Constructing Peace

Conscientious Objectors and the Boundaries of State Power in East Germany in the 1960

In 1964, East Germany introduced an alternative, unarmed military service that recognized religious belief as a basis for conscientious objection. In a new category of military unit, pacifists performed construction tasks. While accepting a compromise to wear a military uniform, many construction soldiers (Bausoldaten) refused to conform to the military’s expectations. Some refused to take the service vow and to work on projects with a direct military orientation. They established the principle that there was more to Bausoldat service than simply getting through the eighteen months of wearing a uniform. As civilians, they continued their advocacy by forming networks and local peace groups that became the foundation of a broader social movement committed to peace. Drawing on oral history interviews, Party-State files, military and secret police documents, and church records, Constructing Peace focuses on the development of this activism amongst the first two cohorts of Bausoldaten in the mid-1960s.