The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, 1963-1965: Genocide, History and the Limits of the Law

by Devin O Pendas

In 1963 over twenty officials who had worked at Auschwitz were put on trial in Frankfurt under the light of intense media coverage, opening up a painful national controversy in West Germany, and inter-generational divides.

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“It doesn’t make sense to use the individual crime of murder as the basis for prosecution when what you’re dealing with is mass murder, which is part of a system of collective violence. And I think that’s one of the things that Pendas makes quite clear. It’s a good read. I think it’s an important read. What it also brings out well is the public reactions to and the wider significance of the Auschwitz trial.” Read more...

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