Question

What is Nuremberg Tribunal ?Why was it set up?

Answer 1

The Nuremberg Trials (German: Die Nürnberger Prozesse) were a series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war after World War II. The trials were most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany, who planned, carried out, or otherwise participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and their decisions marked a turning point between classical and contemporary international law.

The first and best known set of these trials were those of the major war criminals before the International Military Tribunal (IMT). They were described as "the greatest trial in history" by Norman Birkett, one of the British judges who presided over them.Held between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946,the Tribunal was given the task of trying 24 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich – though the proceedings of Martin Bormann was tried in absentia, while another, Robert Ley, committed suicide within a week of the trial's commencement.

Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Wilhelm Burgdorf, Hans Krebs and Joseph Goebbelshad all committed suicide in the spring of 1945 to avoid capture, though Himmler was captured before his suicide. Krebs and Burgdorf committed suicide two days after Hitler in the same place.Reinhard Heydrichhad been assassinated by Czech partisans in 1942, so he was not included. Josef Terbovenkilled himself with dynamite in Norway in 1945. Adolf Eichmann fled to Argentina to avoid Allied capture, but was captured by Israel's intelligence service the Mossad and hanged in 1962. Hermann Göring was sentenced to death but committed suicide the night before his execution as a perceived act of defiance against his captors. Miklós Horthyappeared as a witness at the Ministries trialheld in Nuremberg in 1948

Answer 2

The Nuremberg Tribunal which was set up to, prosecute the Nazis for committing grave crime against humanity which involved killing of

innocent civilians in Europe, sentenced only 11 Nazis to death. Some were given life imprisonment Allies avoided harsh punishment on Germany because :

(i) They did not want to repeat the mistakes committed after the First World War where they imposed harsh terms on Germany, by virtue of Treaty of Versailles which resulted in the rise of Hitler.

(ii) It was this humiliating treaty of Versailles with Germany which was imposed by the victors on the vanquished and compelled Germany to give away all its territorial claims and it imposed huge economic burden on it. The war guilt clause made Germany responsible for all the damage war had inflicted on the allied and made it pay for the damage. This made Weimer Republic highly unpopular among the Germans. This brought Germany in a crippled position. Weimer Republic could do little to recover its economy. Treaty of Versailles was r physiologically damaging for the Germans and also proved to be a national shame. The treaty has sown the seeds of the Second World War.

This made the allies cautious enough of not being much harsh on Germans again.