NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early...

12
NUREMBERG TRIALS

Transcript of NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early...

Page 1: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

NUREMBERG TRIALS

Page 2: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

THE CHAIRS

2

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

JOCELYN WEXLER ‘17 Welcome to the third annual EdgeMUN con-ference! I’m a junior at Edgemont and I’m so excited to be chairing the Nuremberg Trials Committee this year. This is my second year on MUN and in those two years I have been to seven conferences. In addition to Model UN I am president of Jewish Culture Club and treasurer of Academic Challenge. I’ll see

you in committee!

NIKITA GUPTA ‘17Hello! Welcome to EdgeMUN! I will be

chairing the Nuremberg Trial Committee at this year’s conference and am eagerly

anticipating enthusiastic debate during the sessions. I’m currently a junior at Edge-mont high school, and this is my second year as a MUN delegate. I’ve been to sev-eral conferences in the past two years and have helped moderate an EdgeMUN com-

mittee last year. Outside of MUN, I am the co-president of the Architecture Club,

play the flute and dance.

Welcome to the Nuremberg Trials Committee! The Nazis have just been defeated and the world is left reeling from their atrocities committed during World War II. The war

crimes against humanity have no parallel in devastation. The people demand JUSTICE. This committee’s purpose is to bring forth two notorious Nazi war criminals, Hermann

Wilhelm Goering and Albert Speer, in order to determine their guilt and respective punishment. Since the sessions will run like an actual trial, delegates will be given a

specific roles, such as jury members or lawyers, and will be expected to have decided on an appropriate means to deliver justice if necessary by the end of committee. Delegates

will also be drafting guidelines for future international trials regarding war crimes.

Page 3: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

appropriate punishments for those convicted. Further-more, the delegates should recommend possible in-ternational bodies for this purpose. Keep in mind that these trials are unprecedented in that there have been no established guidelines that govern the procedure for the management of international crimes. Part of the signif-icance of the Nuremberg Trials is that it will set a stan-dard for all similar trials. Creating a complete resolution will ensure that justice will be achieved in an efficient and effective manner in the future. It is important to note that while all defendants are likely guilty of some form of immoral act, you are determining whether what they did was a war crime or not. Though given the counts outlined in the charter, it is still your responsibility to define what a war crime is and to set precedence for the future.

HISTORY OF WAR CRIMES

The concept of crimes against humanity and genocide, though recent, have their origins in many early civilizations. In the Egypt and Sumerian wars, there were rules dictating when war could be initiated. Additionally, in the early Indian civilization, around 4 B.C.E., Hindu texts expressed restrictions on killing non-combatants during wars. The rules of war were codified more during the Greco-Roman era. Cease-fires were respected to bury the dead, poisoned weapons were prohibited, and humane treatment of civilians and prisoners was more developed. While often broken, these restrictions paved the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war, but Christian ideals of kindness played a part. The just-war doctrine justified war in the defense of religion. How-ever, church leaders stated that soldiers, even fighting

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

3

It’s 1945, and the world has just been turned on its head. With unparalleled organization the Nazis have per-formed atrocities that were previously thought unthink-able. Millions have been killed by their hands. It is time to create international human rights standards. It is time to set a precedent. It is time for justice.

COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

The trial will start with the Judicial session. The session will be begin with the defendants making a brief statement. The lawyers are allowed to interrogate the defendant and after, the judges will have an opportunity to ask questions. Each lawyer will have one minute for an opening statement, and will then be subject to ques-tions by the judges. The judges will then have a period of deliberation where they can share their opinions and pose questions to the lawyers that they want answered during the course of the trial. During this period, the lawyers may introduce evidence (at the discretion of the chief justice). The lawyers may then present the evidence and each side can express their opinion. The judges will go into further deliberation and the process will repeat until evidence is exhausted. Each lawyer will then deliver a closing speech, reiterating major points of the trial to persuade their side. The judges shall give their final ruling. The judges must vote guilty/not-guilty on all the counts and provide a paper stating why each act com-mitted is or is not a war crime. One judge will then state the indictments for the defendant and read the paper. The next trial will proceed in a similar fashion. After the resolution of the trials, the committee will then move on to the deliberation session. Based on the outcome of the trails, judges and lawyers will work together to pass a comprehensive resolution regarding the handling of future international crimes. The reso-lution should include a definition of war crimes, and

