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The Nuremberg Trials - an international military tribunal over Nazi criminals, held in the city of Nuremberg (Germany). The trial lasted about 1 year - from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946. At the "court of history" 24 people were convicted, among them G. Goering, I. Ribbentrop, V. Keitel, A. Rosenberg, E. Raeder, F. Sauckel, A. Speer and other famous German politicians, military, Nazi propaganda activists who were directly involved in crimes against all mankind and the world.

The essence of the charges

The USSR, the USA, England and France during the London Conference adopted a protocol on the formation of the International Military Court, in which the fight against crimes against all mankind was recognized as a worldwide one. In August 1945, a list of persons (24 Nazi criminals) subject to an international tribunal was published. Among the grounds for the accusation were such facts as:
 aggressive policy directed against Austria and Czechoslovakia;
 military invasion of Poland and a number of other countries;
 war against all mankind (1939-1945)
 aiding Nazi countries (Japan and Italy), hostile actions against the United States (1936-1941)
 gross non-observance of the non-aggression pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop) with the USSR of 08/23/1939 and the invasion of the Soviet Union

 crimes against humanity
 crimes in the military sphere (genocide against certain national groups: Slavs, Jews, Gypsies; murders of prisoners of war; numerous violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens in the occupied territories, etc.)

The main prosecuting countries were 4 states: England, France, the USA and the Soviet Union. Among the permanent representatives of the member states were:
I.T. Nikitchenko - Deputy Supreme Judge of the USSR
F. Biddle - Former Attorney General of America
J. Lawrence - Chief Justice of England
A. Donnedier Vabre - French expert in criminal law

Nuremberg trial results

As a result of the Nünberg trial, about 400 trials were held. In view of the confirmed death of A. Hitler, he did not take part in the trial, as did his associates - Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda) and Heinrich Himmler (Minister of the Interior). Martin Bormann - A. Hitler's deputy - was charged in absentia, since his death was not officially confirmed. Due to his incapacity, Gustav Krupp was also not subject to a conviction.

The process took place in a very difficult environment due to the unprecedentedness of the case. The post-war growth of tensions between the Union of Soviet Republics and the West was also reflected, especially after the so-called Fulton speech by Winston Churchill, when the British Prime Minister announced the lowering of the “iron curtain” - the fencing off from the USSR. In this regard, the accused wanted to prolong the trial as much as possible, especially Hermann Goering.

Before the conclusion of the verdict, the Soviet side presented a film about fascist concentration camps, in which Soviet directors showed all the horrors of the death camps of Dachau, Ausvecim, Buchenwald. The Holocaust, the extermination of people in gas chambers and widespread torture left no doubt about the guilt of the perpetrators. As a result, 12 Germans, the most active fascist figures (G. Goering, I. Ribbentrop, V. Keitel, E. Kaltenbrunner, A. Rosenberg, G. Frank, V. Frick, J. Streicher , F. Sauckel, A. Seyss-Inquarta, M. Bormann - in absentia, Jodl - posthumously acquitted in 1953). Three Nazis were sentenced to life imprisonment: R. Hess, V. Funk, E. Reder. By 10 and 15 years in prison, respectively - K. Dönitz (Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy) and K. Neurath (German diplomat). 3 people were acquitted: G. Fritsche, F. Papen, J. Shakht.

06/22/1941 A. Hitler, without declaring war, treacherously violating the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact (08/23/1939), treacherously invaded the territory of the USSR. In accordance with the Barbarossa plan, Hitler's troops from the very beginning of the war began to destroy cities, settlements, factories and plants, railway stations, hospitals and other critical infrastructure necessary for the functioning of the entire population. Also, many cultural and historical values, museums, monuments, churches, and various attractions were irretrievably destroyed. Great amount Soviet citizens were taken to concentration camps - Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Jewish nations - they were all forced to work forcibly, and then massacred for uselessness. From the USSR, the fascist leaders sent about 400 thousand people into slavery. They did not spare anyone - neither the elderly, nor the children.

The global significance of the "court of history"

The most important role of the Nuremberg Court was that hostile relations and the manifestation of aggression against other countries is the main international crime. Such actions against all mankind and the world have no time limit and no place of limitation.
Also, the Nuremberg court became the first in modern history the case when war crimes began to be investigated not only by the national court, but also by a special body in international criminal law. The decisions of which were made in accordance with all legal agreements adopted collectively with all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. This process played a huge role in the development international law and became the main lesson for future generations.

History knows many examples of the cruelty and inhumanity, the bloody crimes of imperialism, but such atrocities and atrocities and on such a scale have never been committed as the Nazis. “German fascism,” noted G. Dimitrov, “is not only bourgeois nationalism. This is bestial chauvinism. This is a government system of political banditry, a system of provocations and torture against the working class and revolutionary elements of the peasantry, the petty bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia. This is medieval barbarism and atrocity. This is unbridled aggression against other peoples and countries ”(961). The Nazis tortured, shot, destroyed in gas chambers over 12 million women, old people, children, cold-bloodedly and mercilessly exterminated prisoners of war. They razed thousands of cities and villages to the ground, drove millions of people from the European countries occupied by them to hard labor in Germany.

It is characteristic of German fascism that monstrous plans were being prepared simultaneously with the military, economic and propaganda preparations for the next act of aggression. mass destruction prisoners of war and civilians. Extermination, torture, plundering were elevated to the rank of state policy. “We,” Hitler said, “must develop the technique of depopulation. If you ask me what I mean by depopulation, I will say that I mean the elimination of entire racial units ... the elimination of millions of the inferior race ... "(962)

The department of Reichsfuehrer SS Himmler, the Supreme High Command of the Armed Forces and the High Command of the Ground Forces were directly involved in the development and implementation of plans for the mass destruction of civilians. They created an ominous "human extermination industry" from which the German monopolies profited. To enslave the survivors, historical monuments and national relics were savagely destroyed, the material and spiritual culture of the peoples was destroyed.

Atrocities in Nazi Germany became the norm of behavior, the everyday life of its rulers, officials, and military personnel. The entire system of fascist institutions, organizations and camps was directed against the vital interests of entire peoples.

That is why just retribution has become the demand of all honest people, one of the conditions for maintaining lasting peace on earth. Soviet soldiers and soldiers of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition paved the way for international justice - the Nuremberg trial over the main Nazi war criminals. True, the reactionary circles of the United States and Great Britain, under various pretexts, began a campaign aimed at preventing trial over the fascist conspirators. Even during the war, American reactionary sociologists tried to convince their readers that war criminals are no less than the mentally ill who must be treated. The press discussed a proposal to deal with Hitler in the same way as in his time with Napoleon, who, as is known, by the decision of the victorious states without trial, was exiled for life to the island of St. Helena (963). The wording was different, but they all pursued one goal - to punish the main war criminals without investigation and trial. The main argument was that their guilt in their crimes was indisputable, and the collection of forensic evidence would require a lot of time and effort (964). According to Truman, Churchill already in October 1943 tried to convince the head of the Soviet government that the main war criminals should be shot without trial (965).

The true reason, which prompted such proposals, was the fear that open process unattractive sides may emerge in the activities of the governments of Great Britain, the United States and other Western states: their aiding Hitler in creating a powerful war machine and encouraging Nazi Germany to attack the Soviet Union. In the ruling circles of the Western powers, fears arose that a public trial of the crimes of German fascism could escalate into an accusation against the imperialist system that fostered it and brought it to power.

