The fate of twenty-two major Nazi criminal trials laid in the hands of the powerful Allied judges. The Nuremberg trials were legal proceedings against German Nazi former leaders for crimes committed before and during World War II. The Nuremberg trials lasted from 1945 to 1949. This tribunal presided over international war crimes for the first time in the long history of warfare (Rice 8). The Nuremberg trials started to resolve the crimes committed by Nazis during World War II. During the trials, criminals were punished for their crime or were found not guilty. The aftermath of the trials changed how today’s society manages crimes.
At the end of World War II, the allied powers sought to bring those responsible for the Holocaust and World …show more content…
The trials took place from 1945 to 1949 in Nuremberg, Germany, where Hitler’s Nazi party once held its political rallies (Goda). “Now, for the first time, a court made up of representatives from different countries set itself to the task of persecuting and punishing wartime atrocities that concerned the entire world” (Davenport 15). The Nuremberg trials were the first set of trials that set a judgment on others’ fate. Herman Goring, one of the many defendants, was considered to be the number two man in the Nazi Germany after Hitler. Goring waged a vigorous defense on his own behalf. Goring committed suicide by swallowing poison two hours before his trial (Forgotten Trials). Several defendants knew they were guilty or not before the trials even began. Other people who played key roles in the Holocaust, including high-level government officials and business executives who used concentration camp inmates as forced laborers, received short prison sentences or no penalty at all (The Nuremberg Trials). The trials lasted 218 days, with 236 witnesses questioned, 5,330 documents and 200,000 statements submitted as evidence and 25,000 pages of protocol written. The hearings shed light on the dimensions of the Nazi regimes crimes. The conclusion of the trials came out on September 30 and October 1, 1946, which led to twelve defendants receiving death sentences, seven received prison sentences, and three were found not guilty (Goda). The aftermath of these trials affected peoples’ lives and how the crimes committed were further handled. The Nuremberg trials triggered some criticism. The sentences were harsh and no procedure existed for appealing the judgments (Goda). “Despite the many judicial setbacks that came after the major trials, the Nuremberg legacy is a proud one” (Davenport, 80). In defiance of these criticisms, the Nuremberg trials had far-reaching
At the end of World War II, the allied powers sought to bring those responsible for the Holocaust and World …show more content…
The trials took place from 1945 to 1949 in Nuremberg, Germany, where Hitler’s Nazi party once held its political rallies (Goda). “Now, for the first time, a court made up of representatives from different countries set itself to the task of persecuting and punishing wartime atrocities that concerned the entire world” (Davenport 15). The Nuremberg trials were the first set of trials that set a judgment on others’ fate. Herman Goring, one of the many defendants, was considered to be the number two man in the Nazi Germany after Hitler. Goring waged a vigorous defense on his own behalf. Goring committed suicide by swallowing poison two hours before his trial (Forgotten Trials). Several defendants knew they were guilty or not before the trials even began. Other people who played key roles in the Holocaust, including high-level government officials and business executives who used concentration camp inmates as forced laborers, received short prison sentences or no penalty at all (The Nuremberg Trials). The trials lasted 218 days, with 236 witnesses questioned, 5,330 documents and 200,000 statements submitted as evidence and 25,000 pages of protocol written. The hearings shed light on the dimensions of the Nazi regimes crimes. The conclusion of the trials came out on September 30 and October 1, 1946, which led to twelve defendants receiving death sentences, seven received prison sentences, and three were found not guilty (Goda). The aftermath of these trials affected peoples’ lives and how the crimes committed were further handled. The Nuremberg trials triggered some criticism. The sentences were harsh and no procedure existed for appealing the judgments (Goda). “Despite the many judicial setbacks that came after the major trials, the Nuremberg legacy is a proud one” (Davenport, 80). In defiance of these criticisms, the Nuremberg trials had far-reaching