EuropeYoung people gathered in Berlin's central Potsdamer Square on Thursday and marched through the German capital to protest against the government's plans to reintroduce military service. While the police counted around 3,000 participants, organizers claimed there were 6,000 demonstrators in Berlin and 50,000 in more than 130 towns and cities across Germany.
Mandatory military service is the best option for a democracy in my opinion. It's not for everyone of course.
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Mandatory military service
It’s not for everyone
I think some context is needed here.
The German constitution makes military service mandatory for males. However, at the same time it acknowledges that nobody can be forced to serve under weapons against their personal convictions. So it is possible to refuse military service and instead do mandatory social service instead.
It's not for everyone, as in; not everyone is in the right place mentally to go through it. It really can be an amazing experience, but I understand how someone could feel otherwise. Luckily, at least where I live, it's pretty easy to get out of military service in peacetime or do it in a less violent role.
The most important thing is that mandatory military service lets the military pick more freely. It filters out rotten eggs easier than if a bunch of rotten eggs applied, and the military had to pick one... They usually fail the psych-test or iq-test.
Obviously. For one thing, you need a democracy.
The German constitution, or Basic Law, enshrines people's right not to join the military…
Why so many demonstrators, then? If the Basic Law is sorta like the US Constitution, then I imagine it can’t be quickly or easily changed.
The law says that the service is mandatory. You can join the military or alternatively do some civil service. The issue is, however, that the law only says that it's mandatory for males. Females are allowed to join the military if they want, but they don't have to. That law can be changed, but there's no political majority for it.
That means that if you're a young girl you can go to university, start working, do your apprenticeship, or do some work and travel in Australia and if you're a male you can be drafted to the military. So that kind of explains the demonstrations.
Thank you for the information!
But as i can tell from my own experience: males can be drafted, but their draft can be declined if you are unfit, or don't want to join. In the latter case you have to do civil service. I did civil service for 10 months, one of them was paid time off and the payment was rather good (free food and lodging, and 900€ on top)
As long as there is no real compensation for the gender payment gap or the pregnancy, i am a ok that they have a pass.
They're discussing changes to this since the Ukraine war began and these changes could be enacted within the next years. The young people currently demonstrating would be directly affected so it's understandable they go to the streets. If all parties needed for a majority agree on the relevant points, things can get moving pretty fast (see the decriminalization of Cannabis for the whole country or the adaption of the access rights of police to enable them to use Gotham in BW ...).
It's also worth to mention that the German military has issues with providing enough equipment for their recruits and there are scandals about abuse, racism and sexism on a regular base. The current government fails to address these issues in a proper and transparent manner but wants to force young people to join anyway.
Good context. Thanks!
Plus, consitently sides with america and israel.
I'm not sure if there's a "military or public service" decision this time, but when I had to go these were the options. Learn how to hold a weapon or learn how to wash old people (or drive an ambulance, help at an orphanage, etc).
It sucks, as you're drafted at ~18 years and slightly above, but it's not the end of the world.
when I had to go these were the options.
That held true for only a very short period. Basically 'choosing' was only a true option from mid-nineties to the end of the draft.
Ask people how hard it actually was to do civil service in the 70ies and 80ies. You had to really prove that you are morally not able to use a weapon. With weird tests, questionnaires and psych evals. When there's a real menace on the horizon they really want you to die ~~for your country~~ for their wealth.
"but when I had to go" does the lifting here. I can't speak for others.
Besides that, drafted soldiers can only be sent into combat if war had been declared. For the "conflict" in the Balkans, no drafted soldiers could be sent.
There was also a law like that in Ukraine. And look how fast that can go away.
