Catastrophe of Science?! The Escalation of Violence, Wartime Atrocities and War Crimes as Instruments of International (non-) Cooperation within Jurisprudence 1914–1919

Segesser, Daniel Marc (2018). Catastrophe of Science?! The Escalation of Violence, Wartime Atrocities and War Crimes as Instruments of International (non-) Cooperation within Jurisprudence 1914–1919. Zeitgeschichte, 45(1), pp. 57-77. Studienverlag

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This contribution starts with a dictum from the German classical philologist, Hermann Diels. He referred to a ‘catastrophe of science’ which led most academics and scientists to support national war efforts at the beginning of World War One. This study examines the way in which the escalation of violence during the war and related wartime atrocities influenced international co-operation between jurists, something which Gustave Moynier identified as a prerequisite factor for limiting violence in war within a legal framework. Many jurists, especially those on the side the Entente, linked the escalation of violence and wartime atrocities with the legal concept of ‘crime’ and thereby turned an instrument of international co-operation into one of national mobilisation. A similar development was evident among jurists of the Central Powers. This article also discusses the impact which the curtailment of international co-operation at almost all levels throughout the war years had on the escalation of violence and asks how appropriate Diels’ aforementioned dictum has been.

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