History of ZMSBw

ZMSBw - Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr

Over the course of the reorientation of the Bundeswehr in 2010-2013, the Federal Ministry of Defence decided to merge its two previously independently operating humanistic departmental research facilities into the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBw) in Potsdam.
The Military History Research Institute, which had existed since 1957, and the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences, which had been founded in Munich in 1968 and moved to Strausberg in 1994, were united under the new umbrella of the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences on 1 January 2013.
Since then, the ZMSBw has engaged not only in military history but also in social science research with more than 60 civilian and military researchers. The research is supported by 60 persons in the staff and in the supporting area, ranging from the bookbinder to editors to the doorkeeper and system administrator.

MGFA - Military History Research Institute

The order for the establishment of the Military History Research Office as of 1 January 1957 marked the beginning of the history of the MGFA. In 1957, the Research Office was established at Langenau near Ulm, and Colonel (GS) Dr. Hans Meier-Welcker, hitherto Chief of the Military Science Branch at the Federal Ministry of Defence also became head of the Research Office.
Already in 1958, the Research Office was renamed the Military History Research Institute (Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt), and Colonel (GS) Dr. Hans Meier-Welcker became its first director. In the same year, the Institute moved to its new location in Freiburg im Breisgau. During the initial years, the work of the Institute was primarily dedicated to operational and organisational historical studies as well as to research on the internal structure of German armed forces up to World War II. For this purpose, MGFA took over the military files that had been seized by the Western Allies (France, Great Britain and the United States) and returned to the Federal Republic of Germany, and established a document centre for this purpose.
MGM – Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen

Research Milestones

In 1967, the first copy of Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen (MGM) was published; now entitled Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift (MGZ), it continues to be a leading academic journal for military history in the German-speaking world. From 1975 to 2002, the international “War and Society Newsletter” bibliography was published as a supplement to the Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen.

In 1968, the Military History Research Institute turned over its records of the document centre to the newly established Military Department of the Federal Archives in Freiburg. Subsequently, the Federal Archives, Military Division have taken over the records of the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Bundeswehr instead of the MGFA. Since then, MGFA and now ZMSBw have enjoyed privileged access to the records kept at the Military Archives.

With the appointment of Professor Dr. Andreas Hillgruber as its first Chief Historian in 1968, the Military History Research Institute was given a “dual leadership” which continued to exist in this form until 1994. The Chief Historian was appointed as “Director and Professor” at MGFA by the Federal Minister of Defence himself, and he reported to the Minister with regard to research activities, whereas the Director was first and foremost responsible for the administrative control.

In 1969, the Bundeswehr took over the Historical Museum Rastatt, which subsequently was subordinate to the MGFA under the name of Bundeswehr Military History Museum until 1994.

From 1975 to 2002, the international “War and Society Newsletter” bibliography was published as supplement to the Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen.

In 1976, the then Bundeswehr Chief of Defence, General Harald Wust, ordered the establishment of a new “Training, Information, Specialised Studies” Division (AIF, today Historical Education and Information Division). The Division provided assistance for historical education in the armed forces and expanded the portfolio of MGFA during its first years, primarily with examples and exhibitions related to the history of warfare and operation.
The 13-volume work of more than 15,000 pages of an academic “History of World War II” is the showcase project of MGFA.

Germany and the Second World War (Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg) is the foremost academic work on World War II in the German language.

Basic Research and Educational Activities

In 1979, the first volume of the German edition of the Germany and the Second World War series entitled “The Build-up of German Aggression” (Ursachen und Voraussetzungen der deutschen Kriegspolitik) was published. With this volume, the Institute not only exceeded the number of 150 publications. Moreover, this series with more than 15,000 pages of historical basic research is an internationally renowned standard work on World War II.

In 1984, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the assassination plot against Hitler by Colonel (GS) Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, MGFA opened its touring exhibition “Revolt of the Conscience” (Aufstand des Gewissens) in the German Bundestag, it toured until 2004.

In 1987, the Bundeswehr and thus MGFA took over the Air Force Museum in Appen, which originated from a private collection. In 1994/95 it was moved to the former Royal Air Force airfield at Berlin-Gatow. Since 2010, Gatow airfield has been part of the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History.

