Abstract
In 1973 West Germany's first military universities opened in Hamburg and Munich. Because of the German past, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) has serious reservations about the very idea of military power and armed forces. The founding of the military universities engendered intense public debate over the military's role in a new democratic society and the kind of education its soldiers need. The article examines the historical and political circumstances surrounding the creation of the Bundeswehr universities, the arguments for and against their founding and their curricula and student life. The Bundeswehr continues to face major challenges in legitimizing and maintaining a modern and credible military force in a society that is ultrasensitive to all things military and in which many citizens place an absolute value on peace. The Bundeswehr universities have largely achieved their founders' goals: to attract a sufficient number of talented officers willing to defend their country and able to meet the technological and leadership challenges required by the FRG's armed forces and society.
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