The International Military Tribunal was formed according to the London Agreement (1945, August 8), concluded between the USSR, France, Great Britain, and the USA. This judicial body was formed with the aim of prosecuting and punishing those guilty of war crimes committed during the Second World War 1939-1945.
The initiative to conduct an international trial was first expressed by the government of the USSR. But the Soviet state did not immediately receive world support. In particular, the Government of England expressed dissatisfaction with this proposal.
It should be noted that the victories of the Soviet troops in the battles of Kursk, on the Volga, the breakthrough of the Leningrad blockade, as well as the expulsion of the invaders from the vast territory of the Soviet state and the beginning of the active operations of the allied forces in Italy and North Africa radically changed the course of hostilities. At that moment, the outcome of the war was already clear. In addition, the military alliance of the USSR, England, America and other countries strengthened. All this gave the Russian initiative international support. As a result, the proposal for an international trial was enshrined in the Moscow Declaration.
The idea of punishing war criminals was the first of the entire anti-Hitler coalition that Franklin Roosevelt (President of America) supported in early November 1942. By the spring of 1943, the initiative of the USSR government was supported by England. However, Churchill (Prime Minister of England), when discussing the Moscow Declaration, suggested simply shooting all war criminals without conducting any investigations.
The Nuremberg trials began their work in 1945, on November 20. Almost the entire ruling elite of Germany appeared before the court. Among them were industrialists, leading Nazi politicians, ideologists, diplomats, and military leaders. All of them were charged with crimes committed by the Nazi system during the Nazi regime.
It should be noted that the materials of the Nuremberg trials were published by the USSR back in 1943, in the spring. All the nations of the world were brought to the attention of facts and documents about the atrocities of the Nazis over peaceful Soviet people who were driven into Germany.
The list of defendants at an international court included Fritsch, Neurath, Speer, Papen, Bormann, Jodul, Sauckel, Schirach, Raeder, Halbach, Schacht, Funk, Streicher, Frick, Doenitz, Frank, Rosenberg, Ribbentrop, Ley, Hess, Goering and others .
The Nuremberg trials were built on a combination of procedural rules and orders of all states represented on it. Decisions were made by a majority vote.
The Nuremberg trial ended with the announcement of the verdict at the end of September 1946. The decision was made in accordance with the principles of international law, taking into account the arguments of the parties. The sentence reflected a picture of the criminal activity of the entire Nazi regime, which had existed for more than twelve years.
The International Tribunal sentenced Bormann (in absentia), Zeiss-Inquart, Jodl, Sauckel, Streicher, Frik, Frank, Rosenberg, Kaltebrunner, Keitel, Ribbentrop and Goering to death by hanging.
Reder, Funk and Hess received a life sentence.
Doenitz was sentenced to ten years in prison, Neyrat to fifteen, and Speer and Shirah to twenty.
Three were acquitted (Mine, as well as Papen and Frice). Lei committed suicide (hanged himself) shortly before the process, the industrialist Krup was found terminally ill and stopped further proceedings on his case.
The Nuremberg trials recognized aggression as a serious international crime . At the trial, statesmen appeared as criminals. All of them were guilty of preparing, launching, conducting aggressive military operations. The court punished both the organizers and executors of the inhuman plan directed against the entire civilian population.