Casual Slaughters and Accidental Judgments

Canadian War Crimes Prosecutions, 1944-1948

Nonfiction, History, Canada, Military, World War II
Cover of the book Casual Slaughters and Accidental Judgments by Patrick Brode, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patrick Brode ISBN: 9781442650886
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: December 15, 1997
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Patrick Brode
ISBN: 9781442650886
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: December 15, 1997
Imprint:
Language: English

War crimes prosecutions create unique difficulties as civilian standards of law are applied to the extraordinary circumstances of war. Governments are often surprisingly hesitant to pursue war criminals. Patrick Brode has produced a fascinating study of such issues in Casual Slaughters and Accidental Judgements, a history of Canada’s prosecution of war crimes committed during the Second World War. It is a history that includes personalities such as Lt. Col. Bruce Macdonald, whose persistence overcame Ottawa’s reluctance to pursue the ‘war crimes business,’ and SS Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer, whose last-minute reprieve from death by firing squad followed a trial reminiscent of a Hollywood melodrama. Brode illustrates the difficulties of applying law to a recently defeated enemy when the emotions and politics of war distort any sense of impartial justice. The trials also reveal much about the legal and diplomatic views that prevailed at the end of the war and democratic Canada’s willingness to overcome its colonial past to defend its own interests on the international stage.

The objectivity of the trials is still subject to question and they have been condemned by some as retaliatory. Brode clearly shows that Canada’s war crimes trials of 1945 to 1948 were a part of a movement to apply humane standards of conduct to warfare. Recent events in places such as Vietnam, Bosnia, and Somalia show how pertinent these concerns remain.

(The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History)

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

War crimes prosecutions create unique difficulties as civilian standards of law are applied to the extraordinary circumstances of war. Governments are often surprisingly hesitant to pursue war criminals. Patrick Brode has produced a fascinating study of such issues in Casual Slaughters and Accidental Judgements, a history of Canada’s prosecution of war crimes committed during the Second World War. It is a history that includes personalities such as Lt. Col. Bruce Macdonald, whose persistence overcame Ottawa’s reluctance to pursue the ‘war crimes business,’ and SS Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer, whose last-minute reprieve from death by firing squad followed a trial reminiscent of a Hollywood melodrama. Brode illustrates the difficulties of applying law to a recently defeated enemy when the emotions and politics of war distort any sense of impartial justice. The trials also reveal much about the legal and diplomatic views that prevailed at the end of the war and democratic Canada’s willingness to overcome its colonial past to defend its own interests on the international stage.

The objectivity of the trials is still subject to question and they have been condemned by some as retaliatory. Brode clearly shows that Canada’s war crimes trials of 1945 to 1948 were a part of a movement to apply humane standards of conduct to warfare. Recent events in places such as Vietnam, Bosnia, and Somalia show how pertinent these concerns remain.

(The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History)

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Strangers and Neighbours by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book The Owl and the Nightingale by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Essays in Political Economy by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Near Eastern Royalty and Rome, 100-30 Bc by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Researches on Fungi, Vol. VII by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Homer and the Question of Strife from Erasmus to Hobbes by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Translating Heidegger by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Philosophical and Theological Papers, 1958-1964 by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Curriculum Reform in Ontario by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book The Earlier Letters of John Stuart Mill 1812-1848 by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Sir Guy Carleton by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Hobbes and America by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Canada's Jews by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book Turkish Guest Workers in Germany by Patrick Brode
Cover of the book The Narreme in the Medieval Romance Epic by Patrick Brode
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy