in Spite of the Cold war and the Berlin blockade existed up 4. February 1949 and, amazingly, still a unified Berlin justice. Reason for this was that the first alone is relevant to new power had commander-in-chief of the Soviet Union, the Authorities of the court of Directors, not with a line of loyal Communists, but anti-fascists from the bourgeois camp to be occupied. Nazis ban the profession.
The Neurekrutierung of the Judiciary, however, led to significant problems. The district court of Berlin-Mitte, a wrong magistrate had gone on the glue, as it turned out – a often-Convicted. In that time, a pharmacy Professor, the first chamber of the court President, was also due to the injury crisis. Prof. Dr. Arthur Kanger was not a lawyer, but had had as a long-standing court to do chemist do something with the justice. He came from the Baltic States and spoke in Russian, and this will probably be the main reason for his appointment.
friction between the judges
frictions there were between the newly deployed and already in the Weimar Republic, judges. Max Berger, the later military Prosecutor of the GDR, had already been created at the end of 1945, a “list of the politically unreliable senior officials”. In addition to such disputes, the courts had to contend in that time, especially with the lack of work materials. Processes had to be cancelled because of coveted pieces of evidence disappeared from the evidence room. Court judgments were written on the back of maps, vacation requests, or military leadership certificates. At the end of Service the write were to hide machines in the wardrobes and the bulbs to Unscrew. In the Winter, it was all halls and stole what was burn: even chairs, tables and wood panelling in the session.
Also, for political reasons, things weren’t perfect violently in the Berlin justice. Already on 29. May 1947 was suspended Prosecutor General Kühnast, who lived in the Eastern sector, and placed under house arrest. Kühnast had once been personally used by the Soviet town commander of Berzarin. Stubbornly, the anecdote holds that Berzarin should have asked in the post of his adviser, who is the “greatest” lawyer in Berlin. And Kühnast and appointed, was named. Kühnast was, in fact, the greatest Jurist far and wide, however, more related to the body size.
Erich began his career Mielke straight
Now he was accused by the Soviet side, the Nazis showed to have to be hesitant on the dock. From the Western side of the Arrest Kühnasts was brought in, that he had intended to rise against Erich Mielke, the future of the Stasi-boss, charge. At the time, whose career as head of the police-inspection Berlin-Lichtenberg and the ZK (Central Committee) of the Communist party, where he was for the police and the justice began. Him in 1931, was accused of, on today’s Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz – two police officers shot, for which he was convicted in 1993 of law.
The Western allies arranged Kühnasts release, what made the Soviet military administration, however, made little impression. Kühnast was only on 3. In August 1948, after a total of 431 days house arrest, his captors by fleeing to the Western sector to slip away.
Nevertheless, there were still a unified Berlin justice, although it was now already come to a division of the city administration and the police. Now it should also propose the cross-sector justice the last hour. On 3. February 1949 was arrested the 71-year-old managing Director at the court of Oskar Scheib, which had to get from the current court of appeal President, Dr. Georg struck mountain in Order to create files in the West. The fast court of Berlin-Mitte sentenced Scheib, even on the day of detention to 18 months in prison.
the relocation of The chamber court in Berlin-Moabit
In the framework of the investigation against him was heard in court of appeal President struck a mountain for several hours. Then went immediately to Moabit, and announced there before the assembled press, the laying of the superior court. Thus, the justice division was perfect. From now on, two-chamber courts, and thus two systems of Justice existed in Berlin. The highest court of Berlin, had previously suffered from a road in the Soviet sector, now also in the UK, in York-the house at Fehrbelliner Platz, a home. Both in the East and in the West, he refused to surrender the documents with the same arguments: They accused each other of illegality.
The division of the Berlin justice was with the drifting Apart of the former allies, with their different economic systems and currencies seems inevitable. Since the first people’s judge in East Berlin have already been used shortly after the justice division in February 1949, was able to stick it in there already soon to some of the dismissals of “political doubts” judges, prosecutors and other employees. It even met the judge, the SED members were and even before the Second world war, members of the KP. A reason for such dismissals could the Western prisoner of war legacy, to a residence in West Berlin and the non-membership in the FDGB. The East Berlin court of appeal President Dr. Hans friend was already by 1950, the victim of a such a Review, and dismissed. He also fled to the West, because he felt persecuted by the resurgence of anti-Semitism as a Jew politically. In West-Berlin, he had, as a former member of the SED and member of the provisional people’s chamber of the GDR, however, the greatest difficulty, to gain a foothold.
In the Eastern part, there were almost consistently people judge
While in West Berlin in the Nazi era judges were back in their Offices, were the judges, the new judge in East Berlin, almost all of the People. So the judge without a University degree, were specially trained, and as a faithful subject. Applications for the national school of magistrates were to be submitted through the mediation of a political party, of the Free German trade Union Federation or of the women’s Committee.
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70 years after the Berlin Blockade, such As the air bridge to the myth was
Hermann Rudolph
The author has written several books on Berlin’s judicial history.
