high treason
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high treason
A serious crime against the state that aims to violently abolish its constitutional order or endanger the existence of the state.
Die Anführer des Putschversuchs wurden wegen Hochverrats angeklagt.
The leaders of the attempted coup were charged with high treason.
The word is made up of 'hoch' (high) and 'Verrat' (treason/betrayal). 'Verrat' means disloyalty or betrayal. The prefix 'hoch-' intensifies this and indicates that it is the most serious betrayal: betrayal of one's own state.
Spionage für eine fremde Macht kann als Verrat am eigenen Land gelten.
Spying for a foreign power can be considered betrayal of one's own country.
'Hochverrat' (high treason) is a legal term. It is used mainly in legal, political, or historical contexts. In normal everyday life, the word practically never occurs.
Im Geschichtsunterricht lernten wir über Fälle von Hochverrat in der Weimarer Republik.
In history class, we learned about cases of high treason in the Weimar Republic.
Because it is a legal term, 'Hochverrat' (high treason) often appears with certain verbs: you can 'Hochverrat begehen' (commit high treason), 'des Hochverrats angeklagt werden' (be charged with high treason), or 'wegen Hochverrats verurteilt werden' (be convicted of high treason).
Der General wurde des Hochverrats angeklagt, weil er einen Putsch geplant hatte.
The general was charged with high treason because he had planned a coup.
uprising / fuss
'der Aufstand' and 'der Hochverrat' can both have to do with violence against a government or a state. The difference is in the perspective. 'der Aufstand' describes the action of a group against an authority, that is, the event itself. 'der Hochverrat' is a legal term for a very serious crime against the state. An uprising can be judged to be high treason, but it does not always have to be called that. The words can be confused because both sound political and dangerous. For the event, Aufstand fits; for the legal accusation, Hochverrat fits.
Die Anklage wegen Hochverrats wurde vor Gericht verhandelt.
The charge of high treason was heard in court.
Der Aufstand gegen die Regierung begann in mehreren Städten gleichzeitig.
The uprising against the government began in several cities at the same time.