In 1987, the journal Militärgeschichtliche Beihefte was published for the first time as supplement to the Europäische Wehrkunde/Wehrwissenschaftliche Rundschau. In 1998, it was given the more catchy title Militärgeschichte. Since 1999, the journal has been entitled Militärgeschichte. Zeitschrift für historische Bildung.

In the course of obtaining German unity, the former East German Military History Institute (MGI in Potsdam became subordinate to MGFA. The same happened with the former East German Army Museum in Dresden which has since been named Bundeswehr Museum of Military History. The former MGI was temporarily integrated into the Military History Research Institute as “Potsdam branch”.

In the same year, a delegation of the MGFA visited the Military Historical Institute of the Polish Armed Forces in Warsaw for the first time.
From Southern Baden to Brandenburg

In 1992, when Bundeswehr Chief of Defence, General Klaus Naumann, visited the MGFA, he announced that the institute would move to Potsdam. Protests were raised by political officials and the staff as a result.

MGFA coat of arms up to and after 1994

The coat of arms of the Military History Institute in Freiburg (left) depicted the coat of arms of the city of Freiburg - the red Saint George’s Cross - with a sword and quill behind an early modern period burgonet placed on it. After the relocation to Potsdam, the new coat of arms of the MGFA was introduced in 1994.

In 1994, MGFA moved from Southern Baden to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. The institute moved into the Villa Ingenheim premises on the Zeppelinstraße, which had been the home of the MGI and the Military Archives of the GDR. In 1995, the library of the Military History Research Institute was made accessible to the public in Potsdam.

In 1996, the Federal Minister of Defence, Dr. Volker Rühe, and the Prorector of Potsdam University, Prof. Dr. Bärbel Kirsch, established the first Chair of Military History in German post-war history. The first holder of the chair at Potsdam University was Prof. Dr. Bernhard R. Kroener, a long-term member of the Military History Research Institute.

Operations become history

In 2005, in recognition of the operational reality, the Military History Research Institute set up the Operations Support Unit in the Training, Information, Specialized Studies Division. Henceforth, MGFA published the Wegweiser zur Geschichte (A Guide to History) series to provide important basic information for deployed military personnel. Also in 2005, the MGFA was evaluated by the Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) for the first time.

Since the 2007/2008 winter semester, MGFA, Potsdam University and the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences (SOWI) have been offering the “Military Studies. Military History - Military Sociology” study course. Since 2013, this study course has been continued as a cooperation effort between Potsdam University and the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences; and eventually it was replaced with the War and Conflict Studies course.

A new beginning under another name

At the turn of 2012/2013, the Military History Research Institute was merged with the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences to become the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences (ZMSBW). The official seat of the Centre is Villa Ingenheim. After the official adoption of the ZMSBw target structure, the MGFA was disbanded on 30 June 2014.

For a short outline of the history of the Military History Research Institute and its importance for military history research in Germany click here.

SOWIBw - Social Science Institute of the Bundeswehr

Foundation and early development

As early as in 1968, its predecessor, the Academy for Education in the Armed Forces (Wissenschaftliches Institut für Erziehung und Bildung in den Streitkräften) was founded. It came into existence by outsourcing the research and teaching staff from the former School of Leadership Development and Civic Education in Koblenz. Professor Dr. Thomas Ellwein, previously advisor to the Federal Minister of Defence for the reorganisation of officer training, was the first director of the Institute, and also Head of the Educational Committee. At that time, the social science research interest of the new institute focused on the interrelations between the military and society.

Former Federal Minister of Defence Helmut Schmidt hoped for a scholarly contribution in support of the advice and solution with regard to leadership issues in the armed forces. The Academy for Education in the Armed Forces was originally located in Heide near Siegburg and was later moved to Munich.
First mission: Support the education reform
Winzererstraße 52-54 , Munich

Until 1994, the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences was situated in Munich.

A primary task of the young institute was the preparation of framework curricula for the Bundeswehr universities in Hamburg and Munich, which had been founded in the early 1970s. The Academy for Education in the Armed Forces was reorganised in 1973 and changed the definition of its task: The previous orientation towards the humanities and theory changed to a primarily empirical orientation related to social sciences. The Academy’s reorientation in contents and structure towards armed forces-related empirical social research in the US tradition was intended to enable the Bundeswehr and the Federal Ministry of Defence to better respond to the multitude of problems the Bundeswehr was confronted with in society and in the international environment.