Page 4: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

4

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

supremely destructive weapons, especially poisonous ones. These conventions were built upon Grotius’s work, the Lieber Code, and the Geneva convention of 1864 that established the Red Cross. The priority was humane treatment of prisoners, but specific situations were dealt with as well. For example, ruses were permitted, while

pillaging was not. The comprehensive-ness of the conferences made them a large step forward in the development of international law. However, because they were international conventions and could not violate national sover-eignty, no punishments could be dealt. Instead, provisions were made for “mediation, commissions of inquiry and a permanent court of arbitration.”2 It was up to the individual states to

comply with these laws, but the could not be enforced on an international level. The test of these laws came in World War I with the deaths of 16.5 million people, 6 million of those being civilians3. The Versailles Treaty of 1919 ended the war and attempted to enforce laws on war crimes. In Ar-ticle 227 it called Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to trial for “a supreme offence against international morality and the sanctity of treaties” in front of an international court4. Additionally, Article 228 stated trials should be held “before military tribunals of persons accused of having committed acts in violation of the laws and customs of war. Such persons shall, if found guilty, be sentenced to punishments laid down by law.”5 The Versailles Treaty was highly controversial with the “War Guilt Clause,” which placed the blame for the war on Germany and punished the country for it. While some

in a just war, should do penance and avoid unnecessary violence. In the 1400s, international codes of law were first developed. Merchants wanted the restraint of pillaging and destruction, and the chivalric code stated restric-tions on weapons and methods1. The chivalric code tran-scended national borders and applied to everyone, regardless of position. The most comprehen-sive early work on war crimes was written by Hugo Grotius in 1625 entitled, The Law of War and Peace. Grotius drew upon the laws of Greek and Roman civilization, as well as the early Christian era for research. Writing in the midst of the Thirty Years’ war, Grotius de-termined that war was natural order, and tried to explain the international laws of it. If war is part of a natural order, it follows that all states would follow similar rules, and a the failure to comply with those laws should be a crime2. Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden followed Grotius’s book and refused to let his men attack civilian build-ings or institutions, as well as the civilians themselves. However, while the laws existed, they were often not followed. In 19th century America, during the Civil War, the Lieber Code was written. This code outlined the proper moral conduct of soldiers during wartime, as well as punishments should it be disobeyed. In the 1899 and 1907 the first international conferences were held on the subject of war crimes: The Hague Conventions. The conventions prohibited many 1. “War Crimes - Historical Development.” - Rules, Christian, Soldiers, and Grotius. Net Industries, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015. <War Crimes - His-torical Development>. 2. Dyer, Peter. “A History of War Crimes.” A History of War Crimes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.3. “Casualties | WW1 Facts.” WW1 Facts. WordPress, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.4. Steenhard, R. “A Supreme Offence...”. Peace Palace Library. Peace Palace Library, 27 June 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.5. “The Peace Treaty of Versailles.” The Peace Treaty of Versailles. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.Image: Treaty of Versailles. Digital image. CDN History. N.p., n.d. Web.

Page 5: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

5

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

Social Darwinism, the idea that Aryans were genetically superior and Jews were subhuman4. Autarky, the idea that Germany should be self suffi-cient5. Germany needed to be protected from enemies such as Communists and Jews7

The party orchestrated the Beer Hall Putsch, an attempted coup8. After the coup, Hitler was jailed as a traitor. During his imprisonment Hitler wrote his memoir Mein Kampf, in which he outlined his idea for a strong, Aryan, Germany, as well as his hatred for the Jews. The book became immensely popular, and Hitler’s image was growing strong. As a charismatic speaker, Hitler entranced Ger-many. He offered an opportunity to rebuild the country, promising economic stability and a respectful status once again in the world’s eyes. Hitler adopted the role which the Weimar Republic had abandoned, and the people, hungry and dejected, were ready to cast off their failures and rebuild their prized nation. Hitler’s ideas of racial purity and a strong Germany resonated well with the people of Germany who were still dealing with the ignominy of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles. There-fore, Hitler and his party quickly rose through the ranks of the Weimar Republic, gaining the majority. Eventu-ally, after Chancellor Hindenberg’s death, Hitler ap-pointed himself the Furher (absolute ruler) of Germany8. Soon after taking on absolute rule, Hitler vi-ciously sought out to rebuild Germany. However, this could only be done if Germany was “pure” from the inside. Promoting the fundamental ideas of Nazism, Hit-ler took Social Darwinism to new extents. He wanted to ensure that Germany consisted of Aryan blood, which, in his view, was considered the strongest of all. In doing so, he created a common enemy for the German people, attacking Jews, communists, gypsies, and handicapped people among others. Placing the blame on the Jews for

soldiers were tried under Article 228, many were acquit-ted with the defense that they had just been following orders, and the controversy made it difficult for the trials to be properly held. With this history of war crimes, it is your job as the judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys to de-termine what exactly a war crime is, and how you will punish the guilty.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF NAZISM

