--- title: "Nuremberg Trials Begin" year: 1945 country: "Germany" canonical: "https://recap.at/1945/nuremberg-trials" slug: "nuremberg-trials" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1945-11-20" endDate: "1946-10-01" --- # Nuremberg Trials Begin > Nuremberg Trials Begin In November 1945, the Allied powers opened criminal trials in Nuremberg, Germany to prosecute Nazi leaders for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and plotting aggressive wars. It was the first time a defeated nation's leadership faced international justice for their actions during a major conflict. The trials set a legal precedent that leaders and officials could be held personally accountable for atrocities committed under state authority. ## Summary The Nuremberg trials were international criminal trials held by France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States against leaders of defeated Nazi Germany for plotting and carrying out invasions of several countries across Europe and committing atrocities against their citizens in the Second World War. ## Key facts - **Opening date**: November 20, 1945 - **Primary defendants tried**: 24 major Nazi leaders and officials - **Allied judges**: 4 (one each from US, UK, Soviet Union, France) - **Trial duration**: 10 months (ended September 30, 1946) - **Execution convictions**: 12 of 24 defendants sentenced to death - **Chief American prosecutor**: Robert H. Jackson - **Courtroom location**: Palace of Justice, Nuremberg - **Subsequent trials**: 12 additional trials prosecuted 185 more defendants through 1949 ## Timeline - **1945-08-08** - London Charter signed The four Allied powers (US, UK, USSR, France) signed the agreement establishing the International Military Tribunal and defining jurisdiction over crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. - **1945-11-20** - Trial opens The Nuremberg Tribunal convened at the Palace of Justice with 24 major defendants including Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Joachim von Ribbentrop, and Wilhelm Keitel. Chief U.S. Prosecutor Robert H. Jackson opened arguments. - **1945-11-21** - Jackson's opening statement Jackson delivered a four-day opening address establishing the unprecedented legal framework that individuals could be held accountable for state actions, rejecting the defense of superior orders. - **1946-01-15** - Prosecution case closes The prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence after 65 days, having called 143 witnesses and submitted 143,000 documentary exhibits. - **1946-07-01** - Defense case concludes Defense arguments finished after calling 61 witnesses and presenting documentary evidence. The tribunal then heard closing arguments from prosecution and defense teams. - **1946-09-30** - Verdicts announced The tribunal delivered guilty verdicts for 19 of 24 defendants. Twelve received death sentences including Göring, von Ribbentrop, Keitel, and Sauckel. Seven received prison sentences; three were acquitted. - **1946-10-16** - Executions carried out Ten of the twelve death-sentenced defendants were hanged at Nuremberg. Göring committed suicide in his cell hours before execution; Bormann was tried in absentia. ## Consequences - **1950 - Establishment of the Nuremberg Principles**: The UN codified the legal principles from the trials, establishing that individuals can be held accountable for crimes against humanity even when acting under government orders—directly challenging the 'just following orders' defense - **1945 - Creation of the International Court of Justice**: The Nuremberg trials informed the establishment of international legal frameworks, though the ICJ itself focuses on state disputes rather than individual criminal accountability - **1946 - Twelve subsequent trials and prosecutions**: The US occupation authority conducted twelve additional trials (1946-1949) against 185 defendants including industrialists, judges, and military officers, establishing precedent for prosecuting complicit institutions - **1946 - Tokyo War Crimes Trials begin**: Modeled directly on Nuremberg, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East tried Japanese military and political leaders, applying the same accountability framework to the Pacific theater - **1948 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted**: The trials' exposure of atrocities accelerated UN efforts to codify human rights protections globally, with Eleanor Roosevelt chairing the drafting committee - **1946 - West German denazification program implementation**: Allied occupation authorities used Nuremberg findings to systematize the removal of Nazi party members from German institutions, processing over 900,000 individuals ## Then vs now - **Number of defendants tried in primary tribunal**: 1945: 24 → 2024: 24 - The International Military Tribunal charged 24 Nazi leaders; modern international courts typically handle cases individually rather than mass trials - **Length of trial proceedings**: 1946: 10 months → 2024: 5-10 years average - Nuremberg trials concluded November 1946; contemporary ICC cases often span a decade or more - **Number of subsequent trials held against Nazi defendants**: 1946: 12 additional trials → 2024: Ongoing prosecutions - Twelve follow-up trials were conducted 1946-1949 by US occupation authorities; Nazi hunters like Efraim Zuroff continued pursuing suspects into the 21st century ## Impact The Nuremberg Trials established that individuals in government and military could face prosecution for crimes against humanity and aggressive war, regardless of their official position. This principle became foundational to modern international law and influenced the creation of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and subsequent tribunals for conflicts in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Cambodia. ## Sources - [Nuremberg trials](https://web.archive.org/web/20260525061949/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1945/nuremberg-trials