Caroline Morris '22

Major: International Studies, French Studies
Bio: Caroline Morris is from Clinton, New Jersey and is a Sophomore at Fordham College Lincoln Center studying International Studies and French. Her interests are in international law and transitional justice. She hopes to go to law school after graduating from Fordham.

Title of Research: The United States of America versus Otto Ohlendorf, et al.: Post-War Justice in Germany
Mentor: Professor Edward Bristow
Abstract: This research investigates the proceedings and effects of one of the twelve Subsequent Nuremberg military tribunal cases, The United States of America versus Otto Ohlendorf, et al, which tried leaders of the paramilitary death squad known as the Einsatzgruppen, which operated in the Soviet Union under the Nazi Party during World War II. I first describe the formation and function of the Einsatzgruppen and the background of the defendants, including the main defendant, Otto Ohlendorf. I outline the charges, the prosecution’s and defense’s legal arguments and justifications, and the original sentence. I then explain how and why retributive justice was actually barely executed, mainly due to changing political tides and new waves of German nationalism. I argue that, although retributive justice was barely executed after the Subsequent Nuremberg trials, the trials were instrumental in facilitating German transitional justice and cultural memory.