Written by one of the foremost German legal historians and edited by a leading UK scholar of comparative criminal law, this is the first English-language book to offer a detailed view of the ideological, political and cultural roots of German criminal law.

Increasingly, international governmental networks and organisations make it necessary to master the legal principles of other jurisdictions. Since the advent of international criminal tribunals this need has fully reached criminal law. A large part of their work is based on comparative research. The legal systems which contribute most to this systemic discussion are common law and civil law, sometimes called continental law. So far this dialogue appears to have been dominated by the former. While there are many reasons for this, one stands out very clearly: Language. English has become the lingua franca of international legal research. The present book addresses this issue. Thomas Vormbaum is one of the foremost German legal historians and the book's original has become a cornerstone of research into the history of German criminal law beyond doctrinal expositions; it allows a look at the system's genesis, its ideological, political and cultural roots. In the field of comparative research, it is of the utmost importance to have an understanding of the law's provenance, in other words its historical DNA.

First book on the English-speaking market world-wide that deals in depth with the modern history of German criminal law Written by one of the foremost German legal historians and edited by a leading scholar of comparative criminal law in the UK, especially with regard to German law Together with the editor's books on German criminal law and procedure it provides a comprehensive introduction to German criminal justice for an Anglophone audience

Inhalt

Introduction.- Delimiting the time period and Methodology.- Criminal law at the beginning of the legal-historical period.- 19th century developments.- The shift from the 19th to the 20th century.- The 20th century.- Current events in criminal law.- Review and outlook.