The bourgeois falsifiers of history are trying to distort the position of the USSR on the question of the trial of the main war criminals. For example, West German journalists D. Heydecker and I. Leeb argue that “the Soviet Union was also in favor of putting the Nazis against the wall” (966). This statement has nothing to do with reality. It was the USSR that put forward the idea of ​​a trial over fascist criminals and defended it. The position of the Soviet state was supported by all freedom-loving peoples of the world.

The Soviet Union consistently and unswervingly sought to ensure that the Hitlerite leaders appeared before the International Court of Justice, and the adopted declarations and international agreements on the punishment of all war criminals were strictly observed, for there is no greater encouragement of crimes than impunity. Moreover, the United Nations program for the defeat of fascism also demanded a harsh and just punishment of all who committed the most grave crimes against humanity.

Already in the notes of the Soviet government of November 25, 1941 "On the outrageous atrocities of the German authorities against Soviet prisoners of war", January 6, 1942 Soviet territories", April 27, 1942" On the monstrous atrocities, atrocities and violence of the German fascist invaders in the occupied zones and the responsibility of the German government and the command for these crimes " accomplices. The documents were sent to all countries with which the Soviet Union maintained diplomatic relations, and were made widely public.

The inevitability of the Nazis' criminal responsibility for their atrocities was expressed in the declaration of friendship and mutual assistance signed on December 4, 1941 by the governments of the USSR and Poland. It also established an inextricable link between punishing fascist criminals and ensuring a lasting and just peace.

On October 14, 1942, the Soviet government reiterated with all decisiveness and steadfastness that the criminal Hitlerite government and all its accomplices must and will bear the severe punishment they deserve for the atrocities they committed against the Soviet people and all freedom-loving peoples. The government of the USSR emphasized the need to immediately bring to justice a special International Tribunal and punish, to the fullest extent of the criminal law, any of the leaders of Nazi Germany who, during the course of the war, ended up in the hands of the authorities of the states that fought against her (968). The task of just and severe punishment of the fascist elite became an important element of the USSR's foreign policy.

The statement of the Soviet government was greeted by the world community with great interest and understanding, especially by the governments of the countries that became victims of Hitler's aggression. Thus, the government of Czechoslovakia indicated that it regards this document as an extremely important step towards realizing the unity of all the United Nations in solving the problem of punishment for atrocities committed during the war (969).

Statements about the responsibility of the Nazis for their monstrous crimes were also made by the governments of the United States and Great Britain back in October 1941. Roosevelt noted that severe retribution awaited the Nazis' atrocities, and Churchill stressed that “retribution for these crimes will henceforth become one of the main goals of the war ”(970).

The strict punishment of fascist criminals was mentioned in the Moscow Declaration signed by the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain on October 30, 1943, as well as in other international agreements.

In turn, at the Potsdam conference it was written: "German militarism and Nazism will be eradicated ..." (971).

Attempts by international reaction to prevent an open trial of the leaders of the Reich failed. Peoples who have won great battle with Hitlerite Germany, they perceived the trial of its rulers as a just act of retribution, a natural outcome of the Second World War.

The idea of ​​the International Criminal Court was put into practice by organizing the trial of the main fascist war criminals, which lasted almost a year - from November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946, by the activities of the International Military Tribunal, created on the basis of the London Agreement of August 8, 1945. between the governments of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France, which was joined by 19 other states. At the same time, the Statute of the Tribunal was adopted, in which, as a basic provision, it was recorded that the International Military Tribunal was established for a fair and quick trial and punishment of the main war criminals of the European countries of the Axis (972).

The Tribunal was international not only because it was organized on the basis of an agreement of 23 states, but it, as indicated in the introductory part of this agreement, was established in the interests of all the United Nations. The fight against German fascism should have become and has become a worldwide concern that united the peoples of both hemispheres, for fascism, its misanthropic ideology and politics have always been and are a direct threat to world peace and social progress. The states of the anti-Hitler coalition managed to achieve a coordinated policy, which included the task of military defeat of German fascism, as well as ensuring conditions for a just peace. “Cooperation in the fulfillment of the great military task before us,” Roosevelt pointed out, “must be the threshold for cooperation in the fulfillment of the even greater task of creating world peace (973)

In the USSR, preparations for the trial of the main war criminals were completed in a relatively short term, since back in 1942, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, an Extraordinary State Commission was formed to establish and investigate the atrocities of the German fascist invaders and their accomplices. It included the secretary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions H.M. Shvernik, secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) A. A. Zhdanov, writer A. N. Tolstoy, academicians E. V. Tarle, N. N. Burdenko, B. E. Vedeneev, I. P Trainin, T.D. Lysenko, pilot V.S.Grizodubova, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galician Nikolai (974). More than 7 million workers and collective farmers, engineers and technicians, scientists and public figures took part in the work on drawing up the acts (975). With the help of documents and by interviewing many thousands of eyewitnesses, the commission established the facts of the monstrous atrocities of the Nazis.

Soon after the signing of the London Agreement on an equal footing, the International Military Tribunal was formed from representatives of states: from the USSR - Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of the USSR, Major General of Justice I. T. Nikitchenko, from the USA - Member of the Federal Supreme Court F. Biddle, from Great Britain - Chief Justice Lord D. Lawrence, from France - Professor of Criminal Law D. de Vabre. Deputy members of the Tribunal were appointed: from the USSR - Lieutenant Colonel of Justice A.F. Volchkov, from the USA - a judge from North Carolina J. Parker, from Great Britain - one of the country's leading lawyers N. Birkett, from France - a member of the Supreme Court of Cassation R. Falco. Lawrence was elected to preside over the first trial (976).

The accusation was organized in a similar way. The main accusers were: from the USSR - the prosecutor of the Ukrainian SSR R.A. Rudenko, from the USA - a member of the Federal Supreme Court (former assistant to President Roosevelt) R. Jackson, from the UK - the attorney general and member of the House of Commons H. Shawcross, from France - the minister Justice F. de Menton, who was then replaced by Ch. de Ribes. In addition to the main prosecutors, the prosecution was supported (presented evidence, interrogated witnesses and defendants) by their deputies and assistants: from the USSR - Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yu.V. Pokrovsky and assistants to the Chief Prosecutor N.D. Zorya, M. Yu. Raginsky, L.N. Smirnov and L.R. Sheinin.

Under the Chief Prosecutor from the USSR, the documentary and investigative parts were organized for the preliminary interrogation of the accused and witnesses, as well as for the proper registration of the evidence presented to the Tribunal. The documentary part was supervised by the assistant to the Chief Prosecutor D.S.Karev, and the investigative part, which included N.A.Orlov, S.K.Piradov and S.Ya. Rosenblit, was headed by G.N. Aleksandrov (977). Scientific consultant the Soviet delegation was a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences A. N. Trainin.

It was decided to hold the first trial of the main war criminals in Nuremberg, a city that for many years was a citadel of fascism. It hosted congresses of the National Socialist Party, parades of assault detachments were held.

