Law in the GDR in the Legal History of the 20th century

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13312
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Fundamental law
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Nishikawa Yoichi 東京大学, 大学院法学政治学研究科(法学部), 教授 (00114596)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: ドイツ法制史 / 司法権 / 東ドイツ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I have performed an inquiry into the legal system, especially the basic views on the judiciary and the real development of the judicial system of the early GDR. Although there were many possibilities (also in the KPD and the SED) for the development of the judicial system until 1948, a centrally controlled unified judicial system was created by the state-party SED, which acquired despotic power. The so-called “democratic” judiciary under the strong control of the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office was created. Also within the court, the director had many routes to influence the individual decisions of the judges. However, there remained various frictions with the official policy within the judiciary and among legal scholars and the interest of the public towards the judiciary remained low.

Free Research Field

西洋法制史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

旧東ドイツの法制、特に司法権は、決して消滅した国の失敗した試みとして無視されるべきではない。それは（少なくともヨーロッパにおいて）古い伝統を有する「法的なるもの」の社会における意義とその村立条件、裁判官の独立と司法判断の統一性の確保、法や司法における民主的正統性の確保と、法の専門性や裁判官の身分的独立との間の関係といった、現在においても解決されていない多くの問題について、興味深い検討材料を与えてくれるものなのである。