Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Purvis, Emily Dorothea
Language:English
Published: Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin158835712317814
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-oberlin1588357123178142021-08-03T07:14:50Z Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial Purvis, Emily Dorothea History Germany WW II Justice East German West Germany Trials Post-unification Waldheim Trials <p>With this thesis, I intend to formulate an argument about the evolution of a historical justice culture in Germany, both after the Second World War and post-unification. As a means of examining historical memory in post-war Germany, historians and scholars have turned their attention to the East and West German legal trials which were held in response to the crimes committed by the Nazi state. For the purpose of this thesis, my analysis will be structured around the examination of the 1950 Waldheim Trials and their lasting legacy in both post and preunification Germany.</p><p>The Waldheim Trials were foundational in the establishment of the East German historical memory and redress movements, and have since become a symbol for the state’s approach to historical justice. While the trials themselves have the power to illuminate the intricacies and dynamics of a very specific political environment and moment in history, their legacy and evolving symbolic significance in both divided and unified Germany can also shed light on the two varying approaches towards historical redress and memory employed by the post war Germanies. As part of this legacy, I will also be examining the post-unification 1992 trial of the Waldheim judges and what this says about the ways in which the Waldheim Trials were remembered and understood in Germany after reunification. This thesis aims to examine three distinct dimensions of this discussion, namely the Waldheim trial proceedings themselves and what they say about East German political priorities and denazification attempts, their legacies and evolving symbolic significance in East and West Germany, and the 1992 trials and their significance as a tangible manifestation of German historical memory during the politically dynamic reunification era.</p> 2020-05-08 English text Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin158835712317814 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin158835712317814 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: some rights reserved. It is licensed for use under a Creative Commons license. Specific terms and permissions are available from this document's record in the OhioLINK ETD Center.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic History
Germany
WW II
Justice
East German
West Germany
Trials
Post-unification
Waldheim Trials
spellingShingle History
Germany
WW II
Justice
East German
West Germany
Trials
Post-unification
Waldheim Trials
Purvis, Emily Dorothea
Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
author Purvis, Emily Dorothea
author_facet Purvis, Emily Dorothea
author_sort Purvis, Emily Dorothea
title Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
title_short Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
title_full Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
title_fullStr Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
title_full_unstemmed Justice on Trial: German Unification and the 1992 Leipzig Trial
title_sort justice on trial: german unification and the 1992 leipzig trial
publisher Oberlin College Honors Theses / OhioLINK
publishDate 2020
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin158835712317814
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