"Widerstand als Hochverrat 1933-1945"

Political resistance against National Socialism that sought to overthrow the Nazi regime was deemed by the courts of the “Third Reich” to be “high treason”. Indictments and verdicts from such trials before the relevant courts – the Reichsgericht (Reich Court of Justice, 1933-1934), the Volksgerichtshof (People’s Court, 1934-1945), and the Reichskriegsgericht (Reich Court-Martial, 1936-1944) – are therefore exceptionally useful sources on the history of the German resistance. The full and diverse range of social and political backgrounds involved in the resistance is reflected in the documents as well. They provide a detailed report on resistance activities, illuminate the structure of opposition groups, and often include resistance papers, in large excerpts or in their entirety, that are no longer available on their own.

This microfiche edition on “Resistance as High Treason” presents indictments and verdicts from around 2500 trials against around 7500 German citizens, compiled at the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, with extensive information and indexing rendering it easier to use. The collection provides an abundance of previously unknown sources, paving the way for new impulses in research on resistance to the Nazi regime.