integration; Germany is the third largest financial contributor to the United Nations (UN) and readily supplies troops whenever the UN needs them; and is a large supplier of official development assistance (ODA) and often supports the re-building of areas affected by natural catastrophes. On the negative side, if Germany received a permanent seat it would only represent its own interest, not that of European Union, thus contradicting European integration. In this situation, Germany would “jeopardize losing the trust of its neighbors.” |
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| Gedanken sind frei was sung together by the German IS team |
The debate continues today in both Germany and Japan. It is fitting that the German IS were able to discuss war, reconciliation and peace aboard Peace Boat. “You are here and we can discuss important topics together,” remarked Mr. Jäger. In a display of camaraderie the German IS team closed their workshop with an old song of protest from the 16th century called Gedanken sind frei. Popular during the Third Reich, it was eventually banned by the Nazis. In today’s world people continue to protest against war, against conflict, against injustice, and this song still moves new generations of activists to work toward peace. For more information about the Institute for Peace Education Tübingen e.V please check their homepage: http://www.friedenspaedagogik.de. |
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