The list of the accused to be tried by the International Military Tribunal included: G. Goering, Reichsmarshal, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, authorized under the so-called "four-year plan", since 1922 Hitler's closest accomplice; R. Hess, Hitler's deputy for the fascist party, member of the council of ministers for the defense of the empire; I. Ribbentrop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Plenipotentiary of the Fascist Party for Foreign Policy; R. Lei, head of the so-called labor front, one of the leaders of the fascist party; V. Keitel, Field Marshal, Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command; E. Kaltenbrunner, SS Obergruppenfuehrer, head of the Reich Security and Security Police, Himmler's closest accomplice; A. Rosenberg, Hitler's deputy for the ideological training of members of the National Socialist Party, Reich Minister for the Eastern Occupied Territories; H. Frank, Reichsleiter of the Fascist Party and President of the Academy of German Law, Governor-General of the occupied Polish territories; V. Frick, Minister of the Interior and Reich Plenipotentiary for Military Administration; J. Streicher, Gauleiter of Franconia, ideologist of racism and anti-Semitism, organizer of Jewish pogroms; V. Funk, Minister of Economy, President of the Reichsbank, Member of the Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Empire; G. Schacht, organizer of the rearmament of the Wehrmacht, one of Hitler's closest advisers on economic and financial issues; G. Krupna, the head of the largest military-industrial concern, which took an active part in the preparation and implementation of the aggressive plans of German militarism, the culprit of the death of many thousands of people driven to hard labor in Hitlerite Germany; K. Doenitz, Grand Admiral, Commander submarine, and since 1943 - by the naval forces, Hitler's successor as head of state; E. Raeder, Grand Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces until 1943; B. Schirach, organizer and leader of fascist youth organizations in Germany, Hitler's governor in Vienna; F. Sauckel, SS Obergruppenfuehrer, General Commissioner for the Use of Labor; A. Jodl, Colonel General, Chief of Staff of the Operations Directorate of the High Command of the Armed Forces; F. Papen, one of the organizers of the seizure of power in Germany by the Nazis, Hitler's closest accomplice in the "annexation" of Austria; A. Seyss-Inquart, leader of the fascist party of Austria, deputy governor-general of Poland, Hitler's governor in the Netherlands; A. Speer, Hitler's closest adviser and friend, Reich Minister of Armaments and Ammunition, one of the leaders of the central planning committee; K. Neurath, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, member of the Imperial Defense Council, and after the capture of Czechoslovakia - Protector of Bohemia and Moravia; G. Fritsche, Goebbels' closest associate, head of the internal press department of the Ministry of Propaganda and head of the broadcasting department; M. Bormann, since 1941 Hitler's deputy for the fascist party, head of the party office, Hitler's closest accomplice.

They were accused of unleashing an aggressive war in order to establish world domination of German imperialism, that is, of crimes against peace, murder and torture of prisoners of war and civilians of occupied countries, driving civilians to Germany for forced labor, killing hostages, robbing public and private property, the aimless destruction of cities and villages, countless devastations not justified by military necessity, that is, in war crimes, in extermination, enslavement, exile and other atrocities committed against the civilian population for political, racial or religious reasons, that is, in crimes against humanity.

On October 18, 1945, the International Military Tribunal accepted the indictment signed by the chief prosecutors from the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France, which on the same day, that is, more than a month before the start of the trial, was handed to all the defendants in order to give them the opportunity to advance prepare for the defense ”Thus, in the interests of a fair trial, from the very beginning, a course was taken towards the strictest observance of the rights of the defendants. The world press, commenting on the indictment, noted that this document speaks on behalf of the offended conscience of mankind, that this is not an act of revenge, but the triumph of justice, and not only the leaders of Hitlerite Germany, but the entire system of fascism will appear before the court (978).

Almost the entire fascist elite ended up in the dock, with the exception of Hitler, Goebbels and Himmler, who committed suicide, the paralyzed Krupn, whose case was separated and suspended, the disappeared Bormann (he was convicted in absentia) and Lei, who, having familiarized himself with the indictment, hanged himself in a cell at Nuremberg Prison.

The defendants were given ample opportunity to defend themselves against the charges brought against them, they all had German lawyers (some even had two), enjoyed such rights for defense, which were denied to the accused not only in the courts of Nazi Germany, but also in many Western countries. Prosecutors handed over copies of all documentary evidence in German to the defense, assisted lawyers in finding and obtaining documents, and delivering witnesses whom the defenders wished to call (979).

The Nuremberg trial attracted the attention of millions of people around the world. As President Lawrence emphasized on behalf of the Tribunal, “The process that must now begin is the only one of its kind in the history of world jurisprudence, and it has the greatest public importance for millions of people on everything the globe"(980). Supporters of peace and democracy saw in it a continuation of the post-war international cooperation in the fight against fascism and aggression. It was clear to all honest people in the world that a condescending attitude towards those who criminally violated the generally recognized norms of international law, committed atrocities against the world and humanity, poses a great danger. Never before has the trial united all the progressive elements of the world in such a unanimous desire to end aggression, racism and obscurantism. The Nuremberg trials reflected the anger and outrage of humanity at the atrocities, the perpetrators of which must be punished so that this never happens again. Fascist organizations and institutions, misanthropic "theories" and "ideas", criminals who took possession of an entire state and made the state itself an instrument of monstrous atrocities were brought before the court.

The Hitler regime in Germany was incompatible with the elementary concept of law; terror became its law. The unprecedented provocation organized by Hitler and his close associates - the burning of the Reichstag - served as a signal for the start of the most severe repressions against the progressive forces of Germany. On the streets and squares, bonfires blazed from the works of German and foreign writers, of which all mankind is rightfully proud. The first concentration camps were created by the Nazis in Germany. Many thousands of patriots were killed and tortured to death by stormtroopers and SS executioners. How political system German fascism was a system of organized banditry. There was a wide network of organizations endowed with great power in the country, which carried out terror, violence, and atrocities.

The tribunal considered the issue of recognizing the organizations of German fascism as criminal - the SS, SA, Gestapo, SD, the government, the General Staff and the high command of the German armed forces, as well as the leadership of the National Socialist Party. Recognition of the criminal nature of the organizations was necessary in order to ensure that national courts had the right to prosecute individuals for belonging to organizations recognized as criminal. Consequently, the principle of “specific individuals are subject to criminal liability” has been retained. The question of the guilt of individuals in their belonging to criminal organizations, as well as the question of responsibility for such belonging, remained in the jurisdiction of the national courts, which were to decide the question of punishment in accordance with the offense. There was only one limitation: the crime of an organization recognized as such by the Tribunal could not be reviewed by the courts of individual countries.

The Nuremberg trial was a public process in the broadest sense of the word. Out of 403 court sessions, not a single one was closed (981). More than 60 thousand passes were issued to the courtroom, some of which were received by the Germans. Everything that was said at the trial was carefully transcribed. The transcripts of the trial amounted to almost 40 volumes, containing more than 20 thousand pages. The process was conducted simultaneously in four languages, including German. The press and radio were represented by about 250 correspondents, who broadcast reports on the progress of the process to all corners of the globe.

The process was dominated by the atmosphere of the strictest legality. There was not a single case when the rights of the defendants were somehow infringed upon. In the speeches of the prosecutors, along with the analysis of the facts, the legal problems of the process were analyzed, the jurisdiction of the Tribunal was substantiated, a legal analysis of the corpus delicti was given, and the unfounded arguments of the defendants' defenders were refuted (982). Thus, the Chief Prosecutor from the USSR, in his opening speech, proved that the legal regime international relations, including those that find their expression in a coordinated fight against crime, rests on a different legal basis. The source of law and the only law-making act in the international sphere is a treaty, an agreement between states (983). The London Agreement and its component part - the Charter of the International Tribunal - were based on the principles and norms of international law long established and confirmed by the Hague Convention of 1907, the Geneva Convention of 1929 and a number of other conventions and covenants. The Charter of the Tribunal has legalized those international principles and ideas that have been put forward for many years in defense of the rule of law and justice in the field of international relations. For a long time, peoples interested in strengthening peace have put forward and supported the idea of ​​the criminal nature of aggression, and this has found official recognition in a number of international acts and documents.

