HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A construction soldier (german: Bausoldat, BS) was a non-combat role of the
National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...
, the
armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
of the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...
(East Germany), from 1964 to 1990. ''Bausoldaten'' were
conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...
s who accepted
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...
but refused armed service and instead served in unarmed
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...
units. ''Bausoldaten'' were the only legal form of conscientious objection in the
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...
.


History


Background

Before the construction of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the gover ...
in August 1961, military service in the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...
(GDR or East Germany) was entirely
voluntary Voluntary may refer to: * Voluntary (music) * Voluntary or volunteer, person participating via volunteering/volunteerism * Voluntary muscle contraction See also

* Voluntary action * Voluntariness, in law and philosophy * Voluntaryism, reje ...
, though intensive recruitment drives were mounted by public schools and the
Free German Youth The Free German Youth (german: Freie Deutsche Jugend; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. The organization was meant ...
, and service was often a prerequisite for future career advancement. The
Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...
(West Germany) had introduced
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...
in 1956, one year after the ''
Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
'' was established, to maximise military strength for the potential
World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...
during the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. The GDR authorities were reluctant to introduce conscription, partly because they feared that it would increase the already large number of citizens legally migrating to West Germany, known as ''
Republikflucht ''Republikflucht'' (German for "desertion from the republic") was the colloquial term in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) for illegal emigration to West Germany, West Berlin, and non-Warsaw Pact countries; the official term was ' ...
''. However, the Berlin Wall's construction led to a rapid drop in emigration from the GDR (now effectively illegal) with the number decreasing from hundreds of thousands per year to only hundreds per year.


Creation

On 24 January 1962, East Germany introduced conscription, with all males aged 18 to 60 required to serve 18-months in the
National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...
(NVA). The decision was met by strong resistance from Christian churches in the GDR, who rejected military conscription as there were no alternatives for
conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...
s who refused armed service on
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campai ...
grounds. When over 1,000 East German men refused mandatory military service and were subsequently arrested in 1962 and 1963, the GDR authorities came under pressure to provide an alternative to armed service. In 1964, Emil Fuchs, a prominent member of the pacifists, managed to negotiate a deal with the East German government allowing conscientious objectors to be able to serve their conscription in non-combat roles, becoming the only
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...
country to allow this. The
National Defense Council of East Germany The National Defense Council of the German Democratic Republic (German: ''Nationaler Verteidigungsrat der DDR'' - NVR) was created in 1960 as the supreme state body of the German Democratic Republic (also known as East Germany or the GDR) in charg ...
authorised the formation of ''Baueinheiten'' (construction units) for men of draft age who "refuse military service with weapons on the grounds of religious viewpoints or for similar reasons". The ''Baueinheiten'' were seen as a victory for East German conscientious objectors, but in reality their creation was a planned move by the government to segregate them from regular conscripts, who they feared would be contaminated by pacifist ideas. Additionally, the ''Bausoldaten'' provided the GDR with a large source of cheap labor in a country plagued with chronic
labor shortage In economics, a shortage or excess demand is a situation in which the demand for a product or service exceeds its supply in a market. It is the opposite of an excess supply ( surplus). Definitions In a perfect market (one that matches a s ...
s.


