The relations between civilians and servicemen within a democracy: the German case compared to other western armies Krzysztof Soloch et Raphaël Godenzi, in François Gresle (ed.), Les conséquences de la professionnalisation sur les armées et l'identité militaire, l’Harmattan, Paris, 2005.

AbstractWhen the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany were created in the middle of the 1950s, the burden of the past entailed a deep reflection on the role of servicemen in the society. The purpose was not only to confine the power of the military institution and to provide the means to control it: the serviceman as an individual had to be integrated into the society. Members of the Bundeswehr, as every citizen, benefited from the rights and liberties granted by the Federal Republic. The exercise of these rights and liberties was supposed to guarantee their loyalty towards the democratic government. The concept of Innere Führung, which was created at the same time as the federal armed forces, embodies this idea. The social integration of the servicemen had to lead to the appearance of a political pluralism in the ranks of the Bundeswehr. Almost fifty years after the creation of the Bundeswehr and the application of the concept of Innere Führung, it seems relevant to analyze what has been the role and what is currently the status of the armed forces in Germany.