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Legal Entanglements
Law, Rights and the Battle for Legitimacy in the Two Germanys, 1949–1990
Sebastian Gehrig
368 pages, 10 illus., bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-80073-083-0 $135.00/£99.00 Hb Not Yet Published (May 2021)
eISBN 978-1-80073-084-7 eBook Not Yet Published
Description
Of all the dramatic ruptures occasioned by the division of East and West Germany, one of the most consequential was in the realm of law, as two nations scrambled to put the Nazi past behind them and forge new legal regimes. Legal Entanglements gives a comprehensive account of this often-overlooked chapter in postwar history, showing how the GDR and FRG established mutually incompatible legal frameworks that premised each state as the sole legitimate successor to the German Reich. Drawing on wide-ranging archival research and recently declassified documents, it follows the politicians, intellectuals, and other historical actors who helped their nations to navigate volatile legal circumstances.
Sebastian Gehrig is Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Roehampton, London. He has published chapters and articles in East Central Europe, European Review of History, German History, Historische Zeitschrift, Journal of Cold War Studies and Journal of Contemporary History.
Subject: History: 20th Century to Present
Area: Germany
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Part I: Trenches
Chapter 1. Legal Rubble
Chapter 2. Old and New Law
Part II: Internationalization
Chapter 3. The Clash of Legal Universes
Chapter 4. Entangled Citizenships
Part III: Universalisms
Chapter 4. International Networking
Chapter 5. Separated by Law
Conclusion: Licence to Legislate
Bibliography