Antifaschistischer Staat und postfaschistische Gesellschaft: die DDR, das MfS und die NS-Täter

Abstract

"The article discusses results of recent research on practices of law enforcement by justice and the Ministry of State Security against East German suspects of Nazi crimes. These findings challenge the classical image of a relatively consistent and strong 'antifascist' prosecution policy. Although denazification and law enforcement in the Soviet Zone of Occupation and early GDR were harsh, almost all sentenced Nazi perpetrators were granted amnesty up to 1956 (with the exception of those who were executed or died in prison). In the following period systematic prosecution had to take second place behind campaigns against West Germany's poor performance in this field. During the seventies, Stasi investigators located in East Germany several hundred members of police battalions and other units involved in the Holocaust. But due to extremely strict standards of 'process maturity' for law suits (which should 'guarantee' long-term sentences) and hesitant investigations, only a few cases where brought to conviction. This look behind the scenes of secret East German investigation policy shows a post-fascist society where the 'ordinary men' who enforced the Nazi genocide could well find their place." (author's abstract)