Service conditions

The ''Bausoldaten'' or "construction soldiers" wore uniforms, lived in
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
under
military discipline Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...
, and had to serve for the mandatory 18 months like regular soldiers, but were not required to bear arms and received no combat training. They were nicknamed "''Spatensoldaten''" or "''Spati''", an
abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
of the German word for a
spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...
, which was shown on their uniforms. In theory, ''Bausoldaten'' were to be used only for civilian
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...
projects, but they were used to build military installations until 1973 when churches began protesting their usage. Instead, they received relatively "civilian" tasks in military institutions such as repairing tanks and military equipment,
gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppl ...
s,
nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
s in military hospitals, or in
kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running wate ...
s. During the later years of the GDR, many construction soldiers also worked in large state-owned companies suffering from labor shortages, for example in the
chemical industry The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. ...
or in
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
mines. Though outwardly peaceful in appearance, soldiers in ''Baueinheiten'' were obliged to make a promise of loyalty in which they stated that they would "fight against all enemies and obey their superiors unconditionally", though this was replaced by an oath to "increase defence readiness" in the 1980s. The demand for ''Baueinheiten'' grew shortly after their founding as workers were needed for labour in construction projects, and in 1966 four more
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
s were set up.
Prora The Colossus of Prora, commonly known as simply "Prora", is a building complex in the municipality of Binz on the island of Rügen, Germany. It was built by Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1939 as part of the Strength Through Joy (Kraft durc ...
on the island of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
became the largest concentration of ''Bausoldat'', housing over 500 men for the construction of the Mukran
ferry port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
in
Sassnitz Sassnitz (, before 1993 in german: Saßnitz) is a town on the Jasmund peninsula, Rügen Island, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The population as of 2012 was 9,498. Sassnitz is a well-known seaside resort and port town, a ...
. In 1968, the demand for ''Baueinheiten'' grew rapidly following the GDR government's tacit support for the
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...
, which appalled many young East German men and led to a surge of conscientious objection. Service in the ''Baueinheiten'', although legal, was deliberately
stigmatized Social stigma is the disapproval of, or discrimination against, an individual or group based on perceived characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. Social stigmas are commonly related to culture, gender, rac ...
, both for ideological reasons and to discourage conscripts from trying to avoid armed service in the "easier" construction units. Originally, the ''Baueinheiten'' were stylized as
penal military unit Penal military units, including penal battalions, penal companies, etc., are military formations consisting of convicts mobilized for military service. Such formations may contain soldiers convicted of offenses under military law, persons enrolled ...
s with names such as ''Arbeitskompanien'' ("Labor company") and ''Arbeitsbataillone'' ("Labor battalion"), but this styling was dropped when it was considered to be similar to the ''
Strafkompanie Strafkompanie ("Punitive Unit") is the German word for the penal work division in the Nazi concentration camps. ''SK'' was the abbreviation used in the concentration camps for the notorious ''Strafkompanies''. These penal divisions were yet anoth ...
'' of the
Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...
. The GDR viewed conscientious objectors as potential
enemies of the state An enemy of the state is a person accused of certain crimes against the state such as treason, among other things. Describing individuals in this way is sometimes a manifestation of political repression. For example, a government may purport to m ...
, and after the completion of mandatory service, former ''Bausoldaten'' were actively discriminated against in the state apparatus. A record of service as a construction soldier could lead to the denial of opportunities in employment, career advancement, and the state higher education system. In the 1970s, GDR leaders acknowledged that former construction soldiers were at a disadvantage when they rejoined the civilian sphere. In 1984, General Secretary
Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts ...
and Defence Minister Army General
Heinz Hoffmann Heinz Hoffmann (28 November 1910 – 2 December 1985) was Minister of National Defense in the Council of Ministers of the German Democratic Republic, and since 2 October 1973 member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Socialist Uni ...
asserted that ''Bausoldaten'' no longer suffered such discrimination; like others who had completed their military service, they were given preference in the university admission process.


Dissolution

In the 1980s, the gradual decline of the GDR led to increasing resistance to mandatory military service, even in the ''Baueinheiten'', from the growing pacifist movement and opposition to the ruling
Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (german: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, ; SED, ), often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East German ...
(SED). Many serving ''Bausoldaten'' belonged to the opposition movement, while the youth in East Germany began to increasingly demand for an
alternative civilian service Alternative civilian service, also called alternative services, civilian service, non-military service, and substitute service, is a form of national service performed in lieu of military conscription for various reasons, such as conscientious ...
. On 1 January 1990, the ''Baueinheiten'' were dissolved and 1,500 construction soldiers released, while the remaining members were released from the NVA at the beginning of October 1990, days before the GDR's dissolution and
German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
. The dissolution of the ''Baueinheiten'' was a deliberate political act under the government
Lothar de Maizière Lothar de Maizière (; born 2 March 1940) is a German Christian Democratic politician. In 1990, he served as the only premier of the German Democratic Republic to be democratically elected freely and fairly by the people. He was also the last l ...
, the only non-SED and democratically elected
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
of the GDR, occurring just over a month after the
Fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (german: Mauerfall) on 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, was a pivotal event in world history which marked the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain and one of the series of eve ...
on 9 November 1989.


