Reich Defence Minister Groener and the Problem of National Defence

Abstract

Until now, interest in the brief history of the Reichswehr, on the part of historians as well as laymen, has concentrated mainly on the transitional periods from the Kaiserreich to the Weimar Republic and from the Republic to the Third Reich. The main subject of discussion has been the political power and real political influence exercised by the Army and Navy. The conclusions drawn in the many incisive analyses which approach the subject from a political angle, have defined and still define where the armed forces fit into the overall picture of the period. There can be no doubt that the politically motivated actions of the Reichswehr leadership were of decisive, if not essential, importance for the first German republic. Nevertheless, concentration on research into and explanation of these aspects of the Reichswehr’s history has led to neglect of military developments within the armed forces and the failure to recognise their political consequences.