Humanity’s Crucible World War II, which ended in September of 1945, left Europe in physical, spiritual, and diplomatic chaos and ruin. Due to new military technologies and the evolution of combat strategies, The Second World War, which was spawned by the bitter legacy of the First World War and its Treaty of Versailles, was a brutal conflict regarded by the Allied victors as a complete atrocity. Yet, despite that the major Allies—America, Britain, France, and Russia—agreed that the main perpetrators of the war—Germany—should be punished, each country disagreed heavily on how to accomplish that monumental and solemn task. After compiling evidence through individual prosecution teams and examining historical precedents, the Allied nations set …show more content…
In the words of one Allied prosecutor, “the Nazi leaders committed a major offense against the conscience which mankind has today evolved from his status as a human being” (Menthon, 191). Crimes against humanity addressed the most egregious and immoral actions of the Nazi party, actions that surpassed the material violation of laws. The Allies felt these acts deserved separate examination and punishment as they insulted and degraded the evolution of humanity and modern society. To demonstrate the seriousness of the offenses, the prosecution called multiple witnesses to narrate the atrocities they experienced. One witness described the invasion of a Jewish hospital, detailing that “the hospital had already received the order that Jewish women must not give birth; and they had hidden the baby…my wife…saw one German holding the baby and smearing something under its nose. Afterwards he threw it on the bed and laughed” (Suzkever, 200-201). The powerful and emotional testimony against the German treatment of the Jews—of men, women, and children—made the charge of crimes against humanity inexcusable, and ultimately,