The Holocaust

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Recommended: The pros of the nuremberg trials

It is without a doubt that the Holocaust will forever go down in history as one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. Even years after the Nazi leadership, effects of the war still haunt the streets of Germany and the memories of the few survivors still alive today. Hitler and his Nazi regime held power in Germany from 1939 until 1945, when they were defeated by the Allied forces (Davenport 10). Within that time, Hitler was responsible for the death of six million Jewish people, and millions of other non-Jews. (Davenport 10) However, when the war ended, it was a big question as to who to blame for these horrendous crimes. Several of Hitler’s head leaders, and Hitler himself, either committed suicide or went into hiding before they could be captured (Austin 2000). In Hitler’s last testament, he was quoted to have said, “I do not wish to fall into the hands of enemies who will need a spectacle arranged by Jews” (Davenport 18). However, Hitler left behind several of his top officers and commanders, who were rounded up and taken to Nuremberg for trial (Davenport 16). Along with the Nazi soldiers and generals, between 100,000 and 250,000 Germans directly played a part in the killings and persecution of Jewish citizens in Nazi Germany (Davenport 13). Some believe that it was necessary to hold all German citizens responsible for their involvement in these crimes against humanity; however the Nuremberg trials were the best solution for justice, as they showed ignorance and duty were no longer viable excuses for crimes, and they set a precedent for future trials by demonstrating a strong intolerance for genocide.

Before the trials began, the Allied forces debated on whether it was necessary to try these men, or if it would be bes...

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...courts (fix citation).

The Nuremberg trials are still heavily debated today, in regards to their effectiveness and whether or not it put the blame on the correct people. However, the trials were highly successful. Several of the men were hung for their crimes, and others were sentenced to strenuous prison terms with conditioning therapy afterwards. The Nuremberg Trials has had lasting effect on the world. After these trials, the United Nations began to adopt the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which established that there were such things as crimes against humanity, and that they could be tried any in the world (UMKC).The Nuremberg trials were truly the best solution for justice, showed ignorance and duty were no longer viable excuses for crimes, and it set a precedent for future trials by a strong intolerance for genocide.

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