The German federal parliament has passed a historic boost to military spending, continuing the trend toward increasing militarism in Europe. The decision raises the budget up to  1 trillion euros (US$1.08 trillion), surpassing the historically high special military budget approved in 2020. It was passed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Right (CSU), the Social Democrats (SPD), and the Greens, and even received votes from Die Linke, the Left Party. As in 1914, during the First World War, the SPD is giving German militarism a blank check.

German newspaper Der Spiegel rejects this historical comparison, explaining, “The current rearmament planned by the CDU/CSU and SPD is a lesson learned from the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. It serves not to wage war, but rather as a deterrent. It is intended to prevent war.”

Although the world situation is different and we are not at the beginning of a world war, the budget passed last week won’t be used to peacefully rebuild a new world order — rather, it’s a springboard for the arms race towards future wars. U.S. president Donald Trump is distancing himself from Europe, and thus European leaders feel obliged to launch a gigantic arms build-up.

Der Spiegel and other mainstream media outlets have been warning that those who do not rearm now are inviting Russian president Vladimir Putin to annex all of Eastern Europe. According to a recent poll, 76 percent of respondents support more financial resources for the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces), even if this means going further into debt.

The incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU), had been sounding the drums of war even before the bill was voted on. Referring to Russia, he said in a parliamentary debate weeks ago: “It is also a war against our country, which is taking place every day, with attacks on our data networks, with the destruction of supply lines, with arson attacks, with killings in the middle of our country.”

What is behind these warnings is the objective to rearm the country to aggressively represent the military interests of German imperialism. The two political forces in parliament passing the bill — the so-called Black-Red coalition made up by the traditional Christian Social Right and the Social Democrats — have not yet given precise details on what the money is going to be spent on. 

In addition to the military budget, the Bundestag has also created a special infrastructure fund worth more than 500 billion euros. At the insistence of the Greens, 100 billion euros are to be used as “additional investments to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.” We should not be fooled thinking that this is about environmental protections. The additional investments are actually subsidies for companies to revamp their capabilities and to develop the infrastructure that the military spending will require. 

From its part, members of Die LInke, the Left Party, which has representatives in the House, voted with the CSU and the SPD, unleashing controversy among the Left, labor, the youth, and the movement for Palestine.

In an open letter posted a few days ago on Instagram, Die LInke’s youth group in Berlin, Linksjugend Solid, addressed the ministers of their party in Bremen and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania who voted to effectively remove limits to the war budget. The letter calls the ministers out and demands their resignation from their seats in government. Linksjugend Solid members also signed the petition “Say No,” in which they called on Die Linke representatives not to vote for the warmongering budget. 

Now, more than ever, It is more necessary to fight against German militarism, to denounce the leftist sectors that support it, and to build an opposition in the streets. This opposition must be built  on the unity of labor, social movements, and the youth in Germany, in solidarity with the Palestinian people. In workplaces and universities, we must discuss the war policy and prepare to resist militarism and rearmament. 

Originally published in German on March 18 in Klasse Gegen Klasse. The article has been adapted for a U.S. audience.