As for the USSR, as you know, the first foreign policy act of the Soviet government was the Peace Decree signed by V.I.Lenin, adopted the day after the victory of the October Revolution - November 8, 1917, which declared aggression the greatest crime against humanity and put forward about the peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems. The Soviet Union is doing everything to make this most important principle of its foreign policy the law of international relations. A special chapter of the 1977 USSR Constitution secures the peaceful nature of foreign policy Soviet Union... The entire historical path of the USSR is a purposeful struggle for the peace and security of peoples. “Not a single nation,” F. Castro noted at the I Congress The communist party Cuba did not want peace and did not defend it like the Soviet people ... History also proves that socialism, unlike capitalism, does not need to impose its will on other countries through wars and aggression ”(984).

The fascist aggressors, who found themselves in the dock, knew that by carrying out treacherous attacks on other states, they were thereby committing the most grave crimes against the world, they knew and therefore tried to disguise their criminal actions with false conjectures about defense. They counted on the fact, emphasized the Chief Prosecutor of the USSR R. A. Rudenko, that “total war, having ensured victory, will bring impunity. Victory did not follow in the footsteps of atrocities. The complete unconditional surrender of Germany came. The hour has come for a harsh response for all the atrocities committed ”(985).

The Nuremberg Trials were exceptional in terms of the flawlessness and strength of the prosecution's evidence. The evidence included the testimony of numerous witnesses, including former prisoners of Auschwitz, Dachau and other Nazi concentration camps - eyewitnesses of Nazi atrocities, as well as material evidence and documentaries... But the decisive role was played by official documents signed by those who were put in the dock. In total, 116 witnesses were heard in court, of which 33 were summoned by prosecutors and 61 people were defenders in individual cases, and more than 4 thousand were presented documentary evidence. compiled by themselves, the authenticity of which has not been disputed, with the exception of one or two cases ”(986).

Thousands of documents from the archives of the Hitlerite General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the personal archives of Ribbentrop, Rosenberg, Goering and Frank, the correspondence of the banker K. Schroeder, etc., revealing the preparation and unleashing of aggressive wars, lay on the table of the International Military Tribunal and spoke so convincingly language that the defendants could not oppose them with a single serious argument. They were sure that documents with the stamp "Top Secret" would never be made public, but history judged otherwise. Broad publicity and impeccable legal validity were the most important features of the Nuremberg Trials. On January 3, 1946, the ringleader of one of the operational groups that carried out the mass extermination of the civilian population, O. Ohlendorf, testified that his group alone killed 90 thousand men, women and children in the south of Ukraine during the year. The extermination of civilians was carried out on the basis of an agreement between the High Command of the Armed Forces, the General Staff of the Ground Forces and Himmler's department (987).

The orders of Keitel, Goering, Doenitz, Jodl, Reichenau and Manstein, as well as many other Hitlerite generals, noted the Chief Prosecutor from the USSR, laid a bloody trail to the numerous atrocities committed in the occupied territories (988). On January 7, the SS Obergruppenfuehrer, a member of the National Socialist Party since 1930 E. Bach-Zelewski, testified at the trial. He spoke about the meeting that took place in early 1941, at which Himmler said that one of the goals of the campaign against the USSR "was the extermination of the Slavic population of up to 30 million ...". And to the question of the lawyer A. Tom, what was the reason for this goal setting, the SS Obergruppenfuehrer replied: “... this was the logical consequence of our entire National Socialist worldview ... If for decades they preach that the Slavs are an inferior race, that Jews are not people - just such a result is inevitable ... ”(989). Far from wanting this, Bach-Zelewski helped to expose the misanthropic essence of fascism.

The National Socialist Party, like its leaders, was fostered by monopoly capital and militarist circles, and fascism was brought into being by the greedy goals of German imperialism. It is no coincidence that during the coup in Munich in 1923, the ideologist of the Prussian military, E. Ludendorff, walked alongside Hitler and his closest accomplice R. Hess. It is also no coincidence that such influential representatives of finance capital as G. Schacht, E. Staus, F. Papen joined the fascist party. The latter wrote in his book Road to Power that the Reichswehr was a decisive factor in the struggle for power, “not only a certain group of generals were responsible for the events leading up to January 30, 1933, but the officer corps as a whole” (990).

Having ensured the establishment of a fascist regime, monopolies and militarists began to prepare the country for an aggressive war. Already at the first meeting of Hitler with the generals, held on February 3, 1933, the task of future aggression was set: the development of new sales markets, the seizure of a new living space in the East and its merciless Germanization (991).

The trial revealed the criminal methods of transferring the German economy to a war footing, the implementation of the ominous slogan "guns instead of butter", the militarization of the entire country and the decisive role in this of the owners of monopolies who took key positions in the military-economic apparatus. The German monopolies willingly financed not only the general predatory plans of the fascists, but also the "special measures" of G. Himmler.

The defendants tried to convince the Tribunal that only Himmler and the professional SS assassins subordinate to him were to blame for all the atrocities. However, it has been irrefutably proven that massacres and other atrocities were conceived and planned not only by Himmler's department, but also by the Supreme High Command, and the extermination of civilians and prisoners of war was carried out by SS and Gestapo executioners in close cooperation with the generals. For example, the former commandant of the concentration camp R. Hess declared under oath that among the gassed and burned were Soviet prisoners of war who were taken to Auschwitz by officers and soldiers of the regular German army(992), and Bach-Zelewski reported that he regularly informed G. Kluge, G. Krebs, M. Weichs, E. Bush and others about the extermination of the civilian population (under the guise of fighting partisans) (993). Field Marshal G. Rundstedt, speaking in 1943 to the students of the military academy in Berlin, lectured: “The destruction of neighboring peoples and their wealth is absolutely necessary for our victory. One of the serious mistakes of 1918 was that we spared the life of the civilian population of enemy countries ... we are obliged to destroy at least a third of their inhabitants ... "(994)

Deputy Chief Prosecutor T. Taylor, on the basis of the evidence presented by him about the criminality of the Hitlerite General Staff and the Supreme High Command, concluded that they had come out of the war tainted with crimes. Expressing the opinion of all accusers, he convincingly spoke about the danger of militarism in general, and German militarism in particular. German militarism, Taylor noted, “if it comes out again, it doesn’t necessarily do it under the aegis of Nazism. The German militarists will link their fate with the fate of any person or any party that stakes on the restoration of German military power ”(995). That is why it is necessary to root out militarism with all its roots.

With regard to the Hitlerite generals, the International Military Tribunal wrote in the Verdict: they are largely responsible for the misery and suffering that befell millions of men, women and children; they disgraced the honorable profession of a warrior; without their military leadership, the aggressive aspirations of Hitler and his accomplices would be abstract and fruitless. "Modern German militarism," the Verdict emphasized, "flourished for a short time with the assistance of its last ally, National Socialism, just as or better than in the history of past generations" (996).

