The Nuremberg Trials

The Allies and the Trials

Winston Churchill did not want a trial
Thought all should be hung

Americans and Russians wanted a trial How do you try people for the murder of millions of people that had been made legal under Hitler?

The Lieber Code

Compiled by Frances Lieber and given to American soldiers during the Civil War
It detailed how civilians, prisoners of war, and spied were to be treated Other nations, including Britain, France, and Germany prepared similar manuals View the code See important parts of the code

The Hague
Held in 1907 in Hague, Netherlands
Focused on the rights of civilians and soldiers who have surrendered

Geneva Accord
Established how prisoners of war were to be treated and called for the protection of the wounded.

Previous Violations
World War I- Germany while unprovoked, invaded Belgium
Treaty of Versailles said Kaiser Wilhelm was to be tried for aggression, but those trials never took place

1915- Turks massacred the Armenians in genocide- no trials took place Video of Armenian Genocide

The Crimes
Crime of conspiracy
Leaders, organizers, instigators, and accomplices in the formulation or execution of a common plan, or a conspiracy to commit any of the following crimes are responsible for all acts performed by any persons in executing such a plan.

The Crimes
Crimes against peace Planning, preparing or initiating a war of aggression. War Crimes
This meant breaking the rules of war. It included killing prisoners or war and destroying homes and property

The Crimes
Crimes against humanity
The murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population before or during the war.

Who should be tried?

The first job facing the court at Nuremberg was to decide who should be tried. 24 Nazis were indicted 22 stood trial The rest were turned over to local trials

How the trials were set up

Allies formed the International Military Tribunal (IMT) to bring the Nazi leaders to trial
Tribunal is a court of justice

The defendants were made aware of all charges, each was entitled to a lawyer and had the right to plead his own case, offering witnesses and evidence on his behalf.

The Nuremberg Trials

Began Nov. 20, 1945 and lasted 10 months Chief prosecutor was Robert H. Jackson, justice on United States Supreme Court
Opening Statement by Jackson

Statement by Jackson
We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants today is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well.

The Prosecution
Used the Nazis own records Tried to show the Nazis planned a war and planned to conquer the world if they could
A crime against peace

A minor part of the prosecution was documents and witnesses of the Holocaust

The Defense
Too much evidence to claim the Holocaust didnt happen
Had to make case on other issues

Said tribunal had no legal authority Said they were just following orders

The Defense
Vehemently denied responsibility for crimes against humanity

The Defense
Used the argument Fuhrer-prinzip
Nazi leadership principal All orders given in Germany were Hitlers orders and the punishment for not obeying was death.

The Nuremberg Trials

The details of what the Nazis had done became vivid to the rest of the world

Sentences
Martin Bormann
Hitlers secretary, was tried in absentia, never captured, sentenced to die

Sentences
Hermann Goering Highest ranking official, 2nd to Hitler Commanded the Luftwaffe Set up the Gestapo Sentenced to death, but took poison hours before he was to be hung

Sentences
Jochaim von Ribbentrop
Hitlers foreign minister Deported Jews from occupied countries to the East

Sentences
Julius Streicher
Published Der Stuermer, an antisemitic newspaper Found guilty of inciting the population to abuse, maltreat, and slay their fellow citizens.

Later Trials
The first Nuremberg Trials were followed by a dozen others. Those accused
Military leaders High-ranking SS and police officers Doctors who performed selections and medical experiments Businessmen who used slave labor

Later Trials
The Allies extradited many Nazis to nations once occupied by Germany Norwegians convicted Prime Minister Vidkun Quisling French convicted Henri-Philippe Petain

Later Trials
Rudolf Hess
Tried by the Poles and the Czechs Was the Commandant at Auschwitz Sentenced to life in prison

Results of the Nuremberg Trials

Told the world in great detail about the Holocaust Established the principle that individuals cant escape responsibility for their actions by saying they were following orders Set the standards for judging the actions of nations in the future

Adolf Eichmann Trial

Some high ranking Nazis escaped from the Allies
One was Adolf Eichman

Did more than any other Nazi to persecute Jews Was in charge of deporting Jews from all over Europe to death camps

Tracking Down Eichmann

Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, was instrumental in tracking Eichmann to Argentina Found in 1949, but by then, most countries had lost interest and would not extradite Nazis

The Trial of Adolf Eichmann

April 11, 1961 Eichmann walks into a courtroom in Jerusalem, Isreal
Put in bulletproof glass booth, for his protection

Main focus was crimes against the Jewish people

Eichmanns Defense
His main defense was just following orders He also lied about how much authority he had, what he knew, and what he did.

Eichmanns sentence
Was sentenced to death He is the only person executed by the State of Israel

Effect of Eichmann Trial

More Holocaust survivors came forward to tell their stories More scholars studied the Holocaust

Nazi Hunters
Individuals and organizations known as Nazi Hunters still actively seek to bring Nazis to trial. The Butcher of Lyons was sentenced to life in prison in 1987.