The Nuremberg Trial Opens

In Brief

The trial of major Nazi war criminals before the International Military Tribunal opened in Nuremberg on November 20, 1945. Prosecutors from the Allied powers presented evidence of aggressive war, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Documents, film and witness testimony made the proceedings a major exercise in establishing a public record. The opening day was not the verdict or sentencing.

The Main Trial Opens

On November 20, 1945, the International Military Tribunal began hearing the case against major Nazi leaders in Nuremberg. The court was established by the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and France. The defendants faced charges concerning aggressive war, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as conspiracy under the tribunal's charter. The opening did not produce a verdict that day. Prosecutors had to put forward cases against named defendants, and defense counsel could challenge evidence and arguments. This distinction separates a military victory over the Nazi state from a judicial proceeding over individual responsibility.

Why Nuremberg Was Chosen

The city was closely associated with Nazi rallies and racial laws, but practical considerations also mattered. Its Palace of Justice and connected facilities could accommodate a large trial and the people held for it. Four powers brought different legal traditions and languages into the same courtroom. Simultaneous interpretation made it possible for people to follow testimony without waiting for every passage to be repeated in succession. Interpretation and documentary preparation were part of the infrastructure of the trial. An international court could not operate effectively if the accused, judges or counsel could not understand what the others were saying.

Documents as Evidence

Prosecutors relied heavily on records generated by the Nazi state and its organizations, alongside testimony and other material. Documents helped establish connections between orders, policies and actions that could not be inferred from the rank of a defendant alone. The trial also brought evidence of persecution and mass murder into a public record. Some evidence concerned crimes committed over many years and places. The courtroom had to consider both the scale of those crimes and the narrower question of what could be proved about the responsibility of the people on trial.

A Trial With a Continuing Legacy

Judgments were delivered in 1946, with convictions and acquittals. Later Nuremberg proceedings were distinct from the international tribunal that opened in November 1945. The main trial helped establish that holding government office does not necessarily shield individuals from responsibility under international law. It also left questions about jurisdiction and the application of its principles in later conflicts. Its legacy is clearer when the trial is treated as an institution that had to hear evidence and reach different results for different defendants, rather than as a single ceremony of condemnation.