In recent years, a particularly large amount of revanchist literature has appeared in West Germany, in which an attempt is made to whitewash Nazi criminals, to prove the unprovable - the innocence of Hitler's generals. The materials of the Nuremberg Trials fully expose such falsification. He revealed the true role of the generals and monopolies in the crimes of German fascism, and this is its enduring historical significance.

The Nuremberg Trials helped to unravel the mystery of the beginning of the Second World War. He convincingly showed that militarism was the breeding ground in which fascism developed so rapidly. Assistant American prosecutor R. Kempner emphasized in his speech that one of the reasons for the global catastrophe was the fiction about the “communist danger”. This danger, he said, “was a fiction that, among other things, led ultimately to the Second World War” (997).

Trying to disguise their goals, the Hitlerite clique, as usual, yelled about the alleged danger from the USSR, declaring a predatory war against the Soviet Union "preventive". However, the "defensive" masquerade of the defendants and their defenders was exposed with the utmost clarity during the trial, and the falsity of Hitler's propaganda statements about the "preventive" nature of the attack on the Land of the Soviets was proved to the whole world.

On the basis of numerous documentary evidence, witness testimony, including Field Marshal F. Paulus, and the confessions of the defendants themselves, the Tribunal wrote in the Verdict that the attack on the Soviet Union had been carried out “without a shadow of legal justification. It was obvious aggression ”(998). This decision has not lost its significance in our days. It is an important argument in the struggle of progressive forces against the falsifiers of the history of the outbreak of the Second World War, who are trying to justify Hitler's aggression against the USSR in order to revanchism directed against the socialist countries.

The Nuremberg trial went down in history as an anti-fascist trial. The misanthropic essence of fascism, its ideology, especially racism, which is the ideological basis for preparing and unleashing aggressive wars and mass extermination of people, was revealed to the whole world. With the help of the Nuremberg Trials, fascism appeared as it is - a conspiracy of bandits against freedom and humanity. Fascism is war, it is rampant terror and arbitrariness, it is a denial of the human dignity of non-Aryan races. And this is inherent in all the successors of German fascism in any form. The trial clearly and convincingly showed the entire danger of the revival of fascism for the fate of the world. The last word of the accused Ribbentrop once again confirmed the close connection that existed between the rulers of Germany and those circles of political reaction that, as soon as the bloodiest war in the history of mankind ended, were engaged in provoking new wars in order to establish their dominance over the world. The materials of the trial call: it is impossible to allow the crimes of fascism to be minimized, to instill in the new generation a completely false and blasphemous version, as if there were no Auschwitz and Majdanek, Buchenwald and Ravensbrück, as if gas chambers and gas chambers never existed. Process acquired special meaning and because the fact that the aggressors were condemned constitutes a very serious warning for the future.

On July 30, 1946, the speeches of the chief prosecutors ended. In his closing speech delivered on July 29-30, the Chief Prosecutor from the USSR R.A. progressive humanity, which does not want a repetition of disasters, which will not allow a gang of criminals to prepare with impunity for the enslavement of peoples and the extermination of people ... Humanity calls to account the criminals, and on its behalf we, the prosecutors, blame this process. And how pitiful are the attempts to challenge the right of mankind to judge the enemies of mankind, how untenable are the attempts to deprive peoples of the right to punish those. who made the enslavement and extermination of peoples as his goal and carried out this criminal goal for many years in a row by criminal means ”(999).

September 30 - October 1, 1946 the verdict was announced. Tribunal: sentenced Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart, and Bormann (in absentia) to death penalty by hanging, Hess, Funka and. Raeder - to life imprisonment, Schirach and Speer - to 20, Neurath - to 15 and Doenitz - to 10 years in prison. Fritsche, Papen and Schacht were acquitted. The Tribunal declared the leadership of the National Socialist Party, SS, SD and Gestapo criminal organizations. A member of the Tribunal from the USSR, in a Special Opinion, declared his disagreement with the decision to acquit Fritsche, Papen and Schacht and the non-recognition of the General Staff and members of the government cabinet as criminal organizations, since the Tribunal had sufficient evidence of their guilt at its disposal. After rejection Control Board petitions of those sentenced to death for pardon, the sentence on the night of October 16, 1946 was carried out.

“... We share the considerations of the Soviet judge,” wrote Pravda in the editorial. - But even in the presence of the Special Opinion of the Soviet judge, one cannot but emphasize that the sentence passed in Nuremberg over the Hitlerite murderers will be appreciated by all honest people around the world positively, for it justly and deservedly punished the most serious criminals against peace and the good of the peoples. The judgment of history has ended ... "(1000)

The attitude of the German population to the process is characteristic. On August 15, 1946, the American Information Administration published another survey of the polls conducted: the overwhelming majority of Germans (about 80 percent) considered the Nuremberg trial fair, and the guilt of the defendants was undeniable; about half of the respondents answered that the defendants should be sentenced to death; only four percent responded negatively to the process.

According to the Charter of the International Military Tribunal, subsequent trials must take place “in places as determined by the Tribunal” (article 22). For a number of reasons, such as the withdrawal of the Western powers from the Potsdam and other agreements adopted during the war and immediately after its end, the activities of the Tribunal were limited Nuremberg trials... Nevertheless, the activities of the International Military Tribunal and the significance of its Judgment are of enduring importance. The historical role of the Nuremberg Trials lies in the fact that for the first time in the history of international relations it put an end to the impunity of aggression and aggressors in the criminal law aspect.

The International Military Tribunal recognized the aggression as the gravest crime of an international character. For the first time in history, the leaders of the state were punished as criminals who were guilty of preparing, unleashing and waging an aggressive war; a criminal order is not a ground for exemption from liability. " The verdict notes: "It was argued that international law only considers the actions of sovereign states, without establishing punishment for individuals", that if an illegal act is committed by a state, then "the persons who practically carried out this do not bear personal responsibility, but stand under the protection of the doctrine about the sovereignty of the state ”(1001). In the opinion of the Tribunal, both of these provisions should be rejected. It has long been recognized that international law imposes certain responsibilities on individuals as well as on the state.

In addition, the Tribunal pointed out: “Crimes against international law are committed by people, not abstract categories, and only by punishing individuals who commit such crimes can the provisions of international law be respected ... The principle of international law, which, under certain circumstances, protects the representative of the state , cannot be applied to acts that are condemned as criminal under international law ”(1002).

The principles of the Charter and the Sentence of the Tribunal, confirmed by the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, were a significant contribution to existing international law, became its generally recognized norms. Such definitions of concepts as international conspiracy, planning, preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, propaganda of war were introduced into the everyday life of the current international law and modern legal consciousness of peoples, they were recognized as criminal and, therefore, criminally punishable.

The materials of the trial and the Judgment of the Tribunal serve the cause of peace on earth, while being at the same time a formidable warning to the aggressive forces that have not yet abandoned their adventurous plans. The results of the Nuremberg trials call for vigilance all those who do not want a repetition of the bloody tragedy of the last war, who are fighting to preserve peace.

The situation today is completely different than at the time of the rise of Hitler's fascism. But even in modern conditions, constant and high vigilance is necessary, an active struggle against fascism in any of its manifestations. And here the lessons of the Nuremberg Trials are of great importance.

