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WWII Symposium - The Nuremberg Trials were necessary to try Nazis for their attrocities


 * 1) The Nazis on trial were accused of "brutality crimes against humanity," during the Nuremberg Trials in 1945, and lasted for about ten months.
 * 2) During WWII, concentration camps were developed to work their "slaves." At these camps people, mostly Jews, were gassed, shot, or worked to exhaustion. Some of the victims even died from the work labor. In addition, doctors under the German control would use Jews and other prisoners to run medical tests on. Most of the time, the tests would kill the patients.
 * 3) Germans knew that they were going to lose the war, yet they still continued to murder people in the concentration camps, so their known enemies would not see Germany's defeat in World War II.
 * 4) The Allied prisoners of war, were kept in better conditions than, the prisoners of war in Germany. The majority of the victims in Germany were mass murdered, or shot.
 * 5) From the time period of 1933 to 1945, over 5,500,000 people died under the Nazi control.
 * 6) 21 Nazi officials were tried during the Nuremberg Trial. (There were supposed to be 22, but he escaped, and when he was later found, he was dead.)
 * 7) During the Trial, the defendents were tried for their personal attrocities, not of acts their superiors did.
 * 8) Each Nazi was accused on four different accounts, Count 1, The Common Plan, or Nazi Conspiracy; Count 2, Crimes Against Peace; Count 3, War Crimes; and Count 4, Crimes Against Humanity. Even with all the evidence, every 21 Nazi man, pleaded not guilty.
 * 9) The Trial finally came to an end in late September of 1946, and twelve defendents were sentenced to be hung, four were in jail to life, three others were put in jail, but for a shorter sentence, and the final three were set free.
 * 10) Hermann Goring helped Hitler carry out the Fuhrer's "final solution." He committed suicide when he knew that he was going to be hung to death, just like Hitler. He knew that he was guilty, and didn't want to face his punishments.

Primary Documents



In this picture, you see some victims, probably Jewish, to be thrown into the crematorium. The cruelty these people went through are evident, and it happened under the commands of the Nazi officials. Also, these people we unhealthily skinny. Plus, the Nazi's would burn the bodies - dead, and sometimes still alive, to the crematorium so there wouldn't be any "evidence" leading the murders of these people back to the Nazis. In addition, pictures like these were shown at the Nuremberg Trials, to remind everyone what the Nazi's did. In concentration camps, the victims weren't treated well, they were treated very poorly, as this picture demonstrates only a few that suffered the rath of a group, such as the Nazis.

"What makes this inquest significant is that these prisoners represent sinister influences that will lurk in the world long after their bodies have returned to dust." Justice Robert H. Jackson, Chief of Counsel, Nuremberg,

Robert H. Jackson was an attorney, appointed by Frankling Roosevelt, to be part of the Supreme Court. However, in 1945, after World War II, Jackson was asked to partake in the Nuremberg Trials, accusing the Nazi's of the brutatlity to their prisoners. Jackson felt that what the Nazi's did were wrong, but that this trial was neccesary because what they did would change the rest of history. Children are being taught about how there are cruel political groups, like the Nazi's, who will do anything to rise to power. Such as, killing millions of innocent people. He wanted to make sure that any person or group would be punished for their actions. This also would make it so, another person like Hitler, would not go to the extent of trying to kill a whole ethnic, religious, etc. group. Robert H. Jackson was known as being overbearing in the court room for this trial; allthough, he never gave up. He worked for months until the Trial ended, and when it finally did, he still lived a hectic life until the age of 62, a heartattack took his life.

How to Get to Video: 1.) Go to Facts on File 2.) In the seach bar, type in "Nuremberg Trials" 3.) Click on "Primary Sources" 4.) It's the 9th video, called, "Nazi Chiefs Are Found Guilty" 5.) Make sure if you're watching video at school, have headphones!

The video explains further on how the Trial was announced to the United States public. Also, it announces the results from the Trial, and what defendents were sentenced to what. Half of them, were hung, others put in jail, and finally some were set free. The video also shows the attrocity the Nazis did, showing their cruelty. During the Trial, they would show clips of either Hitler's film of murdering and torturing in concentration camps, or pictures of dead, and even worse bodies that are alive, but are dead in their soul. It reminded the Nazis of what they did as a group and individually; although, when clips or pictures like this were shown, the Nazis would seem bored, or annoyed, never regretful or painful. This shows that the Nazis taking part of killing innocent people should be trialed because of the heartlessness they showed then, and during the trial.