Roland Freisler: Nazi Judge Who Sent Thousands to Death in Hitler’s People’s Court

Roland Freisler, a Nazi judge and President of the People’s Court, became one of the most feared figures of the Third Reich by turning trials into instruments of terror and mass execution. Roland Freisler stands among the most feared figures of Nazi Germany during the Second World War - a judge who transformed the law into a weapon and turned courtrooms into theatrical stages of humiliation, intimidation, and death. Born in 1893, Freisler began his career as an ambitious lawyer, but after the Nazis seized power in 1933, he quickly emerged as one of the regime’s most ruthless legal architects. His rise accelerated when he became State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Justice, helping reshape the German legal system into an instrument of dictatorship. In 1942, Freisler reached the peak of his power: Hitler appointed him President of the notorious People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof), a venue created to crush dissent and eliminate political enemies. Under Freisler’s leadership, the court delivered more than 5,000 death sentences, often after trials lasting only minutes. Wearing his trademark blood-red robe, he shouted down defendants, mocked their backgrounds, and denied them any real chance of defense. His most infamous trials followed the failed July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler. Freisler presided over the proceedings with fury, verbally assaulting the conspirators. Many were sentenced to death by hanging with piano wire, filmed for propaganda. Freisler’s reign ended abruptly on 3 February 1945 when an Allied bombing raid struck the People’s Court in Berlin. He was killed by falling debris—an ironic end for a man who sent thousands to their deaths.This episode is part of the series High-Ranking officials of the Third Reich.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv