Nov. 20, 1945: The trials at Nuremberg begin

Thursday 20 November 2008

On Nov. 20, 1945, the trials held by the International Military Tribunal for the Prosecution of Major War Criminals of the European Axis began in Nuremberg, Germany. After the defeat of Germany in World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill had planned on executing top-ranking Nazi officials for war crimes without a trial. However, President Franklin Roosevelt pushed for an international trial during which charges were pressed by the U.S., France, Great Britain and Russia. A total of 24 Nazi officials were tried for war crimes and atrocities including the slaughter of 30,000 Russians during a German invasion and the murder of thousands in the Warsaw Ghetto. Nineteen of the defendants were convicted, 12 of whom were given the death penalty.