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How did experts living in post-war Europe understand violence? The book explores the approaches of psychiatrists and psychologists to violent behaviour and crime in three different societies – communist Czechoslovakia, West Germany, and Great Britain between 1945 and 1970. Based on an analysis of forensic expertise and psychiatric reports, the author shows how wartime memories, contemporary mentality, social status, and ethnicity influenced the assessment of human behaviour and the definition of criminal responsibility. A comparison between the two sides of the Iron Curtain reveals both differences as well as shared hopes placed in science, a tool for shaping individuals and society.