Organisational Model of the Nuremberg Trials: Between Law, History and Criminology

Abstract

This article analyses the Nuremberg Trials by examining their setting, processes, and legacy, with an emphasis on power, selective justice, and historical context. It interrogates the discriminatory characteristics of the trials and the intentions of the Allied powers. The critical criminology perspective highlights that the Nuremberg trials predominantly addressed the offences of the defeated Axis powers, neglecting possible transgressions by the Allied states. This selective prosecution calls into question the impartiality and universality of the justice which was administered in this case. The trials were executed by the triumphant Allied powers, prompting apprehensions over the impact of power and political interests on the judicial process. The trials may have served to validate the victors’ acts and reinforce their post-war supremacy. The Nuremberg Trials are praised for instituting the principle of individual criminal responsibility for international offences; however, the text also explores the possible adverse effects of the trials, including the risk of victors’ justice, the selective enforcement of international law and the whitewashing of the real culprit(s) of World War II.