Foundation of SOWIBw

6 March 1974 saw the birth of the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences (SOWI). The first statute of the SOWI was passed in 1976 and clarified the understanding of its task at the time: Problems of information and communication in the Bundeswehr, the relationship between the Bundeswehr and society, training and further education as well as development and adoption of quantitative procedures, methods and instruments of empirical social research. Extensive basic research was necessary to accomplish this mission. The work of the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences also reflected the current (security) political and social environment at the time: Whereas in the 1970s, the Institute focused on basic research and topics connected to officer training as well as on leadership development and civic education (Innere Führung), in the 1980s, studies on the relationship between the Bundeswehr and society became more important. The interest in international comparisons in the fields of society and politics increased and a new topic arose: deliberations regarding the understanding of tradition in the Bundeswehr. As a result of the shift in foreign political opportunities and challenges in the 1990s, the institute increasingly focused on the fundamental changes in the armed forces, the integration of the Bundeswehr into multinational military structures and operations, social science monitoring of deployments abroad, but also on questions concerning the attractiveness of the Bundeswehr as an employer and on recruitment.

SOWI goes East

In 1990, in connection with the establishment of prominent Bundeswehr institutions in the newly-formed East German states, the Federal Ministry of Defence declared that Strausberg would be the new location of the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences. On 31 December 1994, the relocation of SOWI from Munich to Strausberg was completed, and in 1997 SOWI moved into the new building as part of the Strausberg campus.

The move from Munich to Strausberg was followed by a structural and conceptual reorganisation. This was based on a new mission concept issued in 1997 by the Bundeswehr Vice Chief of Defence, Vice Admiral Hans Frank, to optimise command and organisational structures in order to increase efficiency and ensure research quality. In view of the internationalisation and globalisation of problem situations, this 1997 concept emphasised the necessity of interdisciplinary and comparative approaches.

New topics - new research

In addition, the scientific concept of the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences was given a new definition: It was based on scientific fundamentals, theory-based, empirical, problem-related, free of ideology, authentic, public, and original. The survey of an operation abroad (SFOR operation), which was conducted for the first time in 1998, reflected the changed security-political environment and the resulting new demands on the Institute. In addition to a renewed interest in leadership development and civic education (Innere Führung), topics such as the conditions of multinational military cooperation in a European context or the military and economy became more important.

In 2001, a first representative youth survey was conducted in the context of an analysis of future conditions for the recruitment of personnel. Based on an agreement with Potsdam University on cooperation in military sociology signed in 2004, the master study course Military Studies - Military History/Military Sociology was established in 2006 in a joint effort with the professorship of military history, the professorship of general sociology at Potsdam University and the Military History Research Institute. This has so far remained unique in Germany. It was an expression of the academic network of the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences and continues to be an effort to improve the still unsatisfactory situation of military sociology teaching and research at German universities.
From 2006, the extensive research activities were once again transferred into a new structure to make research at the institute more efficient and improve its external communication.

Population survey - opinion research

The newly established research priorities of research on attitudes and public survey, social science monitoring of Bundeswehr deployments abroad, multinationality / European armed forces, transformation of the Bundeswehr as well as the military, ethics and leadership development and civic education (Innere Führung) were supplemented in 2008 with another research focus: personnel recruitment and personnel retention. The wide range of research topics with high political relevance at the institute became particularly obvious in the years 2010 to 2012. Following the tradition of social science surveys of operations abroad, a German contingent in the International Security Assistance Force was surveyed and interviewed throughout the entire phases of pre-training, operation and post-operation recovery for the first time in 2010. The research focus on issues of inter-cultural competence and diversity in the armed forces as well as on the attractiveness and personnel recruitment of the Bundeswehr as an employer was no less relevant.

Throughout its existence, the directors of the Institute had a great influence on its fate - either through their personal commitment or through landmark decisions. Although the locations of the institute have changed, as well as the status of the directors has shifted from civilian to military and back, the directors all pursued the same objective according to the motto “understanding more, making better decisions”: to improve the institute and adopt it to changed requirements.

Dissolution in 2012

The Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences did not escape further reforms of the Bundeswehr, however. After 38 years of its existence, the Federal Minister of Defence decided on 19 April 2012 to dissolve the Institute by 31 December 2012 and to merge it with the Military History Research Institute in Potsdam into a new research institute.