Identity, Motivation and Memory - The Role of History in the British and German Forces

This book explores the connection between British and German officer cadets’ perceptions of the past and their motivations for enlisting for the professional, military forces in the United Kingdom and Germany. Drawing on qualitative interviews and survey data conducted at officers’ academies in the UK and Germany, the author offers a comparative analysis using differing approaches towards history and memory in Britain and Germany, whilst considering the roles of individual goals and societal orientations in the decision to enlist.