Verlag D.Oesterreichische "Arisierung" und Restitution von land- und forstwirtschaftlichem Vermögen Broché

The confiscation and restitution of agricultural and forestry assets during the Nazi era has so far received little attention in legal historical research. This publication is first dedicated to the analysis of the legal bases and legal policy aspects of the "Aryanizations" from 1938 onwards and the restitutions after 1945 with a specific agrarian focus, which are presented comprehensively and on a broad basis of sources. By means of a micro-historical approach, general conclusions can also be drawn about the special features of "Aryanizations" and provisions in agriculture and forestry from regional actors presented for the first time. A core part of this methodology are the case studies from the district of St. Pölten-Land, which provide a variety of insights into the socio-economic and social environment of the affected families. On the one hand, they show how injustice could come to light in a wide variety of forms disguised as law, how dehumanization occurred in personal fates, and where ultimately proceedings sometimes had problematic outcomes in the actual restitution process. On the other hand, the case studies reveal a great biographical diversity and breadth, ranging from the typical "country Jew" to the banker as a landowner, from the cosmopolitan who commuted between America and Maria Anzbach as early as the 1920s, to very wealthy and emancipated women. In this cosmos, we meet Egon Schiele and Arthur Schnitzler, the Freud and Tugendhat families, Hitler's personal physician Theo Morell, and a surreal family connection to Adolf Eichmann. The book deliberately goes beyond a purely legal analysis or presentation on a meta-level, especially since it sees itself as a contribution to "never forgetting", and seeks to restore history to those from whom it was taken.