November 20th

On this day – 20^th November 1945 – The beginning of the Nuremberg trials

The Nuremberg trials were a series of trials against 23 of the most prominent Nazi-Germany leaders during the Second World War. The trials were held in Nuremberg in Germany, thereby the name. They lasted from the 20^th of November 1945 to the 1^st of October 1946. On the 16^th of October in 1946 were those who were sentenced to death, hanged. Lesser war-criminals were tried and sentenced later, in a different trial. The trial was agreed to, and arranged, by the allied forces (UK, USA. Soviet). Out of the 24 prosecuted were 12 sentenced to death. Those who were sentenced to prison served their time in Spandau Prison in Berlin. This prison was destroyed after its last prisoner, Rudolf Hess, committed suicide in 1987. Nuremberg trial was the first international war trial. The main criticism against the trials were that the crimes were only defined as crimes, after they were committed, creating a "victors justice".

The accused from the trial in Nuremberg

The accusations included

1.      Participation in crimes against peace

2.       Planning, initiating or waging wars of aggression

3.       War crimes

4.       Crimes against humanity

Some of the most famous criminals who stood trials in Nuremberg include:

Hermann Göring: He was the second most influential Nazi-leader in Germany. He participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923 and helped Hitler gain power in 1933. During the war was he the commander of Luftwaffe and the original head of Gestapo (the German Secret state police), but he became less popular with Hitler in the final years of the war. Göring was sentenced to death, but committed suicide by cyanide the night before his execution.

Gustav Krupp Von Bohlen Und Halbach: The leader of the German company Krupp who had benefited from the war. He fell sick before the trial, and he was therefore never sentenced.

Joachim Von Ribbentrop: Ambassador to the UK before the war and foreign minister during the war. He is probably best known for his signing of an non-attack agreement between Soviet and Germany, also known as the "Molotov-Ribbentrop pact". He was sentenced to death and hanged on the 16^th October 1946.

Martin Bormann:  Hitlers private secretary from 1943. He could therefore somewhat control the information Hitler received. He was sentenced to death, although he was never physically in the trial. His remains were later found an it was estimated that he was killed trying to flee Berlin in 1945. Boremann's son bare the middle name "Adolf" after his godfather Adolf Hitler.

Alfred Rosenberg: One of the most influential Nazi-Ideologist under Hitler. He was especially influential on the racial ideologies of Nazi-Germany and the idea of the Aryan Supremacy. He was sentenced to death and hanged on the 16th of October. When asked if he had any last words to say before his hanging he replied "no".

Wilhelm Frick: The Reich Minister of Interior under Hitler. He also helped to draft the Nuremberg laws against Jews in September 1935. He was sentenced to death and hanged on the 16th of October. His last words were "Long live eternal Germany".