More than a few German jurists had been directly or indirectly involved in the National Socialist state. During the occupation period and early Federal Republic, however, many of them were integrated into the service of justice in the different Länder, which was connected to a broad spectrum of tasks and considerable responsibility regarding personnel matters. This dissertation project will investigate the effects of the Nazi past and the democratic transformation on the Bavarian Ministry of Justice from 1945 to 1974.

Three areas will be investigated in the research: The study will first look into the (dis-)continuities among the justice personnel. Career paths and individual influences are of interest here alongside the ministry’s personnel policy. Secondly, the project will investigate the (dis-)continuities in terms of particular topics and ideas. Discourses and concepts concerning law and politics are of importance along with specific legislation and administrative acts. Lastly, the research will focus on the perspectives on the (individual) Nazi past and how people came to terms with it.

This independent study is associated with the project: “Democratic Culture and the Nazi Past: Politics, Personnel, Influences in Bavaria, 1945-1975”.