British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55
Britain did not release its final two prisoners from the prison it administered in West Germany until July 1957, eight years after the formation of the Federal Republic and the formal ending of its military rule. By 1949, Germany, once the enemy of Europe assumed greater strategic significance in t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hipatia Press
2013-10-01
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| Series: | Historia Social y de la Educación |
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| Online Access: | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/hse/article/view/722 |
| _version_ | 1797949166025965568 |
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| author | Francis Graham-Dixon |
| author_facet | Francis Graham-Dixon |
| author_sort | Francis Graham-Dixon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Britain did not release its final two prisoners from the prison it administered in West Germany until July 1957, eight years after the formation of the Federal Republic and the formal ending of its military rule. By 1949, Germany, once the enemy of Europe assumed greater strategic significance in the minds of western politicians seeking its reintegration within a new European family of nations to forestall fears of Soviet hegemony, not least because it now wanted to re-arm West Germany. The continuing incarceration of German war criminals had become a lesser priority in the battleground of Cold War ideologies. The Adenauer government pressurised Britain to honour its pledge to review the sentences for the hundreds of detainees who remained in custody following the Nuremberg trials. Britain’s moral mandate to govern Germany from 1945 was underpinned by its claims to be exporting democratic liberal values but, as this article explains, was exposed in its illiberal handling of the war criminals issue which ran counter to the new moves towards reconciliation.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:55:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ba069a38e854f97a18fe4ef99e50865 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2014-3567 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:55:08Z |
| publishDate | 2013-10-01 |
| publisher | Hipatia Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Historia Social y de la Educación |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ba069a38e854f97a18fe4ef99e508652023-01-18T09:53:54ZengHipatia PressHistoria Social y de la Educación2014-35672013-10-012310.4471/hse.2013.14British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55Francis Graham-Dixon Britain did not release its final two prisoners from the prison it administered in West Germany until July 1957, eight years after the formation of the Federal Republic and the formal ending of its military rule. By 1949, Germany, once the enemy of Europe assumed greater strategic significance in the minds of western politicians seeking its reintegration within a new European family of nations to forestall fears of Soviet hegemony, not least because it now wanted to re-arm West Germany. The continuing incarceration of German war criminals had become a lesser priority in the battleground of Cold War ideologies. The Adenauer government pressurised Britain to honour its pledge to review the sentences for the hundreds of detainees who remained in custody following the Nuremberg trials. Britain’s moral mandate to govern Germany from 1945 was underpinned by its claims to be exporting democratic liberal values but, as this article explains, was exposed in its illiberal handling of the war criminals issue which ran counter to the new moves towards reconciliation. https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/hse/article/view/722Wwest GermanyBritainwar criminalsjustice |
| spellingShingle | Francis Graham-Dixon British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 Historia Social y de la Educación Wwest Germany Britain war criminals justice |
| title | British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 |
| title_full | British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 |
| title_fullStr | British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 |
| title_full_unstemmed | British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 |
| title_short | British Justice in Western Germany, 1949-55 |
| title_sort | british justice in western germany 1949 55 |
| topic | Wwest Germany Britain war criminals justice |
| url | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/hse/article/view/722 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francisgrahamdixon britishjusticeinwesterngermany194955 |