While we often tend to think of the Third Reich as a zone of lawlessness, the Nazi dictatorship and its policies of persecution rested on a legal foundation set in place and maintained by judges, lawyers, and civil servants trained in the law. This volume offers a concise and compelling account of how these intelligent and welleducated legal professionals lent their skills and knowledge to a system of oppression and domination. The chapters address why German lawyers and jurists were attracted to Nazism; how their support of the regime resulted from a combination of ideological conviction, careerist opportunism, and legalistic selfdelusion; and whether they were held accountable for their Nazi-era actions after 1945. This book also examines the experiences of Jewish lawyers who fell victim to anti-Semitic measures. The volume will appeal to scholars, students, and other readers with an interest in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the history of jurisprudence.
Preface
List of Illustrations
Introduction:The Law in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
Alan E. Steinweis and Robert D. Rachlin
Chapter 1.The Conundrum of Complicity: German Professionals and the Final Solution
Konrad H. Jarausch
Chapter 2.Civil Service Lawyers and the Holocaust: The Case of Wilhelm Stuckart
Hans-Christian Jasch
Chapter 3.Roland Freisler and the Volksgerichtshof: The Court as an Instrument of Terror
Robert D. Rachlin
Chapter 4.Guilt, Shame, Anger, Indignation: Nazi Law and Nazi Morals
Raphael Gross
Chapter 5.Discrimination, Degradation, Defiance: Jewish Lawyers under Nazism
Douglas G. Morris
Chapter 6.Evading Responsibility for Crimes against Humanity: Murderous Lawyers at Nuremberg
Harry Reicher
Chapter 7.lĂ#
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