Confronting the "Good Death": Nazi Euthanasia on Trial, 1945-1953
“...[T]he most comprehensive and nuanced analysis of these trials to date; he outlines not only the history of the trials, but also the legal issues surrounding the prosecution of euthanasia crimes, the history of euthanasia in Germany, and the T-4 program’s relationship to the “Final Solution” during the Second World War. Bryant links these interrelated questions seamlessly, drawing for the reader a clear picture of the contingencies that led eventually to the spectacular failure of the euthanasia trials. ... [A] masterful work that enriches tremendously the growing body of literature on postwar trials of Nazi perpetrators. Bryant’s expert juggling of legal, political, and historical complexities provides the reader with an excellent introduction to the euthanasia program, the Final Solution, early postwar American and West German law, and the ultimate victory of national interests over justice.”—Holocaust & Genocide Studies“Bryant’s book offers a unique series of insights into the post-WWII redefinition of euthanasia, after ‘mercy killing’ had served the Nazis as a crucial prelude to the gassings of Jews and other groups. The work will be of great use to legal historians and to Holocaust scholars from all fields, as well as to the general public interested in human rights issues.”—Dr. Janet Ward, co-author ofGerman Studies in the Post-Holocaust Age"Combining the expertise of a historian and a lawyer, Michael Bryant has written a compelling account of how considerations of power and national interest subverted the prosecution of the killers of thousands of helpless persons. Readers will be shaken by Bryant’s account of the fragility of justice and the ways in which law can be used to excuse murder."—Dr. Robert C. Kunath, Associate Professor of History, Illinois College