Overview
- Description
- The collection "NJ" consists of over 25,000 single files of selected Nazi trial records compiled at the Archives of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED) Central Party of the East German communist party, after the war. The SED Archives collected original files from different German courts, including the "Volksgerichtshof" (Nazi "People's Court"), district courts and others between 1933 and 1945. Records mainly document resistance and opposition to the Nazis and relate to communists, social democrats, clerics, Jews and members of resistance organizations in the occupied countries. The collection contains some Jewish resistance cases, for example, the resistance group around Herbert Baum. His group and two others led by Siegbert Rotholz, Heinz Joachim and Werner Steinbrincks, with nearly hundred members of mostly Jewish heritage, originated in the Jewish youth movement. Another example of Jewish resistance shortly after Hitler came to power is the group around the social democrat, Gustav Flörsheim. This group operated within a network of several groups consisting of social democrats, union members and other Nazi resistance groups operating all over Germany. The files on these groups include protocols of the interrogations of the defendants, indictments and verdicts.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1920-1955
- Collection Creator
- Bundesarchiv (Germany)
Physical Details
- Language
- German
- Extent
-
1,084,073 digital images : JPEG ; 512 GB.
1,328 microfilm reels (digitized) ; 35 mm.
- System of Arrangement
- The collection consists of over 25,000 single files on 1,328 microfilms. The files relating to a single criminal case are organized by name of the defendant. The files include bills of indictment, verdicts, arrest documents and mercy petitions. The card index is organized in an alphabetical order by names and by lists of charged people
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- This material can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations. To access Bundesarchiv collections researchers must fill out a "Request for Access to Bundesarchiv Documents." German and English-language copies of the "Law on the Preservation and Use of Federal Archival Documents" are available at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives reference desk. The requirement was stipulated by the Bundesarchiv in the cooperative agreement signed with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Conditions on Use
- Requests for reproduction must be directed to the Bundesarchiv. A copy of all publications based on its material must be provided to the Bundesarchiv. Researchers may not publish any Bundesarchiv material on the Internet, the World Wide Web, or any other publicly accessible on-line network without permission from the Bundesarchiv.
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Trials--Germany. War crimes--Germany. World War, 1939-1945--Jewish resistance--Germany. Jews--Germany--History--1933-1945.
- Geographic Name
- Germany--Politics and government--1933-1945.
- Personal Name
- Baum, Herbert, 1912-1942. Rotholz, Siegbert. Joachim, Heinz. Steinbrincks, Werner. Flörsheim, Gustav.
- Corporate Name
- Social Democratic Party of Germany
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
Bundesarchiv (Germany)
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Source of acquisition is the Bundesarchive, Germany. The trial records, documented resistance against the Nazi, were collected by Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED). In 1959 the records were deposited as a part of collection of the Reichs Justice Ministry, Oberreichsanwalt am Volksgerichtshof. The files were separated from their original provenance and were brought together in the newly created "NJ" collection, which was subsequently transferred to the Central Party Archive of the SED. In 1971, the "NJ" collection was classified as confidential and was no longer accessible; microfilming started soon afterwards. Special SED archivists for research on resistance during the Nazi era used the "NJ" collection. The Party thought of itself as being the heir of the “true” Nazi resistance, and this was the basis of the interest of the party into this collection. Some information from the files was used for propaganda purposes as well. In 1992, after Germany's reunification, the Central Party Archive was closed and the collection was transferred to the Bundesarchiv Berlin. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's International Archives Project acquired the microfilms from the Bundesarchiv and transferred the collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives in Oct. 2007. The entire collection was digitized in 2012.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-25 13:10:17
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn524403
Additional Resources
Download & Licensing
- See Rights and Restrictions
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Requires Research Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
