One Day in History: The Nuremberg Trials
Welcome, Mother of Divine Grace community, to the One Day in History series! This will be a monthly feature that will focus on a different historical event in each month. For November’s article, it will be the Nuremberg Trials that occurred after World War II ended.
In Germany on November 20, 1945, the Nuremberg Trials began. These trials were held by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to hold accountable the various Nazi officials and groups. There were Judges and Chief Prosecutors from the Allied countries.
“From 1945 to 1946, Nazi Germany leaders stood trial for crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes.” The National WWII Museum/New Orleans
The Judges were: Francis Biddleman, John J. Parker, and Edward Francis Parker from America; Colonel Sir Geoffrey Lawrence, Lord Justice (President of Tribunal) and Sir Norman Birkett from Britain; Henri Donnedieu de Vabres and Robert Valcro from France; and Major General Iona Nikitchenko and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Volchkov from the Soviet Union.
The Chief Prosecutors were Associate Justice Robert H. Jackson (United States), Attorney General Sir Hartley Shawcross (Britain), Francois de Menthon, who was replaced by Auguste Champetier de Ribes (France), and Lieutenant General Roman Andreyevich Rudenko (Soviet Union).
In Nuremberg on November 20, 1945, the trials began. Nuremberg was the chosen place not only because it was the location of the Palace of Justice, but because Nuremberg had been important because of its yearly propaganda rallies. Holding the trials here illustrated the destruction of Nazi terror.
The Nuremberg Trials were held from November 20, 1945-October 1, 1946. The indictment was for 24 Nazi officials and various Nazi organizations, such as the Secret State Police (Gestapo), Protection Squad (SS), Reich Cabinet, the Leadership Corps of the Nazi Party, Stormtrooper (SA), Security Service (SD), and the General Staff and High Command of the German Armed Forces. Of the 24 defendants, only 21 appeared in court, as the other three had died.
On October 1, 1946, nineteen defendants were convicted and the remaining three were acquitted. Twelve received a death sentence, three received life imprisonment, and the other four were given prison terms between 10-20 years. The United States continued to hold military tribunals at the Palace of Justice from December 1946-April 1949 against other Nazi officials.
Every November, it is important to remember that this is month that the Nuremberg Trials began. These trials are important because it shows how the Allied countries came together to hold the various Nazi officials and organizations accountable.
