| This doctoral thesis discusses criminal law in Slovenia between 1930 and 1941 (from one year after proclamation of the King's dictatorship and the institution of the new Yugoslav Criminal Law Act, until the Second World War), as reflected by records from the District Court of Maribor. This was one of the courts that then dealt with the most serious crimes.;Because of its many innovations, the new Yugoslav criminal law act of 1930 was a turning point because it took into account not only 'classical punishments', but also 'security sanctions', new laws on juvenile crime, and the 'criminal personality'. In a separate section, the Criminal Law Act included sanctions for a group of seventeen criminal offences, among which crimes against the state and constitution stood out. These criminal offences are such that violate customs and moral standards and oppose state power. Such violations of the law are generally acts that endanger basic human and social rights.;As criminal law is the essence of the law, it is more important than it might seem. Trials in courts of law and the testimony and other statements of defendants, prosecutors and witnesses reflect the social order. Law is always a part of society and its organizational structure. As such, law is the product of social, cultural and economic forces, which in turn are actively created by the respective society. |
