In this first episode of the new EuroStorie Podcast season we dive into the history of East Germany, more specifically we tackle some of the narratives when trying to conceptualize “socialist justice” in the GDR. How did the judicial system of the GDR come into being? How did the GDR manage to engage people in upholding and supporting the moral values of the socialist legal system? More importantly, what role does the socialist “legal consciousness” (Rechtsbewusstsein) play in legal practice? University researcher and EuroStorie team leader Ville Erkkilä helps us answer these questions by giving perspectives on socialist justice through the examples of social courts and law on the protection of common property.

This project is supported by the Academy of Finland funded Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives. Podcast hosts: Aada Pettersson and Floris van Doorn.