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Why is the German elite once again agitating for war?

The historical and political reasons behind Germany’s renewed bid for world power

One hundred years after the outbreak of the First World War and 75 years after the start of World War II the German political elite is once again agitating for war and German leadership (Führung) in Europe and around the world.

Earlier this year, President Joachim Gauck announced the end of military restraint. Since then this policy has been put into practice. The German government supported the right-wing coup in Ukraine and commenced an economic war with Russia. In the Middle East it is exploiting the atrocities of the Islamic State to defend Germany’s economic and geo-strategic interests with military means. It has armed the Kurdish Peshmerga in northern Iraq and supports the US air strikes against Syria. An unprecedented propaganda campaign for militarism dominates the media.

Today’s German militarism stands in direct lineage to the historical and political tradition of the Third Reich and the Nazi regime. Opposition to it must be based on an understanding of the history and lessons of the 20th century: The struggle against war is inseparable from the struggle against its root cause, capitalism.

Speaker: Peter Schwarz, secretary of the International Committee of the Fourth International and national editor of the WSWS in Germany.

Meeting details:

Frankfurt (Main)
Saturday, October 11, 7 p.m.
Saalbau Gallus
Frankenallee 111
60326 Frankfurt

Bochum
Wednesday, October 22, 6:30 p.m.
Jugendherberge Bochum
Humboldtstraße 59-63
44787 Bochum

Berlin
Thursday, October 23, 7 p.m.
Humboldt Universität
(Hörsaal 2097)
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin 

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