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COPYWRITER - Modern History section for 1996 cat The state has no greater power over its own citizens than that of killing them. This book examines the use of that supreme sanction in Germany, from the seventeenth century to the present. Richard Evans analyses the system of `traditional' capital punishments set out in German law, and the ritual practices and cultural readings associated with them by the time of the early modern period. He shows how this system was challenged by Enlightenment theories of punishment and broke down under the impact of secularization and social change in the first half of the nineteenth century. The abolition of the death penalty became a classic liberal case which triumphed, if only momentarily, in the 1948 Revolution. In Germany far more than anywhere else in Europe, capital punishment was identified with anti-liberal, authoritarian concepts of sovereignty. Its definitive reinstatement by Bismarck in the 1880s marked not only the defeat of liberalism but also coincided with the emergence of new, Social Darwinist attitudes towards criminality which gradually changed the terms of debate. The triumph of these attitudes under the Nazis laid the foundations for the massive expansion of capital punishment which took place during Hitler's `Third Reich'. After the Second World War, the death penalty was abolished, largely as a result of a chance combination of circumstances, but continued to be used in the Stalinist system of justice in East Germany until its forced abandonment as a result of international pressure exerted in the regime in the 1970s and 1980s. This remarkable and disturbing book casts new light on the history of German attitudes to law, deviance, cruelty, suffering and death, illuminating many aspects of Germany's modern political development. Using sources ranging from folksongs and ballads to the newly released government papers from the former German Democratic Republic, Richard Evans scrutinizes the ideologies behind capital punishment and comments on interpretations of the history of punishment offered by writers such as Foucault and Elias. He has made a formidable contribution not only to scholarship on German history but also to the social theory of punishement, and to the current debate on the death penalty.

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<br> A monumental study...Strongly recommended for those interested in the history of European jurisprudence and capital punishment. --Choice<br>. ..No country's history on this subject has been explored with the thoroughness that [the author] has lavished on the German experience...Let us hope that before long, historians will do for France, Italy, and other Western European nations what [the author] has done so magisterially for Germany. --The Journal of Interdisciplinary History<br>. ..Offers fascinating insights and a wealth of examples. -- History<br> The author is to be congratulated (and envied) for the diligence and the precision of his efforts to write what will stand as the classic study of the subect for the next two decades. Evans must have spent many years on this impressive work. His prose is clear and interesting and his conclusions are convincing. --German Politics and Society<br> This work will stand out for some time as a paradigm of socio-cultural history. --Journal

`Evans's book stands as a remarkable scholarly achievement that will set the standard for large scale social histories of German criminal justice' Law and History Review, Summer 2001 `Evan's contribution is breathtaking in the accumulation of otherwise inaccessible information about the infliction of a particular penalty. Through his tireless work, Evans thus has laid the foundation for much future work in the history of punishment as well as in social and political theory' Law and History Review, Summer 2001 `Richard Evans has written the definitive social history of capital punishment in post-medieval Germany ... Rituals of Retribution is easily the most significant achievement in the field of the history of German criminal justice since the publication of Eberhard Schmidt's Einführung in die Geschichte der deutschen Strafrechtspflege' Law and History Review, Summer 2001 `provides fascinating insights into the role of the church in the death penalty throughout German history' Tom Munro, Alternative Law Journal `A must for anyone who is interested in the history of criminal law.' Tom Munro, Alternative Law Journal `the great strength of his book is its detail.' The Times `monumental study...It is a formidable achievement. His text is massively detailed and carefully argued over nearly 1,000 pages. There seems to be almost nothing of relevance that he had not read; even more remarkably, his arguments are grounded on extensive use of archival sources from all centuries, which has also yielded a rich harvest of illlustrations' Times Literary Supplement `massive in size, formidable in scholarship, yet compelling and highly readable' Clive Emsley, History Today `another mammoth, pathbreaking study ... This is a marvellously written exploration of the changing position of capital punishment in German society and politics ... In spite of its length (and weight), the book is difficult to put down. Evans keeps his story moving forward at a brisk tempo, combining subtle analysis with an eye for pointed, sometimes, horrifying detail. The subject is treated solemnly, but it shocks despite the effort to avoid a sensationalist approach to the material ... Evans succeeds in bringing fresh insights to an area of modern history which has already attracted considerable attention ... Politicians, as well as historians, should read this compelling book and take note.' Robin Pearson, Continuity and Change 14:2 1999 `a magnum opus that deals with an abundance of issues and provides a wealth of information ... Evans's scholarly objective is ambitious, his achievement impressive. Evans is very good at unearthing new sources that have so far hardly been used. Evans's book is clearly structured. Despite its length the reader can quickly get an idea of what the author has to say - and it is a good deal. With much joy of discovery and great perspicacity Richard Evans has written a seminal work that is gripping to read and will provide a great deal of inspiration for further research.' Dirk Blasius, Universität/Gesamthochschule Essen, German Historical Institute London Bulletin, Volume XIX, No. 2, November 1997

A monumental study...Strongly recommended for those interested in the history of European jurisprudence and capital punishment. --Choice<br> .,. No country's history on this subject has been explored with the thoroughness that [the author] has lavished on the German experience...Let us hope that before long, historians will do for France, Italy, and other Western European nations what [the author] has done so magisterially for Germany. --The Journal of Interdisciplinary History<br> .,. Offers fascinating insights and a wealth of examples. -- History<br> The author is to be congratulated (and envied) for the diligence and the precision of his efforts to write what will stand as the classic study of the subect for the next two decades. Evans must have spent many years on this impressive work. His prose is clear and interesting and his conclusions are convincing. --German Politics and Society<br> This work will stand out for some time as a paradigm of socio-cultural history. --Journal of Social History<br>

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