# Canonical recap data for Nuremberg Trials Begin (1945)
# Source: https://recap.at/1945/nuremberg-trials
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: nuremberg-trials
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1945/nuremberg-trials"
title: Nuremberg Trials Begin
aliases:
- International Military Tribunal
- IMT
- Nuremberg Tribunal
- Trial of the Major War Criminals
subtitle: Nuremberg Trials Begin
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1945-11-20
endDate: 1946-10-01
datePrecision: day
year: 1945
decade: 1940
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: 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
summaryLong: 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.
lede: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png/1280px-Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Nuremberg trials"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Opening date
  value: November 20, 1945
- label: Primary defendants tried
  value: 24 major Nazi leaders and officials
- label: Allied judges
  value: 4 (one each from US, UK, Soviet Union, France)
- label: Trial duration
  value: 10 months (ended September 30, 1946)
- label: Execution convictions
  value: 12 of 24 defendants sentenced to death
- label: Chief American prosecutor
  value: Robert H. Jackson
- label: Courtroom location
  value: Palace of Justice, Nuremberg
- label: Subsequent trials
  value: 12 additional trials prosecuted 185 more defendants through 1949
timeline:
- date: 1945-08-08
  title: London Charter signed
  description: 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.
- date: 1945-11-20
  title: Trial opens
  description: 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.
- date: 1945-11-21
  title: Jackson's opening statement
  description: 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.
- date: 1946-01-15
  title: Prosecution case closes
  description: The prosecution concluded its presentation of evidence after 65 days, having called 143 witnesses and submitted 143,000 documentary exhibits.
- date: 1946-07-01
  title: Defense case concludes
  description: Defense arguments finished after calling 61 witnesses and presenting documentary evidence. The tribunal then heard closing arguments from prosecution and defense teams.
- date: 1946-09-30
  title: Verdicts announced
  description: 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.
- date: 1946-10-16
  title: Executions carried out
  description: 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.
sources:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260525061949/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials"
  title: Nuremberg trials
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: 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.
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Allied courts prosecuted Nazi leaders for war crimes in 1945, establishing international criminal law precedent.
wikidataQid: Q80130
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- treaty_signing
- peace_accord
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- conflict
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png/1280px-Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png/800px-Emblem_of_the_International_Military_Tribunal%2C_Nuremberg.png"
  caption: Nuremberg trials
  credit: Wikipedia · "Nuremberg trials"
  width: 330
  height: 330
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Judges_Speight%2C_Musmanno_and_Dixon_at_the_Einsatzgruppen_Trial_%28cropped2%29.jpg/1280px-Judges_Speight%2C_Musmanno_and_Dixon_at_the_Einsatzgruppen_Trial_%28cropped2%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Judges_Speight%2C_Musmanno_and_Dixon_at_the_Einsatzgruppen_Trial_%28cropped2%29.jpg/800px-Judges_Speight%2C_Musmanno_and_Dixon_at_the_Einsatzgruppen_Trial_%28cropped2%29.jpg"
  caption: Judges Speight, Musmanno and Dixon at the Einsatzgruppen Trial (cropped2)
  credit: US Army photographers on behalf of the OCCWC
  width: 463
  height: 570
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/TMI_-_Proc%C3%A8s_des_grands_criminels_de_guerre_devant_le_Tribunal_militaire_international%2C_vol._1%2C_1947.djvu/page1-1280px-TMI_-_Proc%C3%A8s_des_grands_criminels_de_guerre_devant_le_Tribunal_militaire_international%2C_vol._1%2C_1947.djvu.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/TMI_-_Proc%C3%A8s_des_grands_criminels_de_guerre_devant_le_Tribunal_militaire_international%2C_vol._1%2C_1947.djvu/page1-1280px-TMI_-_Proc%C3%A8s_des_grands_criminels_de_guerre_devant_le_Tribunal_militaire_international%2C_vol._1%2C_1947.djvu.jpg"
  caption: TMI - Procès des grands criminels de guerre devant le Tribunal militaire international, vol. 1, 1947
  credit: "Creator:International Military Tribunal"
  width: 4267
  height: 6304
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Wilhelm_Speidel_during_Hostages_Trial.jpg/1280px-Wilhelm_Speidel_during_Hostages_Trial.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Wilhelm_Speidel_during_Hostages_Trial.jpg/800px-Wilhelm_Speidel_during_Hostages_Trial.jpg"
  caption: Wilhelm Speidel during Hostages Trial
  credit: Office of Military Government for Germany, United States (OMGUS)
  width: 2378
  height: 2949
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Number of defendants tried in primary tribunal
  thenValue: "24"
  thenYear: 1945
  nowValue: "24"
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The International Military Tribunal charged 24 Nazi leaders; modern international courts typically handle cases individually rather than mass trials
- metric: Length of trial proceedings
  thenValue: 10 months
  thenYear: 1946
  nowValue: 5-10 years average
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Nuremberg trials concluded November 1946; contemporary ICC cases often span a decade or more
- metric: Number of subsequent trials held against Nazi defendants
  thenValue: 12 additional trials
  thenYear: 1946
  nowValue: Ongoing prosecutions
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Twelve follow-up trials were conducted 1946-1949 by US occupation authorities; Nazi hunters like Efraim Zuroff continued pursuing suspects into the 21st century
consequences:
- title: Establishment of the Nuremberg Principles
  year: 1950
  description: 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
- title: Creation of the International Court of Justice
  year: 1945
  description: The Nuremberg trials informed the establishment of international legal frameworks, though the ICJ itself focuses on state disputes rather than individual criminal accountability
- title: Twelve subsequent trials and prosecutions
  year: 1946
  description: 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
- title: Tokyo War Crimes Trials begin
  year: 1946
  description: 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
- title: Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted
  year: 1948
  description: The trials' exposure of atrocities accelerated UN efforts to codify human rights protections globally, with Eleanor Roosevelt chairing the drafting committee
- title: West German denazification program implementation
  year: 1946
  description: Allied occupation authorities used Nuremberg findings to systematize the removal of Nazi party members from German institutions, processing over 900,000 individuals
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: The Third Man Theme
  artist: Anton Karas
  year: 1949
  note: Post-war Vienna and occupied Germany became the backdrop for noir cinema; this zither theme defined the era's cultural ambivalence about European reconstruction
topFilms:
- title: The Murderers Are Among Us
  year: 1946
  note: East German film by Wolfgang Staudte directly addressing Nazi perpetrators in post-war society, released during the trials
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: 1945 Europe was still processing the immediate aftermath of war—rationing, displaced persons camps, and rubble-filled cities dominated daily reality. The trials themselves became the primary cultural event, with proceedings broadcast on radio and documented in newsreels. Immediate post-war culture oscillated between trauma and determination to rebuild; the trials served as both reckoning and foundation for a new international order.
relatedQueries:
- Nuremberg Trials defendants sentences
- Hermann Göring trial execution 1946
- war crimes trials Tokyo Japan 1946
- Nuremberg Principles international law
- Nazi war criminals prosecuted after 1945
- denazification Germany 1946-1949
- ICC International Criminal Court history
- crimes against humanity definition legal
- Allied occupation Germany justice trials
