What significance does July 20 have for the self-image and social mission of the Bundeswehr? How can we succeed in conveying a tangible image of the memory of the resistance to younger generations? Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie, author of a biography of Stauffenberg, discussed these questions together with guests from politics, the Bundeswehr and civil society. Stauffenberg himself was a professional officer in the Wehrmacht and, at the time of the assassination, Chief of Staff at the Commander of the Reserve Army. Among those on site in Dresden were Brigadier General Olaf Rohde, Commander of the Army Officer Training School in Dresden since August 2020, Christian Piwarz, Saxon State Minister of Culture, and descendants of leading resistance fighters during the National Socialist era.
Ms. Valerie Riedesel, author of several books on the families of resistance fighters, started off the first panel by stating that although formal acts of remembrance are important, studies on the memory of the Nazi resistance have led to disillusionment among young people. Following on from this, Brigadier General Rohde outlined the extent to which the Army Officers' School is a “bulwark of value formation”. Committed comments from the officers and officer candidates present made this clear time and again. For example, one course participant said that “another stele, another memorial plaque could not be the solution. The soldiers have sworn their oath to the basic democratic order. At some point, however, they must begin to defend themselves in the Kulturkampf.”
Christian Piwarz and Professor Frank-Lothar Kroll also pointed out the central role of teaching history in schools. Ways must be found to teach history in a lively way and not in a one-dimensional way. However, the already overburdened institution of school cannot take on what parents have to do.
Prof. Ulrich Schlie emphasized that the task of historical science is to build a bridge from the valuable stories of the resistance characters to today's everyday life. The value of the events of that time must find a connection in all our thoughts.
At the end of a stimulating and moving event, Andreas Goerdeler, great-grandson of resistance fighter Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, argued that we need a less heroic culture of remembrance that takes up more of the contradictions of the people involved at the time, but he also warned against generalizing images that invite black-and-white thinking.
The contradictions surrounding the topic of resistance may not be resolved. However, it is precisely this debate that will move us forward, however futile it may be.
Impressions from Corvin Nagel. He is a research assistant at the Henry Kissinger Professorship at the University of Bonn and completed his training as a reserve officer in the German Armed Forces in 2023.
