Date of Graduation

2000

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to describe the effects of Germany's recent unification upon the officers and NCOs of the former East German armed forces, the Nationalvolksarmee, and their counterparts in the Federal Republic's Bundeswehr. Specifically, the study attempts to demonstrate that the absorption of East German officers and NCOs occurred without introducing any element of unreliability to the Bundeswehr. Furthermore, the study seeks to demonstrate that the Bundeswehr was able to complete this portion of unification without compromising its standing either as a pillar of a democratic regime or as a bulwark of European security. In addressing the Bundeswehr's role in unification it was necessary to discuss numerous factors as contributing to what was ultimately a successful operation. First and foremost it will be shown that the process succeeded because the dominant participant, the Bundeswehr, has a dynamic and humane army. The Federal Republic's armed forces, the largest component of which is the army and hence the centerpiece of this study, developed what is arguably the world's most historically sensitive fighting force. As a result of its efforts to create a modern and honorable defense apparatus after the debacle of World War II, the Bundeswehr was perfectly suited to the task of making the members of the Volksarmee compatible with service in a Western democracy. Second, the West Germans, in holding the number of former NVA officers to be absorbed around 3,000, ensured success by keeping the scale of the process manageable. While some questioned the wisdom of allowing former enemies to become messmates, the Bundeswehr was able to hand-pick the men it felt best met its strict ethical and professional standards. Another factor of inestimable value was the quality of leadership provided by the Bundeswehr. In particular, the efforts of generals Jorg Schonbohm, the temporary commander of all Bundeswehr forces in the new states, and Hans-Peter von Kirchbach, a brigade commander at the time of unification are discussed in this study as they are regarded as being indicative of a particularly sensitive form of leadership.

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