Post War Trials

Najae Reynolds and Zach Strickland

Topic

● Our topic will explore what the Nuremberg Trials were, and why they
occurred. We will also be discussing post war trials that occurred in other
countries.
Why learn about the trials?

● The Nuremberg Trials led to many important things. The United Nations
Genocide Convention, The Geneva Convention on the Laws and Customs of
War, and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights were formed because
of them. The trials are “regarded as a milestone toward the establishment
of a permanent international court.” They also helped punish some of those
involved with the murder of Jews.
When did the Nuremberg Trials Occur?

● Began on November 20, 1945

● Ended on October 1, 1946

Where did the trials take place?

● The Nuremberg Trials took place in

Nuremberg, Germany.
● Other post war trials took place in Russia,
Poland, and Japan.
What were the Nuremberg Trials for?

● The Nuremberg Trials were held in order

to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.
What happened during the trials?

● During the trials, twenty-four Nazi party officials and high-ranking military
officers were put to trial for their war crimes.

● By the end of the trials, half of these people were sentenced to death by
hanging.
Who were the prosecutors?

● During the trials, the chief prosecutors came from four nations; Robert H.
Jackson for the United States, Hartley Shawcross for the United Kingdom,
General R. A. Rudenko for the Soviet Union, and François de Menthon and
Auguste Champetier de Ribes for France.
Who was punished?

● Twelve Nazi party members were ● There were also three others who were
sentenced to death based on their war sentenced to life imprisonment:
crimes: ○ Hess
○ Goering ○ Economics minister Walther Funk
○ Ribbentrop ○ Raeder
○ Keitel
○ Kaltenbrunner
○ Rosenberg
○ Frank
○ Frick
○ Streicher
○ Sauckel
○ Jodl
○ SeyssInquart
○ Bormann
Hermann Wilhelm Göring

● German politician
● Military leader
● Leading member of the Nazi Party
Joachim von Ribbentrop

● Foreign Minister of Nazi

Germany from 1938 until 1945
Wilhelm Keitel

● German field marshal

● Served as chief of the Supreme Command
of the Armed Forces during WWII
Ernst Kaltenbrunner

● Senior official of Nazi Germany

● General in the SS
● Chief of the Reich Main Security office
Alfred Rosenberg

● Baltic German theorist and ideologue of

the Nazi Party
● Held several posts in Nazi government
Hans Frank

● HItler’s personal lawyer

● Nazi Germany’s chief jurist in occupied
Poland
Wihelm Frick

● Served as Reich Minister of the

Interior in the Hitler Cabinet
● Last governor of the
Protectorate of Bohemia and
Moravia
Postwar Trials Outside of Germany

Not all of the postwar trials would occur in Germany some would be conducted
in Russia, Poland and Japan.
Trials in Tokyo Japan

● General Hideki Tojo would be one of the

most memorable defendants in the
Tokyo Trials.
● His trials started December 26, 1947 and
was executed in 1948.
● To this day the Japanese and Chinese
argue if it was justified to execute him.
General Yamashita

General Yamashita would also be tried for war

crimes pertaining the merciless beatings and
killings of POWs.

His execution would be given in 1948 along with

General Tojo.
Post War Trials in America

Although we think ourselves to be on the right side of every situation, we were

found in the wrong many times.
Trial in America

The trials against America usually weren’t directed towards any specific person
but they were addressed to wide generalizations of people.

One group would be the entire US army for the unfair treatment to German
soldiers who had surrendered. This also would be the case in Japan but of
course no actions could be taken.
Trials in Russia

There would be no postwar trials in Russia because they had denied to sign the
Geneva Convention that stated no unfair treatment towards POWs.

Most accusations to the Russians were about rape, “An army of Rapists” and
“Everyone from the age eight to eighty were raped.” - German Officers 1946
Polish War Trials

● The polish war trials were designated to be the first because of the high
concentration of SS staff in concentration camps.

● Many of the trials would be aimed at people who had murdered Jews within
the camps.
Czechoslovakian War Trials

The Czech army was on trial for the murder

of German POWs and the harsh treatment
towards the German civilian population
who had originally not been loyal to Hitler.
The Auschwitz Trials

● Began November 24, 1947.

● Forty-one senior personnel would be on trial for the transfer and murder of

Jewish civilians.

● Ended one month later on December 22, 1947.

First Trial: Rudolf Höss

Rudolf Höss was one of the two main

commanders of Auschwitz.

There would be two commanders because

Rudolf had a family and would leave the camp
many time to be with them instead.

First trial at Auschwitz.

Second Trial: Arthur Liebehenschel

Would take care of the camp when Höss left.

Served in the Nazi SS-Totenkopfverbände which

translated to SS- Skull and Crossbones.
Third Trial: Maria Mandl (The Beast)

● Famous for being know as “The Beast” during her

service for the Nazi cause.
● Assisted the SS in running the camps for both men
and women.
Sentence: Death

● Höss was hanged in front of the first gas chamber in

Auschwitz
● Liebehenschel and Mandl would also be executed but
were moved from Auschwitz and finished in Krakow
Prison.
● Mendl would be executed before Liebehenschel
because he was a subordinate to her.
Significant Lessons

● One lesson that everyone should learn from the trials is that no inhuman act
will go ignored. Even though some people were able to escape the trials, the
Allies worked hard to make sure as many people were punished as possible.