| The Military History Working Group | |
| Native Name: | Arbeitskreis Militärgeschichte |
| Native Name Lang: | German |
| Formation: | 1995 |
| Founding Location: | Germany |
| Type: | Professional association |
| Purpose: | Interdisciplinary war studies and military history |
| Methods: | Publication of War in History (book series) (Krieg in der Geschichte) |
| Membership: | 500 |
| Key People: | Wilhelm Deist, Chairman (1995–2002) , Chairman (2003–present) |
The Military History Working Group (Arbeitskreis Militärgeschichte, AKM) is a German professional association and research network formed in 1995 in Freiburg. It focuses on the interdisciplinary war studies and military history.
The Group's activities are coordinated out of the Historical Institute of the University of Bern. Initially chaired by historian Wilhelm Deist, it is chaired by historian as of 2017. In cooperation with Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh, the association produces the War in History (book series) (Krieg in der Geschichte).
The Military History Working Group was founded in 1995. Wilhelm Deist, chief historian at the Military History Research Office (MGFA) was one of the founding members and, from 1995 to 2002, its chairman of the association. From 2002 to 2003, he was the honorary chairman of the association.[1] Its intention, according to Jörg Echternkamp, is to "contribute to the development of this current and important field of historical science, which is hardly represented at universities in German-speaking universities".[2]
The Group's scientific work integrates several areas of historical science are such as politics, government, economics, and social, cultural and gender history.[3] In addition to the Working Group on Historical Peace Research and the, it is one of the most important workplaces for military history in the German-speaking world.[4]
The association currently has over 500 members, including historians such as,,, Alaric Searle and Jens Westemeier. As of 2016, the organisation's chairman was .[5] With 500 historians, it's one of the largest associations of this kind.[6]
The Wilhelm Deist Prize for Military History, awarded by the association, recognises the research of young scientists in the field of military history. Established in 2006, it was named after Wilhelm Deist in his honour. The prize is awarded annually for outstanding contributions to historical sciences. Its recipients included (2007) and (2008). Jury members include Stig Förster from the University of Bern and Sönke Neitzel from the University of Potsdam.[7]
The Military History Working Group, in cooperation with Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh, publishes War in History (book series) (Krieg in der Geschichte). The series is edited by historians of the University of Bern, of the University of Potsdam, and Bernd Wegner of the Helmut Schmidt University. Select publications in the series include:
Militär, Staat und Gesellschaft im 19. Jahrhundert (Enzyklopädie deutscher Geschichte, Bd. 77). Oldenbourg, München 2006,, S. 54.