Der Prozess gegen den Kaiser

This book is only available in German.

Professor William Schabas describes in detail the last days of the First World War, when the victorious powers attempted to bring Kaiser Wilhelm II before an international criminal court.

The Kaiser had fled to the Netherlands. During the peace conference, the Commission on Responsibilities brought together international jurists for the first time to discuss international criminal jurisdiction. They recommended that the Kaiser be tried before an international war crimes tribunal. President Wilson agreed to a trial for a "grave offense against international moral law." This clause was included in the Treaty of Versailles, one of the few that the Germans tried to resist.

The Kaiser spent his final years in a castle near Utrecht and died of natural causes in June 1941. This book makes it possible to understand the origins of the International Criminal Courts and the fight against impunity for crimes relevant under international law.

Downloads

Table of contents
book cover