Gesammelte Werke

Reinhold Schneider spoke in his working notes about the "conscience of the West," whose "spokesman" is Las Casas. Las Casas (1474-1566), the passionate advocate for the equality of the indigenous people in the American colonies against the exploitation and genocide by the Spanish conquerors, embarks for Spain, where he aims to persuade the emperor to enact a fundamental change in colonial policy. His traveling companion Bernardino de Lares, the returning conquistador, encourages Las Casas to fight against the conditions in the colonies. In the significant, historically documented dispute before Charles V, Bernardino, both mentally and physically broken, serves as a witness for Las Casas. In his triumphless victory, Las Casas succeeds in having the emperor proclaim the "New Laws" and takes on the heavy mission of enforcing them as B.