Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials were postwar proceedings that prosecuted leading Nazi officials for crimes committed during World War II. The International Military Tribunal established legal precedents for individual criminal responsibility under international law.

International Military Tribunal: The four-power court that tried major Nazi leaders at Nuremberg from 1945 to 1946. It was the central tribunal established by the London Charter.
Moscow Declaration: The 1943 Allied statement that distinguished local war-crime prosecutions from punishment of major Nazi offenders. It announced the Allies’ intent to prosecute leading offenders after victory.
Hermann Göring: A leading Nazi official and commander of the Luftwaffe who was convicted at the International Military Tribunal and sentenced to death. He was the highest-ranking defendant and a central figure in the proceedings.
International criminal law: The body of law governing individual criminal responsibility for offenses recognized as international crimes. The trials became a foundational precedent in this broader legal field.
London Charter: The 1945 agreement establishing the International Military Tribunal and defining its jurisdiction and procedures. It supplied the legal framework and defined the tribunal’s crimes.
London Conference of 1945: The negotiations among the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France that created the International Military Tribunal. The four powers negotiated the tribunal’s charter and procedures.
Joachim von Ribbentrop: Nazi Germany’s foreign minister from 1938 to 1945, convicted and executed after the International Military Tribunal trial. His case linked the prosecution to diplomacy and the preparation of aggressive wars.
International Criminal Court: A permanent court established by the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. Its jurisdiction reflects later efforts to institutionalize principles advanced at Nuremberg.
Nuremberg Principles: Principles of international law affirming individual responsibility for crimes such as aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The trials articulated these principles through prosecutions and judgments.
Robert H. Jackson: An American lawyer and Supreme Court justice who served as chief United States prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal. He helped negotiate the tribunal’s framework and led the American prosecution.

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