German Constitutional Court Rejects 1978 "Postcard" Conscientious Objection Law

In 1978, West Germany's Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe declared unconstitutional a law that would have allowed conscientious objection to military service via simple written notification, potentially even a postcard. The so-called "Postkartennovelle" (postcard amendment) had sought to liberalize the process for Kriegsdienstverweigerung (KDV), but the court's controversial ruling struck it down, maintaining stricter requirements. That summer, a handful of 17- and 18-year-olds resolved to refuse military service, assuming they understood the consequences. Their amusement at the situation was captured in Franz Josef Degenhardt's song "Befragung eines Kriegsdienstverweigerers" (Interrogation of a Conscientious Objector). The failed amendment and the court's decision underscored the tension between liberal reform and constitutional constraints in Cold War West Germany. The article appears in the current issue of Der Freitag.