Conflicting Worldviews
Debates about Rearmament and Russia’s War
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
What does the “turn of an era” mean for contemporary history? Immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the first studies meticulously reconstructing Germany’s political entanglements with Russia began to appear. They showed that German politics for years had ignored Russian domestic political developments and their consequences for foreign policy. This denial of reality had already existed in the late 1970s. The peace movement was formed in response to NATO’s 1979 dual-track decision. In the debate over peace and defence, two worldviews and political strategies competed: containment or appeasement. These worldviews influenced the behaviour of the actors in the 1980s and continue to do so to this day. One side demands vigilance and defence, the other restraint. In an era characterised by Russia’s war policy and hegemonic ambitions, the pacifists’ worldview from the 1980s and the virtue of prudence make for poor advisors.
(Osteuropa 11-12/2024, pp. 35–43)