Militarism

• 1. Defining The Belief System

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  Militarism is the belief or desire of a government that a state should maintain strong military capabilities. It also involves using those forces aggressively to expand national interests and values. This concept implies the glorification of the military class and its ideals. It places the armed forces at the center of administration and policy making within a nation. New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as a core political stance rather than just a defense strategy. The term describes societies where war becomes a primary tool for achieving goals. It creates a culture where soldiers hold more power than civilians in many decisions.

• 2. Prussian Military Origins

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  The roots of German militarism can be found in 18th- and 19th-century Prussia. Hans Rosenberg sees its origin already in the Teutonic Order during the late Middle Ages. Mercenaries from the Holy Roman Empire were granted lands by the Order. They gradually formed a new landed militarist Prussian nobility known as Junkers. During the reign of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, the military grew to 40,000 men. Frederick William I started large-scale military reforms in 1713. He increased annual military spending to 73% of the entire budget of Prussia. By his death in 1740, the army had grown into a standing force of 83,000 men. This was one of the largest armies in Europe while the population numbered only 2.5 million people. Georg Heinrich von Berenhorst wrote that Prussia remained an army with a country rather than a country with an army.

• 3. German State Evolution

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  Militarism in Germany continued after World War I despite Allied attempts to crush it through the Treaty of Versailles. The Weimar Republic existed from 1918 until 1933 under constant threat from militaristic nationalism. The 1920 Kapp Putsch was an attempted coup d'état launched by disaffected members of the armed forces against the republican government. Some radical militarists and nationalists joined the NSDAP party of Adolf Hitler. Others remained affiliated with the German National People's Party instead. Large-scale right-wing paramilitary organizations like Der Stahlhelm operated during these years. The Freikorps militia was banned in 1921 but its members often went on to join the Sturmabteilung. Mathematician Emil Julius Gumbel published in-depth analyses of this militarist paramilitary violence characterizing public life. Nazi Germany became a strongly militarist state before its defeat in 1945. Afterward, the Allied Control Council oversaw a program of re-education to stop German militarism once and for all. Today the Federal Republic maintains one of the highest defense budgets in the world at around US$50bn as of 2019.

• 4. Asian Expansionist Policies

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  Japanese militarism began with events where the military gained prominence in dictating affairs. This was evident in 15th-century Japan's Sengoku period when powerful samurai warlords played significant roles. A nationalist style developed after the Meiji Restoration which restored the Emperor to power. The 1882 Imperial Rescript to Soldiers called for absolute personal loyalty to the Emperor. In the 1920s two factors contributed to the power of the military and chaos within its ranks. One law required the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy to agree to the Ministry position in the Cabinet. Another factor was gekokujō or institutionalized disobedience by junior officers. Radical junior officers sometimes assassinated their seniors. The February 26 Incident in 1936 resulted from this phenomenon when junior officers attempted a coup d'état. They killed leading members of the government before Emperor Hirohito ordered suppression. The Great Depression damaged Japan's economy and gave radical elements a chance to conquer Asia. The Kwantung Army staged the Mukden Incident in 1931 sparking the Invasion of Manchuria. Six years later the Marco Polo Bridge Incident sparked the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japanese troops conquered Peking, Shanghai, and Nanking following the Nanking Massacre. Japan entered an alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1940.

• 5. Soviet And Post-Soviet Defense

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  The Soviet Union was the most militarized large economy the world has ever seen. A climate of secrecy and control rigidly allocated resources while maintaining economic isolation. Unquestioning acceptance of Communist rule was predicated on national security concerns. Economic and societal costs were often hidden from civilians within the system. Many Russians blame the new market system for creating these costs after they were exposed. Russia faced great weakness following what Vladimir Putin called the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. Under his leadership a resurgent modern Russia maintained tremendous influence in countries spawned from the dissolution. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine the government increased efforts to introduce patriotic education into schools. Some parents were shocked by the militaristic nature of Kremlin-promoted Important Conversations lessons. By the end of 2023 Vladimir Putin planned to spend almost 40% of public expenditures on defense and security. UK Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin noted that such levels had not been seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union.