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Nuremberg Trials Tokyo War Crime Tribunal

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Presentation on theme: "Nuremberg Trials Tokyo War Crime Tribunal"— Presentation transcript:

1 Nuremberg Trials Tokyo War Crime Tribunal
WWII War crime trials Nuremberg Trials Tokyo War Crime Tribunal

2 Effects of WWII in Europe

3 Yalta Conference February 1945 Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta (Soviet Union) to discuss the postwar world Formed the United Nations Divided Germany and Berlin into four zones Stalin obtained Poland if he promised to allow free elections Stalin gained Pacific islands if he promised to declare war on Japan

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5 New United Nations structure!

6 Major change = makeup of Security Council!
10 non- permanent members are elected for two-year terms by General Assembly

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8 KEEP IN MIND: Stalin is gong to break these promises …….. COLD WAR!!!!

9 Nuremberg Trials November October 1946

10 Declaration on German Atrocities in Occupied Europe
Published by the U.S., Soviet Union, and England Gave a "full warning" that, when the Nazis were defeated, the Allies would "pursue them to the uttermost ends of the earth ... in order that justice may be done. ... and will be punished by a joint decision of the Government of the Allies.” (11/1943) In accordance with the United Nations (tried before the International Military Tribunal)

11 Nuremberg Court House

12 Charges Tribunal persecuted 23 top Nazi officials for the following:
Count One: Participation in a common plan for the accomplishment of a crime against peace Count Two: Planning, initiating, waging aggressive war violation of international law or treaties Count Three: War Crimes including mistreatment of POW’s & civilians Count Four: Crimes Against Humanity murder, extermination, enslavement of civilian populations; persecution on the basis of racial, religions or political grounds

13 Top Nazi officials NOT tried…..
Heinrich Himmler: leader/founder of the SS, chief of German police (including the Gestapo), facilitator of all concentration camps

14 Top Nazi officials NOT tried…..
Joseph Goebbels: Minister of Propaganda, Chancellor of Germany, facilitator of all censorship and media

15 Nazi Escape through Ratlines
Ratlines: system of escape routes for Fascists Led toward havens in South America, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Bolivia. Two routes: 1) Germany  Spain  Argent; 2) Germany  Rome  Genoa  S. Amer 13 top ranking Nazis escaped to South America (most never found)  Joseph Mengele, head doctor at Auschwitz lived rest of his life in Brazil Gustav Wagner, Staff Sargent of SS lived rest of life in Argentina

16 Top Nazis “tried” in Nuremberg …
Robert Ley: head of the German Labour Front Indicted on three counts When asked about being a war criminal….. "Stand us against a wall and shoot us, well and good, you are victors. But why should I be brought before a Tribunal like a c-c-c- ... I can't even get the word out!"

17 Top Nazis “tried” in Nuremberg …
Martin Bormann: Hitler’s private secretary, 2nd in command at Auschwitz, general in SS, responsible for domestic affairs Tried in absentia

18 Hermann Göring Leader of the Nazi Party, founder of the Gestapo, commander-and-chief of the Luftwaffe, 2nd in command

19 "I only thought we would eliminate Jews from positions in big business and government"

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21 Outcome Twelve were sentenced to death
Seven received prison sentences (ranging from 10 years to life in prison) Four were acquitted The definition of what constitutes a war crime is now described by the Nuremberg principles, a set of guidelines created as a result of the trial Influenced the Tokyo War Tribunal

22 American Newsreel Covering the Trials

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24 Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal
April 1946 – November 1948

25 Effects of WWII in Asia Japan was eliminated as a major power
Allied occupation of Japan; MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP) Removal of Japanese troops in China In 1949, China falls to communism under Mao Zedong Territories are reclaimed: Taiwan, Korea (divided), Pacific Islands SU gets control of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands The Emperor would help maintain political stability and facilitate reform Japan was turned into a democratic state with a new constitution

26 Declaration of General MacArthur
Accused the defendants of promoting a scheme of conquest that "contemplated and carried out...murdering, mutilating and ill-treating prisoners of war (and) civilian internees...forcing them to labor under inhumane conditions...plundering public and private property, destroying cities, towns, and villages beyond any justification of military necessity; (perpetrating) mass murder, rape, pillage, torture and other barbaric cruelties upon the helpless civilian population of the over-run countries." In January 1946, MacArthur ordered the establishment of an International Military Tribunal

27 Ichigaya Court in Tokyo, formerly the Imperial Japanese Army HQ building

28 Charges Class A: participation in a joint conspiracy to start and wage an aggressive war 28 Japanese military/political leaders charged with Class A Class B: crimes against humanity Class C: those in "the planning, ordering, authorization, or failure to prevent such transgressions at higher levels in the command structure“ more than 5,700 Japanese nationals were charged with Class B and C crimes, mostly entailing prisoner abuse

29 Asian Civilians: Japan lost 2-3 million & China lost 12-20 million

30 The Japanese troops often burned/buried people alive

31 Laha Airfield Massacre – Feb 1942

32 Alexandra Hospital Massacre: Feb 1942

33 Japanese Occupation of Nauru: 1942-1945

34 Sook Ching Massacre:

35 I-8: March & July 1944

36 Massacre of Manila: March 1945

37 Unit 731

38 Unit 731 Experiments Vivisection Amputation Organ Removal
Disease Injection Biological Warfare Plague planes, germ-releasing bombs, etc.

39 War Tribunal in Tokyo Trials were carried out by General MacArthur and an appointed 11 judges (Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, UK, US & USSR)

40 Chief Prosecutor; U.S. Judge Joseph Keenan
"War and treaty-breakers should be stripped of the glamour of national heroes and exposed as what they really are—plain, ordinary murderers”

41 28 Primary Defendants The trial lasted for more than two and a half years, hearing testimony from 419 witnesses and admitting 4,336 exhibits of evidence, including depositions from 779 individuals.

42 Top Japanese Officials NOT Tried…
Emperor Hirohito (Allies needed him to legitimize democratic reforms) Nobusuke Kishi (conservative ally – later Prime Minister) Shiro Iishi (received immunity in exchange for data on medical experiments)

43 Hirohito’s Amnesty "MacArthur's truly extraordinary measures to save Hirohito from trial as a war criminal had a lasting and profoundly distorting impact on Japanese understanding of the lost war months before the Tokyo tribunal commenced, MacArthur's highest subordinates were working to attribute ultimate responsibility for Pearl Harbor to Hideki Tojo” Japanese Historian, Herbert Bix 3 of the judges on trial later said Hirohito should’ve been the main one tried, and Tojo should’ve been the one acquitted

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45 Outcome 984 were condemned to death 475 received life sentences
2,944 were given prison terms 1,018 were acquitted 279 were never brought to trial or not sentenced

46 Hideki Tojo Found guilty on 35 counts!

47 American Newsreel Covering the Trials
Show the clip!

48 Long Term Impact In 1978, 1,068 convicted war criminals, including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals (Tojo) were secretly enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine

49 Long Term Impact Today, denial of Japanese war crimes remains a symbol of nationalism In a Japanese survey conducted on the 60th Anniversary of the sentencing (2006): 70% of those questioned were unaware of the details of the trials rose to 90% for those in the 20–29 age group. 76% recognized a degree of aggression on Japan's part during the war Only 7% believed it was a war strictly for self-defense

50 Compare/Contrast the two War Crimes Trials

51 Discussion In your opinion, do you think the U.S., Soviet Union, England or France should have been tried for war crimes? Why or why not? How would they have been tried? Should a victorious power be forced to take responsibility?


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