Law and Democracy: Transitional Justice in Germany, 1945-1950

A Holocaust Education Series Lecture by Devin Pendas

In recent years, it has become commonplace to speak of the ways that law can build democracy after periods of political repression and turmoil. It is often claimed that prosecuting past atrocities is a necessary and direct step on the path toward political renewal. Germany after WW II is often touted as the most successful example of such transitional justice.

Professor Devin Pendas offers a close look at Germany's experience of transitional justice after the war and reveals an altogether more complicated and troubling picture, one in which law contributed as much to the consolidation of new forms of dictatorship as it did to the spread of democracy.

Conference will last 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute question period. Reception to follow at 6 pm.