[War & Business] Why German Youth Took to Anti-War Protests Instead of Celebrating Halloween

Military Service Controversy Amid Cost-of-Living Hardship and Job-Market Woes
Most of Germany's Older Generations Never Served in the Military

AP-Yonhap News Agency

On Oct. 31 (local time), when the weekend coincided with Halloween, anti-war protests were held in Germany. A total of 180,000 young people, including high school students, gathered across the country to strongly oppose the return of conscription.

They have continued to stage demonstrations since the German government announced in January this year that it planned to reinstate conscription and resume mandatory medical examinations. This latest protest spread nationwide, fueled in particular by Gen Z protests across Europe, including in France, Spain, and Portugal. Gen Z is defined as those born between 1997 and 2011.

Germany's Gen Z says it has no intention of defending a country that serves only older generations, and is refusing military service. They argue that they cannot afford to serve in the military when they can barely survive, let alone dream of finding work or getting married. Some have even said they would rather surrender to Russia.

The incentives for military service proposed by the German government have also fueled discontent. The government announced that it would offer a monthly salary of 2,600 euros (about 3.87 million won) to those who enlist and cover the cost of obtaining a driver's license for those who serve for at least one year. But 2,600 euros is only about half the average monthly salary of employees at large German companies. In Europe, where soaring fuel prices since the war in Ukraine have made it difficult even to maintain a car, the offer to cover driver's license costs has instead drawn criticism as out-of-touch bureaucratic policymaking.

One key reason for the especially strong backlash among Germany's Gen Z is that few members of the older generations pushing for mandatory military service have actually served in the military. After German reunification in 1990, Germany shortened military service to six months and introduced various forms of alternative service. As a result, only about 30% of those eligible for military service actually served in the armed forces. Conscription was then abolished altogether in 2011, leaving the military as a place for career service members only. Young people are pushing back even harder, accusing older generations who have not even served in the reserves of imposing mandatory service without listening to their views.

The controversy over anti-war protests by young people in Germany offers important lessons for South Korea, where the possibility of mandatory conscription for women is being considered in addition to conscription for men. The lesson is that maintaining conscription will be difficult unless young people struggling with the high cost of living and a tough job market are offered tangible incentives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.