English source-aligned edition

Konstantin von Neurath

sentenced by the IMT to 15 years’ imprisonment; released for reasons of health in 1954 after serving eight years 1873–1956

Konstantin von Neurath served as German Foreign Minister from 1932 to 1938 and Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia from 1939 to 1941. The profile reconstructs the person’s function in Germany and the occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia through documented office, decisions, supervision or operational conduct. It does not assign every crime committed by an institution or region to one individual.

Aggressive warOccupation administrationAdministrative repressionRacial persecution

Confirmed findings

As Foreign Minister, Neurath participated in the regime’s policies encompassing withdrawal from the League of Nations, rearmament, the restoration of universal military service and the remilitarisation of the Rhineland.
After leaving the Foreign Ministry in February 1938 he retained formal positions in the regime, and on 18 March 1939 he was appointed Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia.
The Tribunal found that under his authority in the Protectorate the free press, political parties and trade unions were abolished, industry was incorporated into the German war economy and Nazi anti-Jewish laws were introduced.
The judgment also addressed mass arrests of Czechs, the closure of universities, the imprisonment of students and a Germanisation memorandum approved by Neurath that proposed removing the intelligentsia and groups capable of resistance.
The International Military Tribunal found him guilty on all four counts and sentenced him to 15 years in prison; he was released for reasons of health in 1954 after serving eight years.

Place in the chain of responsibility

Neurath’s profile connects two distinct phases: diplomatic support for the state’s aggressive policy and leadership of the administration of the occupied Protectorate. Attribution rests on the IMT judgment’s findings about his offices, knowledge and authority; it does not automatically transfer to him every police act or Heydrich’s later terror.

Key events and mechanisms

leadership of the German Foreign Office from 1932 to 1938 during rearmament and the remilitarisation of the Rhineland
appointment as Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia on 18 March 1939
repression, exploitation and the Germanisation memorandum in the Protectorate in 1939–1941
conviction on all four counts by the IMT on 1 October 1946
release from prison for reasons of health in 1954

No victim-count ranking

The circle records authority, function and agency. Several profiles may describe different parts of the same persecution chain, so profile-level totals must not be added together.

Postwar accountability

The IMT found Neurath guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. He received a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. He was released for reasons of health in 1954 after serving eight years and died in 1956.

Limits of the evidence

The profile separates his term as Foreign Minister (1932–1938) from the period in which he actually exercised the office of Reich Protector (18 March 1939–27 September 1941). He formally retained the title until August 1943, but went on leave and refused to continue acting after Heydrich was sent to Prague. The judgment also noted his interventions for some detainees; these mitigating circumstances did not alter the finding of guilt on all four counts.

Sources

The source set combines institutional, archival, trial or scholarly material from at least two independent publishers.