It is widely known that for a number of years in the West, in order to rehabilitate fascist war criminals, mass amnesty was used with reference to the norms on general criminal prescription, and voices are being heard about the early release of convicts. But the Nuremberg trials convincingly revealed the fact that fascist war criminals and their crimes against peace are by their very nature international crimes and therefore the general criminal prescription is not applicable to them, that such political adventurers, in order to achieve their criminal goals, did not stop at any atrocities, from which the earth was filled with groans and anger. Can “prescription” erase from the memory of the peoples of Oradour sur Glane and Lidice, the ruins of Coventry and Smolensk, Khatyn and Pirchupis and much, much more, which has become an expression of fascist cruelty and vandalism? Is it possible to forget the cellars of the Reichsbank, in which W. Funk and E. Poole kept chests filled with gold crowns, dentures and spectacle frames, which were obtained from the death camps, and then, turned into ingots, were sent to Basel, to the Bank of International calculations?

It is known that civilization and humanity, peace and humanity are inseparable. But it is necessary to resolutely reject humanism, benevolent to the executioners and indifferent to their victims. And when the words “no one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten” are pronounced, we are guided not by a feeling of revenge, but by a sense of justice and concern for the future of peoples. The liberation from Hitler's slavery went too dear to the peoples of the world so that they could allow the neo-fascists to erase the results of the Second World War. “We urge,” said Leonid Brezhnev, “to overcome the bloody past of Europe not in order to forget it, but so that it will never be repeated” (1003).

The Tribunal's verdict as an act of international justice is a constant warning to all those who in different parts of the world are trying to pursue a policy of hating, a policy of imperialist seizures and aggression, inciting military hysteria, and threatening the peace and security of peoples.

The lessons of the Nuremberg Trials indicate that, despite the discrepancies on individual points, the Tribunal's Judgment expresses the unanimous opinion of the representatives of the four countries in condemning the top of the Hitlerite gang and such criminal organizations of German fascism as the leadership of the National Socialist Party, SS, SD and Gestapo. The hopes of the world reaction that a gap is inevitable between the judges and the process will not be completed have not been justified.

The power of the Soviet Union, the leading role it played in the defeat of Nazi Germany, led to an unprecedented growth of its international authority. It has become impossible to solve international problems without the USSR. The Soviet Union fought to ensure that a peaceful settlement in Europe was based on the principles of democracy and progress, in line with the interests of the masses of the people of the entire continent. This was clearly manifested in the decisions of the Potsdam Conference aimed at eradicating fascism and militarism in Germany and at creating conditions for the post-war revival of Germany as a democratic and peace-loving state.

It is also a great merit of the Soviet Union that it prevented the export of counterrevolution to the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe, which had embarked on the path of free and democratic development.

In connection with the transition from war to peace, one of the most important problems: was the creation international organization designed to ensure the maintenance of peace and security. And Soviet diplomacy has done a lot to make the United Nations meet these lofty goals.

The lessons of World War II bear witness to the great importance that collaboration great powers in the struggle against their common enemy - fascist Germany. The lessons of the Nuremberg trials are also convincing of this. The verdict of the Tribunal expressed the common opinion of the representatives of the four countries in the condemnation of war criminals and criminal organizations of German fascism. The Nuremberg Trials proved that the will to cooperate can ensure unity of action to achieve a noble goal - the elimination of unjust wars from the life of mankind.

True to the Leninist principles of peace and peaceful coexistence of states regardless of their social system, the Soviet government is deeply interested in ensuring that the cooperation established in the course of the war between the states of the anti-Hitler coalition continues even after its end.

Not everyone who appeared before the tribunal received the same sentence. Of the 24 people, six were found guilty on all four counts. For example, Franz Papen, ambassador to Austria and then to Turkey, was released in the courtroom, although the Soviet side insisted on his guilt. In 1947, he received a sentence, which was then softened. The Nazi criminal ended his years ... in a castle, but far from a prison. And he continued to bend the line of his party, releasing "Memoirs of a Political Leader of Hitlerite Germany. 1933-1947 ", where he spoke about the correctness and consistency of German policy in the 1930s:" I made many mistakes in my life and more than once came to false conclusions. However, I owe it to my own family to correct at least some of my most offensive distortions of reality. The facts, when examined impartially, recreate a completely different picture. Nevertheless, this is not my main task. At the end of my life, which has stretched over three generations, I am most concerned with promoting a greater understanding of the role of Germany in the events of this period. "

On October 1, 1946, the verdict of the International Military Tribunal was announced in Nuremberg, condemning the main war criminals. It is often called the "Court of History". It was not only one of the largest trials in the history of mankind, but also a major milestone in the development of international law. The Nuremberg Trials legalized the final defeat of fascism.

In the dock:

For the first time, criminals who made an entire state criminal were found and were severely punished. The initial list of the accused included:

1. Hermann Wilhelm Göring, Reichsmarschall, Commander-in-Chief air force Germany
2. Rudolf Hess (German Rudolf Heß), Hitler's deputy for the leadership of the Nazi party.
3. Joachim von Ribbentrop (German Ullrich Friedrich Willy Joachim von Ribbentrop), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany.
4. Robert Ley, head of the Labor Front
5. Wilhelm Keitel (German: Wilhelm Keitel), Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces.
6. Ernst Kaltenbrunner (German Ernst Kaltenbrunner), head of the RSHA.
7. Alfred Rosenberg (German Alfred Rosenberg), one of the main ideologues of Nazism, Reich Minister for Eastern Territories.
8. Hans Frank (German Dr. Hans Frank), head of the occupied Polish lands.
9. Wilhelm Frick (German Wilhelm Frick), Minister of the Interior of the Reich.
10. Julius Streicher (German Julius Streicher), Gauleiter, editor-in-chief of the anti-Semitic newspaper "Sturmovik" (German Der Stürmer - Der Sturmer).
11. Hjalmar Schacht, Reich Minister of Economy before the war.
12. Walther Funk (German Walther Funk), Minister of Economy after Schacht.
13. Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (German Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach), head of the Friedrich Krupp concern.
14. Karl Dönitz (German Karl Dönitz), admiral of the fleet of the Third Reich.
15. Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.
16. Baldur von Schirach (German: Baldur Benedikt von Schirach), head of the Hitler Youth, Gauleiter of Vienna.
17. Fritz Sauckel (German Fritz Sauckel), head of forced deportations to the Reich of labor from the occupied territories.
18. Alfred Jodl (German Alfred Jodl), chief of staff of the OKW operational leadership
19. Franz von Papen (German Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen), German Chancellor to Hitler, then Ambassador to Austria and Turkey.
20. Arthur Seyß-Inquart (German Dr. Arthur Seyß-Inquart), Chancellor of Austria, then Imperial Commissioner of the occupied Holland.
21. Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Armaments.
22. Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath (German: Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath), in the early years of Hitler's reign, Minister of Foreign Affairs, then governor in the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
23. Hans Fritzsche (German Hans Fritzsche), head of the press and broadcasting department in the Ministry of Propaganda.

Twenty-fourth - Martin Bormann, head of the party office, was accused in absentia. Groups or organizations to which the defendants belonged were also accused.

Consequence and nature of the charge

Soon after the end of the war, the victorious countries of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and France, during the London conference, approved the Agreement on the Establishment of the International Military Tribunal and its Charter, the principles of which were approved by the UN General Assembly as generally recognized in the fight against crimes against humanity. On August 29, 1945, a list of top war criminals was published, including 24 prominent Nazis. The charges against them included the following points:

Nazi Party plans

• -Using Nazi control for aggression against foreign states.
• -Aggressive actions against Austria and Czechoslovakia.
• -Attack on Poland.
• -Aggressive war against the whole world (1939-1941).
• -Invasion of Germany into the territory of the USSR in violation of the non-aggression pact of 23 August 1939.
• -Cooperation with Italy and Japan and the aggressive war against the United States (November 1936 - December 1941).

