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The Ones who Didn't Get Away: Nazis on Trial 1946 - 2022: A Three Part Course with Dr. Finn Ballard

The Ones who Didn't Get Away: Nazis on Trial 1946 - 2022: A Three Part Course with Dr. Finn Ballard


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The "trial of the twentieth century" had not long concluded - and the vast bloodstain left by the botched hangings of the condemned was likely still being erased - when the next wave of prosecutions began. In this course (which can be taken as a companion to The Nuremberg Trials and to the Adolf Eichmann: The Capture, Trial and Execution of a Nazi Conversations) we will examine the court cases from the "Subsequent Nuremberg Trials" of 1946-9 to the 2022 verdict on Josef Schütz, former guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin, which can be assumed to be the last trial of its kind. Whilst discussing those who were brought to some kind of justice, albeit belatedly, we will also reflect on why so very few Nazi perpetrators ever faced legal retribution.

Led by an expert on Third Reich history, Dr. Finn Ballard, this Course will provide a comprehensive overview of the legal proceedings against Nazi perpetrators after the collapse of the Third Reich and after the primary Nuremberg Trial. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the story of those (proportionally few) Nazis who faced justice. 

Lecture One: The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials
In this session, we will look at the 12 trials which took place at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice after the International Military Tribunal had concluded. We'll hear the tales of judges, doctors and industrial collaborators put upon the stand - only a few of whom faced severe repercussions.

Lecture Two: Concentration Camp Staff on Trial
This session will look at the trials of former concentration camp guards which transpired in Poland in the 1940s, and again in Germany almost two decades later. We'll discuss why Germany took so very long to go about this, and the efforts of the Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer (himself a survivor of the concentration camps) to instigate the project. We'll look at the trials and sentencing of figures such as Amon Göth (played by Ralph Fiennes in 'Schindler's List') and Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss. This session will take us to the present day, with recent trials such as that of Auschwitz bureaucrat Oskar Gröning in 2015 and Sachsenhausen guard Joseph Schütz in 2022.

Lecture Three: Extraditions from North and South America
In this final session, we will examine the stories of those Nazis who found refuge in North and South America - only to be later caught and put to trial. We will take a brief look at the complex tale of Adolf Eichmann's escape and capture, and will focus upon the stories of Klaus Barbie, Erich Priebke, John Demjanjuk and Hermine Braunsteiner. 

Finn grew up in Northern Ireland before moving to England to study and later teach in the department of Film and Literature at the University of Warwick. He completed his doctoral study on German folklore and popular cinema in 2012, and has published extensively in the fields of Film Studies and Gender Studies. Since 2008, he has been living and guiding in Berlin. He now works as a historical advisor for television and film productions set in Berlin, particularly during the Weimar era or Third Reich. He is a journalist for the 'Siegessauele', Europe's foremost Queer magazine, and organises events at Berlin's English-language bookstore 'Another Country'.

How does it work?
This is a three-part series held weekly and hosted on Zoom. Please check the schedule for the specific dates and times for each lecture. 

When will I receive the Zoom link?
Your link to enter the Zoom room will be the same for all  sessions. It will be sent to the email address used to place your order 30 minutes prior to each lecture's start time.

Is there a reading list in advance?
Though the course is open to participants with no background on this topic, there are suggested readings for further investigation. These will be provided at the course's conclusion.

How long are the lectures?
Each lecture is 60 minutes long with time for Q&A.

How much is the course?
The course is $105 USD for three lectures.

Is a recording available?
Yes. All registered participants will be sent a recording link within 48 hours of each session's conclusion. It will be available to re-watch for 30 days after the course concludes.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
100%
(8)
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K
Kris Shapar (Slough, GB)
Bravo, Finn!

Interesting but infuriating - enlivened as always by Finn's passion and deep knowledge of the subject

B
Bonnie Gale (Ossining, US)
A wonderful series of lectures with Finn Ballard

This was a wonderful series. Finn is so great at telling the stories and making them all come alive.

A
Anonymous (Denver, US)
Fascinating class

Dr Ballard always does an excellent presentation.

C
C. (Cary, US)

Guest did not leave comment

B
Barbara Bornsstein (Ponte Vedra, US)
Another Worthwhile Experience with Finn Ballard

I think it is fair to ask what brings a non-jewish man from Northern Ireland to Germany to become an expert on all things ****. Yet the answer doesn't matter. What I do know is that he brings both superb scholarship and tremendous respect for/ sensitivity to his audience in all his lectures. He gives generously of his time, often stays "after class", and will research answers to questions posed if he does not have an immediate answer. Regardless of topic chosen, I always learn something new. If you haven't already done so, give yourself the gift of Finn Ballard.

Customer Reviews

Based on 8 reviews
100%
(8)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
K
Kris Shapar (Slough, GB)
Bravo, Finn!

Interesting but infuriating - enlivened as always by Finn's passion and deep knowledge of the subject

B
Bonnie Gale (Ossining, US)
A wonderful series of lectures with Finn Ballard

This was a wonderful series. Finn is so great at telling the stories and making them all come alive.

A
Anonymous (Denver, US)
Fascinating class

Dr Ballard always does an excellent presentation.

C
C. (Cary, US)

Guest did not leave comment

B
Barbara Bornsstein (Ponte Vedra, US)
Another Worthwhile Experience with Finn Ballard

I think it is fair to ask what brings a non-jewish man from Northern Ireland to Germany to become an expert on all things ****. Yet the answer doesn't matter. What I do know is that he brings both superb scholarship and tremendous respect for/ sensitivity to his audience in all his lectures. He gives generously of his time, often stays "after class", and will research answers to questions posed if he does not have an immediate answer. Regardless of topic chosen, I always learn something new. If you haven't already done so, give yourself the gift of Finn Ballard.