On July 2, more than a thousand people gathered in the streets of Berlin to protest the rearmament of the German army and the broader militarization of European society. The crowd carried the slogan We don’t pay for your wars, and the demonstration was organized by Zivile Zeitenwende, translated as Civil Transition, a broad alliance of numerous leftist groups, trade unions, unions, and Christian communities outside the parliament.
The march centered its critique on the decision by Parliament to approve a massive defense package, amounting to an extraordinary 100,000 billion euros in military spending. Supported by the tripartite ruling coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the plan won a majority in both chambers and includes a constitutional reform. In the Bundestag, four states abstained: Berlin, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thuringia. These states were led by Die Linke, a party positioned on the far left of the political spectrum within Germany.
The pacifist current on the move appeared to be under strain, as the absence of Die Linke leaders was noticeable. The participation of economically disadvantaged citizens heightens a perception of a country in crisis. Germany has long been seen as a reference point for pacifism by civic movements around the world, especially during the Cold War when Berlin stood at the center of a possible European conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
mass movement
In the early 1980s, during a tense Cold War era, pacifism surged into a mass movement. On October 1, 1981, more than 250,000 people took to the streets in Bonn, and on June 10, 1982, crowds exceeded 300,000 as citizens from across generations, social classes, and political backgrounds joined together in the capital of the Federal Republic.
After the deployment of U.S. nuclear missiles on German soil, the peace movement organized a week of civic actions across West Germany in October 1983, mobilizing more than three million people. Repression from the authorities did not stop the peace movement; it gained momentum especially among opposition groups and Christian movements in socialist East Germany, spreading among diverse communities and creating a visible, powerful civil society.
These figures illustrate the mobilization capacity of the German peace movement at a time when the country was keenly aware of the potential for nuclear war in Europe and the world. Although the anti-nuclear effort did not block the deployment of warheads in Germany, it successfully influenced political parties with parliamentary representation, including the Social Democrats, the liberal FDP, and the Greens, to adopt pacifist and anti-nuclear positions.
militaristic turn
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and a contemporary Cold War mindset have altered Germany’s political landscape. The Greens, a party with roots in pacifism, now frequently support a more assertive posture alongside the Social Democratic leadership and the Liberal coalition partners. High-profile voices from the Greens have sometimes voiced stronger counterpoints to Russia’s actions while maintaining alliance commitments. The tripartite government in Berlin now features a broader spectrum of support beyond the Social Democrats and liberals.
A defense budget of 100,000 million euros for the Bundeswehr is seen as the largest military investment in Germany since the Second World War. The proposed reform to the constitution aims to accommodate this scale of defense spending. The government argues that this package is necessary to address potential threats, including those highlighted by the most recent NATO discussions. The war in Europe remains the central frame for these security choices.
Observers in central Berlin on July 2 describe the march as a landmark moment with divergent interpretations. Christina Hoffman, secretary-general of Pax Christi, a Catholic peace organization, warns that this represents the largest military investment in German history since World War II and characterizes the arms buildup as a significant escalation. Given the current mobilization capacity of antimilitarist groups and the balance of power in the Bundestag, many see this as a minority stance within Germany for the moment.