Crimes against the world

"All the accused and various other persons for a number of years before May 8, 1945, participated in the planning, preparation, unleashing and waging wars of aggression, which were also wars in violation of international treaties, agreements and obligations."

War crimes

• -Killings and ill-treatment of civilians in the occupied territories and on the high seas.

• - Taking the civilian population of the occupied territories into slavery and for other purposes.
• -Killings and cruel treatment of prisoners of war and military personnel of countries with which Germany was at war, as well as with persons who were sailing on the high seas.
• -The aimless destruction of cities and towns and villages, devastation, not justified by military necessity.
• -Germanization of the occupied territories.

Crimes against humanity

• -The accused pursued a policy of persecution, repression and extermination of the enemies of the Nazi government. The Nazis threw people into prisons without a trial, subjected them to persecution, humiliation, enslavement, torture, and killed them.

On October 18, 1945, the indictment arrived at the International Military Tribunal and, a month before the start of the trial, was served on each of the accused in German. On November 25, 1945, after reading the indictment, Robert Ley committed suicide, and Gustav Krupp was declared terminally ill by the medical commission, and the case against him was dismissed pending trial.

The rest of the accused were brought to trial.

Court

In accordance with the London Agreement, the International Military Tribunal was formed on an equal footing from representatives of four countries. Lord J. Lawrence, the representative of Great Britain, was appointed chief judge. From other countries, the members of the tribunal were approved:

• - from the USSR: Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union, Major General of Justice I. T. Nikitchenko.
• -from USA: former Attorney General of the country F. Biddle.
• -from France: professor of criminal law A. Donnedier de Vabre.

Each of the 4 countries sent their chief prosecutors, their deputies and assistants to the trial:

• - from the USSR: Prosecutor General of the Ukrainian SSR R.A. Rudenko.
• -From USA: Member of the Federal Supreme Court Robert Jackson.
• -from UK: Hartley Shawcross
• -from France: François de Menton, who was absent in the early days of the trial, and was replaced by Charles Dubost, and then Champentier de Ribes was appointed instead of de Menton.

The trial lasted ten months in Nuremberg. A total of 216 court hearings were held. Each side presented evidence of crimes committed by Nazi criminals.

Due to the unprecedented severity of the crimes committed by the defendants, doubts arose as to whether to observe democratic norms of legal proceedings in relation to them. For example, representatives of the prosecution from England and the United States proposed not to give the defendants the last word. However, the French and Soviet sides insisted on the opposite.

The trial was tense not only because of the unusualness of the tribunal itself and the charges brought against the defendants.

The post-war exacerbation of relations between the USSR and the West after the famous Fulton speech by Churchill also affected, and the defendants, sensing the prevailing political situation, skillfully dragged on for time and hoped to escape the well-deserved punishment. In such a difficult situation, the tough and professional actions of the Soviet prosecution played a key role. The film about concentration camps, filmed by front-line cameramen, finally turned the tide of the process. The terrible pictures of Majdanek, Sachsenhausen, Auschwitz completely removed the doubts of the tribunal.

Court verdict

The International Military Tribunal sentenced:

• -To death by hanging: Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Seyss-Inquart, Bormann (in absentia), Jodl (was acquitted posthumously during the review of the case by the Munich court in 1953).
• -To life imprisonment: Hessa, Funka, Redera.
• -To 20 years in prison: Shirakh, Speer.
• -To 15 years in prison: Neurath.
• -To 10 years in prison: Denitsa.
• -Justified: Fritsche, Papen, Schacht.

The Soviet side protested against the acquittal of Papen, Fritsche, Schacht and the non-use of the death penalty against Hess.
The Tribunal recognized the organizations of the SS, SD, SA, Gestapo and the leadership of the Nazi party as criminal. The decision on recognizing the Supreme Command and the General Staff as criminal was not made, which caused the disagreement of a member of the tribunal from the USSR.

Most of the convicts filed petitions for clemency; Raeder - on the replacement of life imprisonment with the death penalty; Goering, Jodl and Keitel - about replacing the hanging with execution if the request for clemency is not granted. All of these motions were rejected.
The death penalty was carried out on the night of October 16, 1946 in the building of the Nuremberg prison. Goering was poisoned in prison shortly before his execution.

The sentence was carried out "of his own free will" by US Sergeant John Wood.

Funk and Raeder, sentenced to life imprisonment, were pardoned in 1957. After Speer and Schirach were released in 1966, only Hess remained in prison. The right-wing forces of Germany repeatedly demanded that he be pardoned, but the victorious powers refused to commute the sentence. On August 17, 1987, Hess was found hanged in his cell.

Results and conclusions

The Nuremberg Tribunal, having created a precedent for the jurisdiction of senior government officials to an international court, refuted the medieval principle "Kings are only within the jurisdiction of God." It was with the Nuremberg Trials that the history of international criminal law began. The principles enshrined in the Charter of the Tribunal were soon confirmed by decisions of the UN General Assembly as universally recognized principles of international law. Having passed a guilty verdict on the main Nazi criminals, the International Military Tribunal recognized the aggression as the gravest crime of an international character.

1. The building of the Palace of Justice, where the Nuremberg trials took place.

2. The Soviet guard at the tribunal building during the Nuremberg trials.

4. General form the conference room of the International Military Tribunal at the Palace of Justice, where the Nuremberg trials took place.

5. The building where the sessions of the International War Criminals Court were held.

6. The Soviet guard takes over to replace the courthouse.

7. View of the dock at the Nuremberg Trials.
In the first row in the dock: Goering, Hess, von Ribbentrop, Keitel, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Funk, Schacht. In the second row - Doenitz, Raeder, von Schirach, Sauckel, Jodl, von Papen, Seyss-Ingwart, Speer, von Neurath, Fritsche.).

8. Lord of Justice Jeffrey Lawrence (UK)- President of the International Military Tribunal at the Palace of Justice at the Nuremberg Trials.

9. Meeting of the International Tribunal in Nuremberg.

10. The chief prosecutor from the USSR at the Nuremberg trials, R.A. Rudenko. speaks at a court hearing.

11. Speech by the chief prosecutor from Great Britain H. Shawcross at the Nuremberg trials.

12. Speech by the representative of the prosecutor from France at the Nuremberg trials.

13. Speech by the chief US prosecutor R. Jackson at the Nuremberg trials.

14. Portrait of the Deputy Chief Justice at the Nuremberg Trials, Lieutenant Colonel A.F. Volchkov.

15. Portrait of the chief prosecutor from the USSR at the Nuremberg trials, Lieutenant General and R.A. Rudenko.

16. Portrait of a member of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg from the USSR, Major General of Justice IT Nikitchenko.

17. K.P. Gorshenin and A.Ya. Vyshinsky at a meeting of the International Military Tribunal at the Palace of Justice at the Nuremberg Trials.

18. Speech by the deputy chief prosecutor from the USSR, Colonel Pokrovsky, at the Nuremberg trials.

19. Speech by the assistant to the chief prosecutor from the USSR, State Counselor of Justice of the 3rd class Zorya at the Nuremberg trials.

