Krieg erinnern: Der Zweite Weltkrieg in der nationalen und europäischen Erinnerungspolitik

End of the Second World War brought an issue of prosecuting perpetrators of war crimes on the agenda of many governments in Europe. Some of the post-war trials like e.g. The Nuremberg trial became symbols of postwar retribution. The trials of minor perpetrators extradited to places in which they had committed their crimes also became important element of postwar scenery in Central-Eastern European countries such as Poland. End of the decade of 1940's and begin of the Cold War brought work of justice into a halt, and amount of trials and investigations decreased. In 1950's in newly-created West nad East Germany, as well as in Poland, prosecuting of war criminals became minor political and social problem. This situation however changed in next decade, when both the Eichmann trial as well as Auschwitz trial held in Frankfurt am Main brought "second wave" of retribution in Europe. In my project I would like to focus on comparative study of social impact made by the trials of war criminals on public opinion in two German states as well as in Poland. My goal is to make a comparison if and to what extent the postwar trials were used as a propaganda tool, or a way of gaining political popularity both by by democratic authorities in Bonn, as well as authoritarian government in Warsaw. In my research I intend to put an accent on media coverage of the trials, and issues connected with prosecuting war criminals and their crimes.