Pendas has written a deeply researched and conceptually sophisticated book that seeks to revise both our understanding of postwar trials of Nazi criminals and, more broadly, certain theoretical assumptions about the nature of transitional justice itself. With its detailed analysis of developments in the four occupation zones, the work calls into question common notions about, for example, the pedagogical effect of the trials and the alleged “unjust” nature of prosecutions under the Soviets and East German Communists. More generally, Pendas argues that Allied and German trials are an excellent case study, illuminating the possibility that efforts to attain justice do not necessarily result in new liberal democratic orders. In his multifaceted and rich analysis of these topics, Pendas skillfully employs an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates legal analysis, political theory, sociology, and the traditional tools of historical analysis.

Pendas begins with an examination of the link between the Allied program of...

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