Eugenics, Racial Theory, and Social Darwinism: The Cornerstones of German Military Justice: 1939-1945?
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
The University of Oulu,lLecture hall L10, Zoom link: https://oulu.zoom.us/j/67177574857
Topic of the dissertation
Eugenics, Racial Theory, and Social Darwinism: The Cornerstones of German Military Justice: 1939-1945?
Doctoral candidate
Licentiate of Philosophy Kimmo Lackman
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Humanities, Research Unit for History, Culture and Communications
Subject of study
General history
Opponent
Assistant Professor Markku Jokisipilä, University of Turku
Custos
Professor Kari Alenius, University of Oulu, Faculty of Humanities
The Influence of Military Judges' Prejudices to the German Soldiers' Sentences, 1939-1945?
My thesis handles the question of whether the German military judges tried soldiers because of their ethnic or social prejudices.
Its main conclusion is that the Wehrmacht judges sentenced German soldiers because their crimes affected the Wehrmacht's discipline, image or operations. It has three chapters. The chapter one handles the question whether the German soldiers stole or raped women in the occupied areas because of 'sense of power', and whether the judges tolerated their crimes if the crime victims were of 'inferior race'.
The chapter two handles the little researched topics of military theft and the Wehrmacht support personnel. Its conclusion is that the Wehrmacht judges did not persecute support personnel and comrade thieves because they wanted to maintain social inequality, at the same time, when officers used train cars to import contraband.
The third chapter handles the question whether deserters had political motives, and whether the judges wanted to cleanse the Wehrmacht from soldiers who had stolen before entering service or grown up in a broken home.
Its main conclusion is that the Wehrmacht judges sentenced German soldiers because their crimes affected the Wehrmacht's discipline, image or operations. It has three chapters. The chapter one handles the question whether the German soldiers stole or raped women in the occupied areas because of 'sense of power', and whether the judges tolerated their crimes if the crime victims were of 'inferior race'.
The chapter two handles the little researched topics of military theft and the Wehrmacht support personnel. Its conclusion is that the Wehrmacht judges did not persecute support personnel and comrade thieves because they wanted to maintain social inequality, at the same time, when officers used train cars to import contraband.
The third chapter handles the question whether deserters had political motives, and whether the judges wanted to cleanse the Wehrmacht from soldiers who had stolen before entering service or grown up in a broken home.
Last updated: 1.3.2023