Annya+D'Amato

=The Nuremberg Trials= Post-War Punishments

After World War II, there were many criminals who were not brought to justice. The Allies, which were made up of the U.S., Great Britain, Russia, and France, decided to hold trials to punish these people. The trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany, and they lasted from 1945 to 1949. Three criminals, including Adolf Hitler, committed suicide before the trials began. Twenty-four men were chosen to be put on trial, but only 21 men were put on trial.

The punishments resulting from the trials were different, depending on which indictments the accused were charged with. If you click [|here], and scroll down about halfway, you can see the defendants' sentences. Right above the chart are the four indictments that each defendant was charged with. Do you think the punishments fit their crimes?

After the Nazis and Hitler's closest men were tried, the Nazi organizations were put on trial. Three out of the six organizations were found guilty. After the Nazi organizations, there was the "Doctor's Case." This was an interesting case. German physicians were punished for experimenting on concentration camp prisoners. Find out [|more]. How many witnesses testified against these 23 doctors? Were any of the physicians found guilty, or executed?

Many of the war criminals found out about the trials before they began, and they fled Germany. Many traveled over the Atlantic Ocean and to North and South America. One man, Adolf Eichmann, escaped to Argentina, was found, and executed in 1962. The people who search for the Nazis still out there are referred to as "Nazi Hunters." Simon Wiesenthal dedicated his life to finding these criminals and bringing them to justice. He was a Holocaust survivor. When and where did Simon die? Read about Simon's story [|here].