Requiem for an Army [Paperback]

Dale R. Herspring (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0847687198 | ISBN-13: 978-0847687190 | Publication Date: September 1998

Building on a strong foundation of primary sources, this unique study traces the role of East Germany's military (NVA) in the country's unification with West Germany. Utilizing interviews with and questionnaires from NVA officers, Herspring unravels the puzzle of the NVA's decision against using force to save the political system it was sworn to serve. The author also examines the integration of a select minority of officers and NCOs into the Bundeswehr. Illuminating the problems encountered by the Bundeswehr as it incorporated these individuals, Herspring constructs an ideal type of officer in one of the most politicized and tightly controlled of all communist militaries. His findings will be invaluable for all military-political specialists and for anyone interested in the process of transition from authoritarian/totalitarian to democratic systems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dale Herspring has uncovered a fascinating story about the conduct and collapse of the East German army during both the protest against the East German government and also the reunification of Germany. (Ronald A. Francisco )

This is a brilliant book, combining scholarly rigor at its best with compassionate understanding of the complex social problems caused by the downfall of East Germany's political system and its military structure. A masterpiece of contemporary historical writing: carefully researched, thoroughly analyzed, judiciously concluded, and well-written. Excellent! (Colonel Hans-Werner Weber )

In Requiem for an Army, Dale R. Herspring offers a useful English summary of the events surrounding the collapse of the East German military. Professor Herspring contribution is to have identified the key actors as well as the questions we should ask them to determine why the NVA permitted a peaceful transition to democracy and reunification. (Journal Of Conflict Studies )

The remarkable materials assembled in the Herspring volume in the desintegration of the NVA will make this book the point of departure for analysis of a military-political event that had no precedent as of 1989. (Contemporary Security Policy )

All in all a fascinating account; it is hard to fault the thorough treatment of the topic. It fills an important gap in the publications on German unification available in English. (Political Studies )

[Herspring's] book fills important gaps in our understanding of Germany's unification. (H. Krisch Choice, October 1999 )

About the Author

Dale R. Herspring is University Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847687198
• ISBN-13: 978-0847687190
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #823,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The German Army that Did Not Fight, July 6, 2003

By 

Gregory Canellis "Student of military history... (Tuckerton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Requiem for an Army (Paperback)

Dale R. Herspring argues that the civil-military relations in East Germany were unique to both other Warsaw Pact countries as well as western military establishments during the Cold War Era. Herspring concludes that because the National Peoples Army (NVA) of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) did not resist or, take up arms (neither during the former Soviet Union's policy of Perestroika, nor the events leading to the eventual reuniting of East & West Germany, and the fall of the Berlin Wall) its role was particularly significant in the reuniting process. The author further contends the NVA officer corps welcomed the transition to democracy, and that some, not all, survived the transition to serve in the West German militaryBundeswehr.   Herspring not only provides a concise history of the NVA, but also utilizes an analytical approach by posing a series of questions (which he subsequently answers) concerning the political structure in which the NVA functioned with particular emphasis on civil-military relations within a Communist political system. Herspring supports his theses around three factors: 1) The NVA's failure to thoroughly isolate its military from the civilian population. 2) Lack of cohesive political leadership and 3) Training focused primarily on external as opposed to internal threats. The author also utilizes oral history methods in the form of a circulated questionnaire distributed to NVA officers.   The author acknowledges and draws from the vast array of studies on the fall of Communism in general. Herspring pays particular attention to East German newspaper material. He makes use of memoirs of prominent players as well as studies of the integration of former East German officers into the Bundeswehr.   The book contains a hidden weaknessit is too concise. A study of this magnitude and significance needs to delve into more detail. For example: the section discussing Germany's dual "historical identity" (p. 25) and the new "East" Germany's attempts to portray itself positively in German history (particularly WWII.) encompasses only a page when whole books have been written on this topic (see, Jeffrey Herf. Divided Memory: The Nazi Past in the Two Germanys.1997.). Also, at times, Herspring seems to imply (no doubt, unintentionally) that the NVA existed within a vacuum immune to political polity. This is apparent when the author keeps harping on "why did the NVA not resist reunification?" Overall, The succinctness left me wanting more. If being too short poses a weakness, the structure of the book is an asset. The author formulates his argument well in the introduction and each chapter outlines and summarizes the analytical process well. Most importantly, however, the author saw a deliciously tempting opportunity to incorporate the "new" military history by delving into a unique case study of civil-military relations and accomplished this task marvelously.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential!, May 4, 2000

By 

G. Tejera (Miami, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Requiem for an Army (Hardcover)

Anyone interested in the intenal works of the East German Army (NVA), must read this book. It offers a rare insight to the frontline army of the cold war, and how weak it was really, when the wall came tumbling down

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential!, May 4, 2000

By 

G. Tejera (Miami, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Requiem for an Army (Hardcover)

Anyone interested in the intenal works of the East German Army (NVA), must read this book. It offers a rare insight to the frontline army of the cold war, and how weak it was really, when the wall came tumbling down