20. Defendant von Papen in the dock during the Nuremberg trials.

21. Defendant V. Funk in the dock during the Nuremberg trials.

22. Goering and Hess in the dock at the Nuremberg Trials.

23. Defendant Frick in the dock during the Nuremberg Trials.

24. Interrogation of the defendant V. Keitel at the Nuremberg trials.

25. Interrogation of F. Paulus at the Nuremberg Trials.

26. Defendant G. Goering answers the questions of the prosecutor R. Jackson during the Nuremberg trials.

27. German criminals from the concentration camp in Belsen, the head of the concentration camp I. Kramer, the chief doctor of the concentration camp F. Klein, the head of the barrack P. Weingart and G. Kraft on the dock during the Nuremberg trial.

28. A. Hitler's personal photographer G. Hoffmann explains the content of his photographs to representatives of the Soviet and American prosecution at the Nuremberg trials.

29. The members of the court are listening to the representative of the United States.

30. Members of the International War Criminals Court.

31. General view of the meeting of the tribunal.

32. International Military Tribunal. In the dock:
(1st row (from left to right): Goering, Hess, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Funk, Schacht; 2nd row: Doenitz, Raeder, Schirach, Sauckel, Jodl, Papen, Seyss-Inquart , Speer, Neurath, Fritsche According to the verdict of the court on October 1, 1946, Goering, Ribbentrop, Keitel, Rosenberg, Kaltenbrunner, Frick, Frank, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl, Seyss-Inquart and Bormann in absentia were sentenced to death by hanging; and Raeder - to life imprisonment in Spandau prison; Schirach, Speer - to 20 years; von Neurath - 15 years; Doenitz - 10 years)

33. The prosecution considers evidence of crimes.

34. Chief Representative the Soviet side on the part of the prosecution R.A. Rudenko (left).

35. In the press box at the meeting of the International War Crimes Tribunal.

36. Field Marshal F. von Paulus during a break between sessions of the International Tribunal.

37. Ribbentrop, von Schirach, Keitel, Sauckel in the dock at the Nuremberg trials.

38. Goering, who lost 20 kilograms during the trial with his protector.

39. Hermann Goering is listening to the prosecution.

40. Deputy head of the NSDAP Rudolf Hess at the trial.

41. General Commissioner for Employedju Fritz Sauckel and chief of staff OKW general-fieldmarShawl Wilhelm Keitel.

42. Field Marshal V. Keitel takes the oath.

43. The death sentence for A. Zeiss-Inquart was carried out. October 16, 1946

44. Chief of the General Staff of the Wehrmacht, General of Infantry Alfred von Jodl.

45. Gauleiter of the Netherlands Arthur von Seiss-Inquart.

46. Defendants Frank and Jodl at the Nuremberg Trials.

47. Protector of Bohemia and Moravia Wilhelm Frick at the trial.

48. Defendant Streicher in the dock during the Nuremberg trials.

49. Julius Streicher at the trial.

50. One of the leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Third Reich, Konstantin von Neurath.

51. Armaments Minister Albert von Speer.

52. Commander-in-chief1st naval forces of the III Reich, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz.

53. Ambassador of the Third Reich to Turkey Franz von Papen.

54. Deputy Minister of Propaganda Hans Fritsche.

55. One of the leaders military industry Germany Hjalmar von Schacht.

56. The complex of buildings of the prison in Nuremberg.
(The building where the war criminals were kept is marked with a white arrow.)

57. Interior view of a solitary confinement cell where the main German war criminals were held.

58. Internal view of the camera.

59. Lighting the cells of the main German war criminals in the prison in Nuremberg.

60. Lunch ration of the defendants of the Nuremberg Trials.

61. Distribution of food to the cells of German war criminals in the prison in Nuremberg.

62. One of the buildings of the prison in Nuremberg, where the main German war criminals were kept.

63. Interrogation of General G. Guderian.

64. The corpse of Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, sentenced to death by the International Tribunal in Nuremberg,
committed suicide 2 hours before execution. October 16, 1946

65. The body of the executed Julius Streicher (Julius Streicher, 1885-1946). October 16, 1946

66. Judges Nuremberg Tribunal at work in the courtroom.

67. G. Frank, V. Frick, J. Streicher, A. Jodl, J. Schacht, A. Seyss-Inquart and A. Speer in the dock of the Nuremberg Trials.

68. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (1893-1946) and Rudolf Hess (Rudolf Heß, 1894-1987) in the dock of the Nuremberg trials.

69. The body of the executed Friedrich Sauckel (Ernst Friedrich Christoph Sauckel, 1894-1946). October 16, 1946

70. Hermann Goering in the courtroom during the Nuremberg trials.

71. Judges of the Nuremberg Tribunal look through documents at a table in the conference room.

72. The body of the executed Obergruppenführera SS Ernst Kaltenbrunner (Ernst Kaltenbrunner, 1903-1946). October 16, 1946

73. Former SS Gruppenfuehrer Otto Ohlendorf (1907-1951) testifies during the Nuremberg trials.

74. J. Schacht, F. von Papen and G. Fritsche with Colonel of the US Army B. Endrus during the Nuremberg trials.
All three - G. Fritsche, J. Schacht and F. von Papen - were the only ones who were acquitted at the Nuremberg trials. Subsequently, they were all sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in the de-Nazification trials.

75. The body of the executed Wilhelm Frick (1877-1946). October 16, 1946
Wilhelm Frick served as Minister of the Interior of Germany (1933-1943), Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia (1943-1945), was one of the ideologists and leaders of the NSDAP.

76. The body of the executed Alfred Rosenberg (Alfred Ernst Rosenberg, 1893-1946). October 16, 1946
A. Rosenberg was the creator of the "racial theory", the head of the Central Research1st Institute for National Social Affairspolitical ideology and education, Reichsministerium für die besetzten Ostgebiete).

77. The body of the executed Hans Frank (Hans Michael Frank, 1900-1946). October 16, 1946
Hans Frank was Governor GeneralOrom of Poland (1939-1945), was a lawyer of the NSDAP before coming to power, after coming he participated in the development of new laws of Hitlerite Germany. Hjalmar Schacht and Arthur Seyss-Inquart in the dock at the Nuremberg Trials.

85. American Master Sergeant John Woods (John Clarence Woods, 1911 - 1950) prepares a noose for a convict at the Nuremberg trials.

86. Hermann Goering at lunch during the Nuremberg Trials.

87. The body of a German colonel generalka Alfred Jodl (Alfred Jodl), executed on October 16, 1946 by the verdict of the Nuremberg Tribunal, along with 9 other war criminals in the gym of the Nuremberg prison.

91. American operators of simultaneous interpretation devices in a courtroom during the Nuremberg trials.

92. A view of the corridor of the Nuremberg prison, where the main Nazi criminals were kept, around the clock who were monitored by American soldiers guarding the prison.

93. Private 1st Class, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st US Infantry Division Joseph L. Pichierre stands outside Rudolf Hess's cell in Nuremberg Prison.

94. Meeting of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. Hermann Göring, former commander-in-chief1st Luftwaffe, sitting on the testimony bench (center right) wearing a gray jacket, headphones and dark glasses. Sitting next to him are Rudolf Heß, former Deputy Fuehrer for the Party, Joachim von Ribbentrop, former German Foreign Minister, Wilhelm Keitel, former Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.the German Armed Forces and SS Obergruppenführer Ernst Kaltenbrunner.