Execution Essay: The Nuremberg Trials During World War II

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On December 17th 1942, leaders of United States, Britain and the Soviet Union issue the first joint declaration, declaring the mass murder of European Jews , promising to prosecute those who were responsible, for the extermination of a civilian population. By 1942 it was clear that the Allies had won the war. They had three options for how to treat the German war criminals; they could release them, execute them or put them on a trial; of which they chose to develop a trial. The Allied powers started developing the trial, with establishment of the International Military Tribune in December of 1942. The promise of trying those who were responsible for the mass extermination of a civilian population was fulfilled at the Nuremberg trials, in other words the Nazi trials, that began only six months after the ending of the Second World …show more content…

They began on the 20th of November in 1945 and lasted until October 1st 1946. As an event the Nuremberg Trials are very significant, since they establish a context for the understanding of the Holocaust and who was responsible for it The trial itself was a large event, where already the American prosecution staff consisted of 600 people, and each of the other Allied countries had about 100 of their own prosecution team. From Germany there were 100,000 captured for the prosecution cases and multiple Nazi lawyers for their clients. The mass media had been invited to report and witness the trials, so there were thousands of workers at the Palace of Justice where the trial would be held. The trial was developed and conducted by the victors of the Second World war, so there was automatic speculation on how the trial would be conducted in a fair manner and what would be the aim and ideology behind trial. This would all be determined by the motivation the Allies had for the trials, hence the question, “Were the Nuremberg Trials motivated out of a search for justice or a thirst for