science

Volksverhetzung

Volksverhetzung is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Volksverhetzung rather than just read about it. In short: Volksverhetzung (German: [ˈfɔlksfɐˌhɛtsʊŋ] ), in English "incitement of the masses" (used also in the official English translation of the German Criminal Code), "incitement of popular hatred", "incitement to hatred", or "instigation of the people", is a concept in German criminal law that refers to incitement to hatred against segments of the population and refers to calls for violent or arbitrary measures against t…

Key takeaways

Volksverhetzung belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Volksverhetzung to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Volksverhetzung from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Volksverhetzung (German: [ˈfɔlksfɐˌhɛtsʊŋ] ), in English "incitement of the masses" (used also in the official English translation of the German Criminal Code), "incitement of popular hatred", "incitement to hatred", or "instigation of the people", is a concept in German criminal law that refers to incitement to hatred against segments of the population and refers to calls for violent or arbitrary measures against them, including assaults against the human dignity of others by insulting, maliciously maligning, or defaming segments of the population. It is often applied to, though not limited to, trials relating to Holocaust denial in Germany. The criminal code (Strafgesetzbuch) Chapter 7 (Offences against public order), Paragraph 130 (incitement of the masses) of the Federal Republic of Germany defines when a person is guilty of Volksverhetzung.

Constituent elements Incitement of the People (Volksverhetzung) is defined by § 130 (incitement of the masses) Section 1 of the Criminal Code:

Section 1 Whoever, in a manner suited to causing a disturbance of the public peace, incites hatred against a national, racial, religious group or a group defined by their ethnic origin, against sections of the population or individuals on account of their belonging to one of the aforementioned groups or sections of the population, or calls for violent or arbitrary measures against them or violates the human dignity of others by insulting, maliciously maligning or defaming one of the aforementioned groups, sections of the population or individuals on account of their belonging to one of the aforementioned groups or sections of the population incurs a penalty of imprisonment for a term of between three months and five years.

Substantiation Although freedom of speech is mentioned by Article 5 of the Basic Law (Germany's constitution), said article basically protects any non-outlawed speech. Restrictions exist, e.g. against personal insults, use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations, or Volksverhetzung. For any hate speech to be punishable as Volksverhetzung, the law requires that said speech be "qualified for disturbing public peace" either by inciting "hatred against parts of the populace" or calling for "acts of violence or despotism against them", or by attacking "the human dignity of others by reviling, maliciously making contemptible or slandering parts of the populace". "Germany places strict limits on speech and expression when it comes to right-wing extremism" or anything reminiscent of Nazism. Hate speech on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity also is banned in Germany.

Application to offences committed abroad Offences contrary to § 130 of the Criminal Code committed abroad, whether by German nationals or foreigners, can be pursued as a domestic crime when they so act as if they had been committed within the country, affecting the public peace in Germany and violating the human dignity of German citizens. It is sufficient, for example, that criminal content on the Internet, for example in the form of a HTML page, can be accessed from Germany. Hence, for example, the jurisdiction of German courts can be applied for offences of sedition (Volksverhetzungsdelikte) committed abroad. Such an example was the conviction of the Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel by the District Court of Mannheim in February 2007, who was convicted of inciting propaganda he had published from the US and Canada on the Internet.

Similar laws in other countries

Similar laws exist around the world, some examples of which are mentioned below.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Volksverhetzung

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Volksverhetzung claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Volksverhetzung before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Volksverhetzung ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Volksverhetzung

In research: Volksverhetzung appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Volksverhetzung in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Volksverhetzung is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anti-Nazism in Germany, German criminal law, German words and phrases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Volksverhetzung outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Volksverhetzung in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Volksverhetzung means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Volksverhetzung out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Volksverhetzung in simple terms?

Why does Volksverhetzung matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Volksverhetzung?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Volksverhetzung.