The Trial of the Kaiser - Hardcover

Schabas, William A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198833857 ISBN 13: 9780198833857

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2018

Synopsis

In the immediate aftermath of the armistice that ended the First World War, the Allied nations of Britain, France, and Italy agreed to put the fallen German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II on trial, in what would be the first ever international criminal tribunal. In Britain, Lloyd George campaigned for re-election on the slogan 'hang the Kaiser', but the Italians had only lukewarm support for a trial, and there was outright resistance from the United States.

During the Peace Conference, international lawyers gathered for the first time to debate international criminal justice. They recommended trial of the Kaiser by an international tribunal for war crimes, and the Americans relented, agreeing to a trial for a 'supreme offence against international morality'. However, the Kaiser had fled to the Netherlands where he obtained asylum, and though the Allies threatened a range of measures if the former Emperor was not surrendered, the Dutch refused and the demands were dropped in March 1920.

This book, from renowned legal scholar William A. Schabas, sheds light on perhaps the most important international trial that never was. Schabas draws on numerous primary sources hitherto unexamined in published work, including transcripts which vividly illuminate this period of international law making. As such, he has written a book which constitutes a history of the very beginnings of international criminal justice, a history which has never before been fully told.

About this title

About the Author:

William A. Schabas, Professor of International Law, Middlesex University in London

William A. Schabas is professor of international law at Middlesex University in London. He is also professor of international human law and human rights at Leiden University, distinguished visiting faculty at Sciences Po in Paris, and honorary chairman of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. Professor Schabas holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Toronto and LLB, LLM and LLD degrees from the University of Montreal, as well as several honorary doctorates. He is the author of more than twenty books in the fields of human rights and international criminal law. Professor Schabas drafted the 2010 and 2015 United Nations quinquennial reports on the death penalty. He was a member of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Professor Schabas is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Royal Irish Academy since 2007.

Review:

"the author's style carries readers enjoyably along. But his real achievement lies in the bookâs carefully organized and meticulously documented substance. Its 18 chapters strike a successful balance between following the history of the project of trying the Kaiser and analysing the issues it had to confront, legal as well as political." -- David Bentley, International Affairs

"Published during the attempted trial's ongoing centennial, the book offers a comprehensive account of its political and legal history. It is skillfully researched, commanding a range of sources that makes possible the telling of what amounts to a global tale of international politics and law. ... overall the book succeeds in telling the story in enough particulars to satisfy scholars, while still being accessible to a general reader." -- Arshan Barzani, Lawfare

"Professor Schabas explores the whole question of a trial with erudition and discrimination. His book will be of special interest to lawyers and students of international law, but it is written with the general reader in mind too. Its lucidity and good sense make it an attractive and always interesting work of scholarship." -- Allan Massie, Catholic Herald

"Not many authors can write a compelling book about an event that never happened. Yet, William Schabas has done exactly that ... The Trial of the Kaiser is meticulously researched and brings gripping insight to the origins of international criminal justice, unearthing the roots of today's codified and customary international criminal and humanitarian law. It recounts the history of the very first time world leaders and international lawyers began contemplating an international criminal tribunal. Moreover, the book resonates with modern parallels by touching on fundamental issues that still fuel debate among scholars and nations." -- Dr. Mark Ellis, Los Angeles Review of Books

"Schabas has done meticulous research among the unpublished archival records of this titanic legal struggle." -- Isabel V. Hull, New York Review of Books

"terrifically readable ... Schabas, a leading authority on international criminal law ... has produced a thorough and engaging account of the ambitious - if confused and ultimately abortive - attempt to bring the German Emperor to trial." -- Lawrence R. Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

"It seeks and succeeds in charting a historic process. It picks its way delicately through the issues and the motivations of various countries. It is assured in place and time, with contemporary issues explained briskly and satisfactorily. ... In all this, it is a work of serious historic merit." -- Hugh MacDonald, The Herald

"A fascinating readable account by a leading specialist in international criminal law." -- Jus Gentium

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0198833857
• ISBN 13: 9780198833857
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 432