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In the Name of the Volk: Political Justice in Hitler's Germany

In the Name of the Volk: Political Justice in Hitler's Germany
By H. W. Koch

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Product Description

In 1934 the Nazis set up a special court to deal with treason against the German state. Between 1934 and 1945 this court - the "Volksgerichtshof" or "People's Court" - condemned more than 12,000 civilians to death and sent thousands more to concentration camps. Yet in spite of its blatantly political character, the People's Court was never indicted, either at Nuremberg or in subsequent trials.

This text traces the roots of the Court, its establishment and procedures, and assesses the controversial question of the German judiciary's complicity with the Nazi regime.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #1986847 in Books
  • Published on: 1997-11-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 340 pages

Customer Reviews

Legal terror.5
Of all the totalitarian institutions of Nazi Germany, the National Socialist People's Court occupies a special place.
Set up specifically to try cases of treason against the State (or National Socialism, which amounted to the same thing), these kangaroo courts meted out over 12,000 death sentences for civilians accused of everything from actual sabotage to joke-telling and listening to the BBC. The mandate was total, the methods ruthless, and not even the rare acquittal meant freedom - the Gestapo waited outside to take the unfortunate victim to a concentration camp anyhow.
This sorry record of legalistic lynching is well told here with useful appendices, notes, sources, and index, and by the way - the guilty jurists were not prosecuted, but smoothly and quietly resumed their careers after the war.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

Excellent4
I'm not an expert on law or Nazi Germany. I can only say I found this most informative as a detailing of the "lawful" means used by the judiciary in Germany to wipe out their opposition. We must always remember that any legal system can be warped and misused, and no legal system is a guarantee of rights or a substitute for an active and aware polity. Once in a blue moon, the party leadership did not get the verdicts they hoped out of their pet court, but to maintain the gloss of lawful authority they allowed their targets to walk. Let this serve as a caution to anyone who has faith that any Establishment, when left to its own devices, will pursue anything but its own interests!

One of the most frightening books I've ever read...4
I picked up this book to research Roland Freisler, "Hitler's hanging judge". What you will read on these pages is informative and frighteningly real. I was specifically looking for info related to Freisler and The White Rose trials... I was surprised and disappointed to find seemingly inaccurate information. I did, however, learn a lot about the laws in Nazi Germany.