GIs in Germany The Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- 12 “Army in Anguish”
- 13 The U.S. Military and Dissenters in the Ranks
- 14 The U.S. Armed Forces and the Development of Anti-NATO Protest in West Germany, 1980–1989
- 15 GIs under Siege
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
15 - GIs under Siege
The German Peace Movement Confronts the U.S. Military
from Part Five - The 1970s and 1980s
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2013
By
Book contents
- GIs in Germany
- Series page
- GIs in Germany
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part One Strategy and Politics
- Part Two Military Communities
- Part Three Tensions between Neighbors
- Part Four The German Armed Forces and the American Model
- Part Five The 1970s and 1980s
- 12 “Army in Anguish”
- 13 The U.S. Military and Dissenters in the Ranks
- 14 The U.S. Armed Forces and the Development of Anti-NATO Protest in West Germany, 1980–1989
- 15 GIs under Siege
- Appendix: Population Statistics for U.S. Military in Germany, 1945–2000
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The West German peace movement was initially internationalist in outlook, but nationalist ideologies and anti-American sentiments grew stronger within it as time went on and it had to supplement protest with suggestions for alternative security policies for the Federal Republic. Nationalism was the root cause of mainstream participation in the peace movement. Nationalist and anti-American argued that NATO was dominated by the United States and advocated a more independent West German foreign policy. The peace movement did not tolerate attacks upon GIs or American officers during the 1980s. The awareness that U.S. installations in West Germany were being used for non-NATO operations did not affect the peace movement's commitment to nonviolence. The GIs serving in Germany during the 1980s were much more likely than their predecessors of the Vietnam era to support their government's foreign policy.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- GIs in GermanyThe Social, Economic, Cultural, and Political History of the American Military Presence, pp. 330 - 346Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013