Timeline of Events
- 1942
- January 16
- January 20
- March 1
- March 21
- May 27
- June 9
- June 28
- July 15
- July 23
- August 25
- September 5
- October 26
- December 17
- 1943
- February 1
- February 2
- March 13
- April 19
- August 23
- September 20
- October 14
- October 19
- November 3
- December 28
- 1944
- January 16
- January 22
- March 19
- May 15
- May 15
- June 6
- June 18
- July 9
- July 11
- July 20
- July 23
- August 1
- August 2
- August 9
- October 7
- November 23
- November 25
- December 11
- 1945
- January 17
- January 27
- February 4
- February 13
- February 13
- March 7
- April 2
- April 4
- April 11
- April 11
- April 11
- April 12
- April 13
- April 15
- April 17
- April 20
- April 23
- April 25
- April 27
- April 29
- April 30
- April 30
- May 4
- May 4
- May 5
- May 7
- June 4
- August 15
- September 2
- November 20
- November 21
- November 29
- December 1
- December 11
- December 22
International Military Tribunal
The defendants in the dock listen to the proceedings at the International Military Tribunal trial of war criminals at Nuremberg. —US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of John W. Mosenthal
November 20, 1945
The International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, begins a trial of 21 (of 24 indicted) major Nazi German leaders on charges of crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit each of these crimes. It is the first time that international tribunals are used as a postwar mechanism for bringing national leaders to justice. The word genocide is included in the indictment, but as a descriptive, not legal, term. Two defendants face the Allied prosecutors because of their propaganda activities: Hans Fritzsche and Julius Streicher. Their cases mark the first time in history that an international court prosecuted propagandists for their role in the commission of such murderous crimes.
"Never before in legal history has an effort been made to bring within the scope of a single litigation the developments of a decade, covering a whole continent, and involving a score of nations, countless individuals, and innumerable events."
US Chief Prosecutor Robert H. Jackson
The interior of the Nuremberg prison, where the defendants were confined during the International Military Tribunal trial of war criminals. —US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of John W. Mosenthal
Related Topics
- Holocaust Encyclopedia article—1945: Key Dates
- Holocaust Encyclopedia article—International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg
- Holocaust Encyclopedia article—International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg: The Defendants
- Holocaust Encyclopedia article—How Were the Crimes Defined?
- Holocaust Encyclopedia historical film footage—Defendants enter pleas at Nuremberg Trial
- Special Focus—The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy
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