Impact Of The Nuremberg Trials

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The Impact of the Nuremberg Trials

Noah Matt
Albia High School
English 10
Mrs. Lawson
29 March 2023

Title
The Holocaust was one of the most decisive times in human history, but oftentimes its aftermath is severely overshadowed. The Nuremberg trials permanently altered the course of global history, and international law. The Nuremberg trials were set out to revolutionize international law, but before this could happen a schematic had to be put into use. The first element of that framework came in 1945 with the charter of the International Tribunal. This charter was an agreement between the governments of the allied powers, Britain, France, The USSR, and the United States. Each of the allied parties was to give one delegate to serve as …show more content…

Article 6 states that crimes against peace, such as starting or planning a war, war crimes, such as violating the customs of war, and crimes against humanity, namely extermination, enslavement, and genocide will all be judged by the International Trbiunal (“Establishing the Nuremberg Tribunal”, 2017). The second and arguably most influential article of the charter of the International Tribunal was article 9. Article 9 states that an organization, such as a company, can be declared as criminal and all members of the institution are guilty of its evil. This however was strengthened by article 12, which states that an organization member’s position does not absolve them of any guilt. This means that anyone, regardless of rank or merit, is still punishable by the International Tribunal. However, article 8 does stipulate that one’s power can be used in their …show more content…

One way that the Nuremberg trials altered the history of Europe was by dealing a massive blow to Europe's industrial industries. Before the Nuremberg trials, Many Nazi industrialists ventured to distance themselves from the Nazi party, however many Nazi companies, such as Krupp, IG Farben, Daimler-Benz, and Volkswagen still felt pressure from the Nuremberg Trials (Erica Elsen, 2021). Many of these businesses were eventually forced to close down or completely rebrand as a result of the Nazi party being arraigned. Although some, such as Volkswagen, managed to stay afloat amongst the chaos. During the war, a staggering 50% of companies listed on the Berlin Stock Exchange had prominent Nazi ties. Many of these companies lost major parts of their upper management during the Nuremberg Trials, as their staff was Incarcerated as war criminals. This left a burgeoning wound on Europe's industrial capabilities. The International Tribunal attempted to limit the damage by Signifying a medial line between “immoral greed and pursuit of profit” (Erica Elsen, 2021). The political landscape of Europe was also irreparably changed in the outcome of the Nuremberg trials. Many politicians in Europe were imprisoned during the Nurembergrg trials, Some even committed suicide in the days before the trials took place. Nazi Leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, and Heinrich Himmler