Masters Theses
Date of Award
12-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Major
History
Major Professor
Monica Black
Committee Members
Matthew Gillis, Vejas Liulevicius
Abstract
In 2000, a massive court in front of the European Court on Human Rights in France about the sexualities of former soldiers from the United Kingdom ended the German military’s discriminatory policy towards homosexuals and military service. While the German military and other NATO countries have liberalized their personnel policies to allow queer individuals to join the military, it took two decades for many of those same countries to acknowledge their past discrimination and offer rehabilitation for the numerous military careers ended due solely to a soldier’s sexuality. Even before the repeal of many of the bans, historians have grappled to understand why states that considered themselves democratic and socially liberal allowed for the exclusion of homosexuals from military service.
This thesis will provide a nuanced understanding of the case of Germany and the Bundeswehr. In particular, it contends that the Federal Republic of Germany’s reflection of its past under National Socialism and unique position internationally during the post-war period created a perspective on democracy that allowed for the government to openly discriminate against homosexuals. At the core of the Bundeswehr is the concept of Innere Führung which ensures soldiers and the service reflect the democratic values of the state. However, this thesis also contends that the understanding of democracy in the post-war period changed as the social realities of the state changed. The policy once used to validate discriminatory policies against homosexuals now became a tool to push for integration of the German military.
Recommended Citation
Ventura-Miller, Branden J., "Inclusive Force: Innere Führung and the Integration of Homosexuals in the Bundeswehr, 1955-2000. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2024.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/12834
