Documentary
Crime
War & Politics

Crime in Post-War Germany

The two-part documentary Crime in Post-War Germany shows how strained life was between 1945 and 1949 in the four occupied zones. Using the example of individual, particularly serious criminal cases, like in Dresden where a wood collector comes across the severed legs of a person or in Hamburg, where the so-called rubble murders terrify the whole city.

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Created By

Status

Returning Series

Original Name

Crime in Post-War Germany

First Air Date

February 20, 2020

Last Air Date

February 27, 2020

Seasons

1

Episodes

2

Language

English

Production Companies

ZDF

Networks

The West
S01E02

The West

Robbery, murder, rape. After the war, West Germany was the scene of a great deal of brutal crime. On the German-Belgian border, children risk their lives for something to eat. In Bavaria, a woman is abused by US soldiers. Amidst the ruins of Hamburg, inhabitants make a shocking discovery. What lengths would people go to back then? And how did criminals exploit the chaos? The documentary shows how strained life was in the West zones, and how a society in tatters struggled to find new values. The death penalty itself is put on trial. In Tübingen, the final execution takes place in February 1949 following a judgement by the West German authorities. The foundation of the Federal Republic three months later heralded the dawn of a new era.

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