The Law in Nazi Germany: Ideology Opportunism and the Perversion of Justice: 5 (Vermont Studies on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust 5)

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.