Kurt Gerstein entered the Waffen-SS in 1941 with the intention of working against the Nazi regime from the inside. Despite being required to participate in some of the criminal activities of the SS, Gerstein believed he could be most effective for the resistance if he remained in the SS. This thesis examines the evidence presented in and the results of three separate legal proceedings (a criminal trial, a Denazification hearing and a rehabilitation and compensation case) which took place in the 24 years following Gerstein's death in 1945. Each of the three proceedings was brought about for a different legal purpose, and therefore involved different laws and standards for judgment. However, all of the proceedings dealt with the problem of balancing the incriminating nature of Gerstein's means of resistance against what he had hoped to accomplish, or did accomplish, from that position.

No description available.