Notable former construction soldiers

* Rudolf Albrecht – Protestant minister and representative of the Church's peace movement in the GDR * Andreas Amende Member of the Bundestag * Christfried Berger – Protestant theologian in the GDR in the field of ecumenism * Wolfgang Birthler – veterinarian; Brandenburg State Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Spatial Planning (1999-2004) * Martin Böttger – physicist, civil rights activist and politician, 1990–1994 Member of the Saxon State Parliament, 2001–2010 Head of the Chemnitz office of the BStU, the federal agency of Germany that preserves and protects the archives and investigates the past actions of the former Stasi * Harald Bretschneider – Protestant minister and representatives of the ecclesiastical peace, environmental and human rights movement in the GDR *
Stephan Dorgerloh Stephan may refer to: * Stephan, South Dakota, United States * Stephan (given name), a masculine given name * Stephan (surname), a Breton-language surname See also * Sankt-Stephan * Stefan (disambiguation) * Stephan-Oterma * Stephani * Stephe ...
– theologian and politician, Saxony-Anhalt State Minister of Education * Bernd Eisenfeld – historian and GDR opposition figure *
Rainer Eppelmann Rainer Eppelmann () (born 12 February 1943 in Berlin), is a German politician. Known for his opposition in the German Democratic Republic, he became Minister for Disarmament and Defense in the last cabinet. He is now a member of the CDU. The ...
– minister and politician (the only Minister of the Ministry of Disarmament and Defense of the GDR) * Gunter Fritsch – politician; Brandenburg State Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry. President of the Brandenburg State Parliament * Andreas Grapatin – politician, member of the Saxony State Parliament * Frank Hempel – politician *
Ralf Hirsch Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
– GDR dissident and human rights activist * Günter Holwas – blues musician * Johann-Georg Jaeger – politician (Alliance '90 / The Greens), MP * Karl-August Kamilli – politician, Deputy Chairman of the SPD * John Kimme – lawyer * Thomas Kretschmer – civil rights activist and a political prisoner in East Germany * Hendrik Liersch – publisher of the Corvinus Press * Heiko Lietz – civil rights activist, former politician (New Forum, Alliance '90 / The Greens) * Frank-Wolf Matthies – writer *
Gerhard Miesterfeldt Gerhard is Gerard, a name of Germanic origin and may refer to: Given name * Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate * Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark * Gerhard Barkhorn (19 ...
– politician, Vice President of the State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt * Martin Morgner – poet, playwright and historian *
Andreas Otto Andreas Otto (born 5 October 1963) is a German boxer. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics for East Germany, and the 1992 Summer Olympics for Germany. At the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Ga ...
– politician (The Greens) * Bert Papenfuß-Gorek – poet *
Gerd Poppe Gerd or GERD may refer to: * Gerd (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname * Gerd (moon), a moon of Saturn * Gerd Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Gastroesophageal reflux disease, a chronic symptom of mucosal damage ...
– physicist, civil rights activist and politician; Human Rights Commissioner of the Federal Government (1998–2003) * Jürgen Rennert – writer * Frank Richter – theologian, founder of the Group of 20 in Dresden, director of the Saxon State Agency for Civic Education * Gerhard Schöne – songwriter * Reinhard Schult – civil and political activist and leader *
Werner Schulz Werner Gustav Schulz (22 January 1950 – 9 November 2022) was a German politician of Alliance '90/The Greens. Trained in food technology at the Humboldt University of Berlin, he worked as a research assistant. He was an activist for peace eco ...
– civil rights activist and politician, Member of the Bundestag * Georg Seidel – playwright *
Wolfgang Tiefensee Wolfgang Tiefensee (born 4 January 1955) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was the Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development in the grand coalition cabinet led by Angela Merkel between 2005 and ...
– 1998–2005 Lord Mayor of Leipzig ; 2005–2009 Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Development * Mathias Tietke – journalist and author * Rudolf Tschäpe – astrophysicist and civil rights activist * Nicholas Voss – political official * Gunter Weißgerber – politician * Ingo Zimmermann – journalist and art historian


See also

* Conscientious objection in East Germany * Sozialer Friedensdienst *
Reich Labour Service The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major organisation established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Nazi ...


External links

{{Authority control Conscientious objection East German law Military of East Germany Non-combatant military personnel Unfree labour