Constructing Peace: Conscientious Objectors and the Boundaries of State Power in East Germany in the 1960s

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-