Professor Sönke Neitzel (Potsdam).
Recording of his keynote at Why Fight? Ideology and politics in militaries and paramilitary organisations, 1916-2001.
What do soldiers fight for? Scholars have poured rivers of ink examining the origins and outcomes of war throughout history, but how have soldiers made sense of their own participation in armed conflict? On 20 February 2021, leading historians of war and conflict will meet online to discuss just this question. 'Why Fight? Politics and ideology in militaries and paramilitary organisations' is a free, online conference hosted by History Hub and the UCD Centre for War Studies with the generous support of the National University of Ireland and organised by Dr Yiannis Kokosalakis, European Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow at UCD School of History. Panel papers on topics including Russian Navy officers, Cypriot nationalist insurgents and Wehrmacht officers turned US Army historians have been pre-recorded and can be watched online on History Hub's youtube channel. Register online for the Q&A sessions and live keynote talks by Professor Pierre Asselin (San Diego State University) and Sönke Neitzel (University of Potsdam).