Transitional Justice and Support for Policies of Remembrance after Mass Violence

Prior research suggests that punitive transitional justice (TJ) may foster a sense of collective exoneration among members of perpetrator groups, potentially reducing support for remembrance of ingroup atrocities in the long-term. We employ a two-part empirical strategy to test this potential “hidden cost’’ of TJ in Germany: a vignette experiment manipulating perceptions of the extent of the denazification process and an observational analysis exploiting variance in denazification intensity across occupation zones. Our results reveal that while perceptions of comprehensive Nazi accountability translate into a belief that the entire German in-group has been held accountable, these perceptions do not affect attitudes towards ongoing commemoration or responsibility towards victim groups. Our robust nullfinding demonstrates that perceptions of justice being served do not undermine support for historical closure on mass violence. These results contribute to the broader literature on TJ’s long-term attitudinal impacts and the determinants of support for historical remembrance, emphasizing the enduring importance of moral over legal perceptions of accountability.