The Nuremberg Trials

After the war the Allies decided to put Nazi leaders on trial rather than simply execute them. The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, created by the London Charter of August 1945, tried 22 leading defendants from November 1945 to October 1946. They faced four charges: conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The prosecution, led for the US by Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, relied heavily on the Nazis' own documents and film evidence of the camps.

Twelve defendants were sentenced to death, seven received prison terms, and three were acquitted. Critics called the trials 'victors' justice', since Allied actions, such as Soviet crimes, were not tried. Supporters argued that a public, documented trial was better than revenge. The trials established the principle that individuals, even leaders following orders, can be held responsible for crimes under international law, and they were followed by further trials of doctors, judges and industrialists.