Denunciation in Styria 1938 - 1945

Denunciation during the NS-period has not yet been systematically investigated in German speaking countries. For the first time this study tries to bring light into this phenomenon of denunciation by studying the criminal proceedings against denunciation. The "famous" cases of denunciation against the members of the Resistance will be analysed as well as the "everyday" denunciation. It was part of the NS-regime to denunciate your neighbour or your lodger because of listening to the "enemy`s radio programs" or making critical remarks about the regime. Who denunciated whom and why die they do it? What were the consequences of such an accusation? What were the motives of the denunciator? The careful analysis of all types of denunciation should make it possible to see the pressure by National-socialism in a different way. To do this the proceedings dealt with in the people`s court procedures of Graz and Leoben and all corresponding files of the Austrian national archives and the daily newspapers will be investigated. This study examines for the first time in Austria the voluminous sources of the people`s court files concerning a practical phenomenon of the NS-everyday life.

The significance of denunciation for the functioning of the NS-regime has been mostly ignored by science so far. The scientific study Denunciation in the time of National Socialism in Styria analyses the phenomenon of denunciation in Styria based on the documents of the "Volksgerichte" (people`s court) after 1945. The Austrian law of war crimes in 1945 laid down who had been prosecuted. The study shows the National Socialistic involvement of the people of Styria. More than 2000 pre-trial hearings and criminal proceedings in Graz and Leoben against informers were recorded now in this study. With more than 2000 probable and sentenced delinquents also 1800 victims of denunciation were recorded - victims, who violated Nazi laws and orders such as listening to the enemy`s radio stations, defeatism or forbidden contact with foreign workers and prisoners of war. In the contrary to former studies which dealt only with minor aspects of denunciation (denunciation just to local NS-authorities or small geographic areas) this study looks over an area with 1,1 Million inhabitants. The analyses of the records of the "Volksgericht" (people`s court) in Graz and Leoben shows that 42 % of all cases of denunciation were brought to NSDAP authorities, 27 % were made at rural police stations, 14 % to Gestapo, 6 % elsewhere (military, mayor) and 9 % to superiors. The consequences were numerous: 13 % were followed by no reaction, 13 % were only served a summons, 20 % were imprisoned without judgement, 38 % were sentenced to prison by a special court. The two main motives for denunciation come out clearly: One group of informers were in line with the Nazi regime and the second group was engaged in a personal conflict. Only 2 % of the sentenced informers after 1945 were Gestapo informants. A second part of the study is concerned with how denunciation was dealt with by the judicial system after 1945. The analyses of the "Volksgerichte" (people`s court) records shows that a conviction was achieved after a confession or a charge or judgement of a NS-court. Without these kinds of evidence the proceedings were most of the time dropped without further investigations. About 550 informers were sentenced to prison for one week up to 18 years.