The Fragility of Law

Constitutional Patriotism and the Jews of Belgium, 1940–1945

Nonfiction, History, Jewish, Holocaust, Military, World War II, Reference & Language, Law
Cover of the book The Fragility of Law by David Fraser, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Fraser ISBN: 9781134021802
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: June 16, 2009
Imprint: Routledge-Cavendish Language: English
Author: David Fraser
ISBN: 9781134021802
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: June 16, 2009
Imprint: Routledge-Cavendish
Language: English

The Fragility of Law examines the ways in which, during the Second World War, the Belgian government and judicial structure became implicated in the identification, exclusion and killing of its Jewish residents, and in the theft - through Aryanization - of Jewish property.

David Fraser demonstrates how a series of political and legal compromises meant that the infrastructure for antisemitic persecutions and ultimately the deaths of thousands of Belgian Jews was Belgian.

Based on extensive archival research in Belgium, France, the United States and Israel, The Fragility of Law offers the first detailed exploration in English of this intriguing and virtually unexplored episode of Holocaust history. Belgian legal officials did not hesitate to invoke the provisions of international law found in the Hague Convention and those guarantees of individual freedom found in the national Constitution to oppose the demands of the German Occupying Authority. However, they remained largely silent when anti-Jewish persecution was at stake. Indeed, despite the 2007 official report of expert historians on Belgian state collaboration in the persecution of the country’s Jewish population, the mythology of "passive collaboration" which has dominated Belgian historiography and accounts of the Holocaust in that country, must be radically rethought.

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

The Fragility of Law examines the ways in which, during the Second World War, the Belgian government and judicial structure became implicated in the identification, exclusion and killing of its Jewish residents, and in the theft - through Aryanization - of Jewish property.

David Fraser demonstrates how a series of political and legal compromises meant that the infrastructure for antisemitic persecutions and ultimately the deaths of thousands of Belgian Jews was Belgian.

Based on extensive archival research in Belgium, France, the United States and Israel, The Fragility of Law offers the first detailed exploration in English of this intriguing and virtually unexplored episode of Holocaust history. Belgian legal officials did not hesitate to invoke the provisions of international law found in the Hague Convention and those guarantees of individual freedom found in the national Constitution to oppose the demands of the German Occupying Authority. However, they remained largely silent when anti-Jewish persecution was at stake. Indeed, despite the 2007 official report of expert historians on Belgian state collaboration in the persecution of the country’s Jewish population, the mythology of "passive collaboration" which has dominated Belgian historiography and accounts of the Holocaust in that country, must be radically rethought.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Genre by David Fraser
Cover of the book German: An Essential Grammar by David Fraser
Cover of the book Wordsworth's Historical Imagination (Routledge Revivals) by David Fraser
Cover of the book Prospects for the World Oil Industry by David Fraser
Cover of the book Constructing Metropolitan Space by David Fraser
Cover of the book Children with Visual Impairments by David Fraser
Cover of the book Uncertainty, Information Management, and Disclosure Decisions by David Fraser
Cover of the book The Handbook of Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play by David Fraser
Cover of the book The Psychology of Criminal Conduct by David Fraser
Cover of the book Food Wars by David Fraser
Cover of the book Military Honour and the Conduct of War by David Fraser
Cover of the book Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Buber by David Fraser
Cover of the book The Muslim Brotherhood by David Fraser
Cover of the book Talking the Talk by David Fraser
Cover of the book William Blake by David Fraser
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