Post WWI Germany was in financial and po-litical trouble. The “War guilt clause” in the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, left Germany financially responsible for the war. Consequently, Germany was left paying reparations well above its financial ability. In the mid-1930s, the world suffered a depression. Devastated by the war, and now burdened by additional monetary duties, Germany’s economy was obliterated. Many Ger-mans were unemployed and bordered poverty. To add to the demoralization, The Treaty of Versaille was seen as humiliation to the Germans. Already having emerged on the losing side from the war, the treaty belittled the Ger-man people and hurt their national pride. Furthermore, the newly set up Weimar republic was inherently weak, and did little to alleviate the problems of the public6. With a poor history of democracy, Germany quickly lost faith in the Weimar Republic. The people were eager for a strong leader; this role would soon be filled by Adolf Hitler. Soon after World War I, Hitler joined the Na-tional Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), or the Nazi party. This party was founded on many intolerant ideas which paved the way for WWII: 1. Lebensbraum, the idea that the German people needed more living space2. A strong, united Germany3. One strong leader as opposed to a democratic process

6. J. Llewellyn et al, “Why the Weimar Republic failed?”, Alpha History, 2014.7. “Nazi Beliefs.” BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.8. “The Holocaust.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.

Page 6: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

6

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

powered by the Wannsee Conference, nearly 40,000 other camps were constructed10. While the conditions of the camps were largely dependant on the specific camp itself, the environment ranged from awful to even more awful; life in the concentration camps was hell. When first taken in, prisoners were divided into two groups: the weak would be sent to their death in the crematories, and the healthy would be exploited as forced labor until no longer able, in which case would also face the same fate of death. For the minority that lived, life seemed no better than death. Starvation was accepted as a common part of life; and many prisoners’ meager lives were cur-tailed due to diseases relating to malnutrition. Besides the constant empty stomach, prisoners were expected undertake heavy physical work. Lacking proper tools and always under a time-sensitive environment, prison-ers were pushed to their bodily limits, often enduring beatings and verbal derogation from SS officers along-

side hand-bleeding work. The prisoners were subject to the wrath of SS officers at anytime. Ranging from physical assault to humiliation, the prisoners suffered vari-ous forms of torture and were stripped of all dignity. Hangings, incarceration, and a one way trip to the gas chambers were a frequent occurrence. Prisoners lived in constant terror, knowing that pain and death were around the corner. Human experimentation is another common characteristic among the various

concentration camps. The Nazi doctors vastly contrib-uted to the medical knowledge of the world; however, this came at a great cost. Using prisoners as test subjects, the “doctors” at the camps conducted various experi-

economic hardships and military humility, anti-semi-tism thrived. Examples of this can be seen during Kri-stallnacht. Yet, Hitler was not satisfied. He devised a plan, the “Final Solution,” to ensure the complete eradi-cation of impure blood once and for all. Though still unclear, the origin of the “final solution” can not be attributed to one single person or event. Rather, the systematic mass murder was a result of various circumstances and involved members in all lev-els of the political system. The “final solution” originally was not intended as means of genocide. Hitler started out by isolating those of “impure” blood in ghettos and promoting intense segregation. The hysteria and resent-ment of the Jews grew to new levels, setting the stage for the mass murder to come. Mobile firing squads known as Einsatzgruppen destroyed entire Jewish communi-ties, leaving not one survivor between the gas vans and the guns9. Yet despite the seemingly nonchalant attitude toward the small massacres, many members of the Einsatzgruppen were traumatized by the effects of direct killing. Furthermore, strained by the events of WW2, Hitler was willing to take larger strides towards his goal. On January 20, 1942, the elite Nazi officers, the S.S, and the government gathered together in the Wann-see Conference to discuss the expediting of the Final Solution. Out of this conference, the implementation of concentration camps became more prominent. Jews and other “impurities” were extracted from their homes and shipped to these killing centers, about to face the one of the most inhumane atrocities of all time. The first concentration camp, named Dachau, was established in 1933. Since then, and especially

9. “‘Final Solution’: Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.10. “Concentration Camp System: In Depth.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.11. “Nazi Medical Experiments.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.Image: Einsatzgruppen. Digital image. USHMM. N.p., n.d. Web.

Page 7: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

7

EDGEMUN IIINUREMBERG TRIALS

tion. However, it still remains unclear to this day, exactly to what degree the public was aware of the atrocities committed.

Conception of the trials

In 1944, the Allies began to discuss what was to be done with the Nazi war criminals, but were worried that this kind of talk would inspire German vengeance12. Several proposals were brought forth, some more dras-tic than others. Treasury Secretary Henry Morganthau suggested that the Nazi leaders either be shot on the spot or exiled. His goal was to return Germany to an

agricultural economy. However, this plan was rejected by President Roosevelt as it would require the German POWs to rebuild Germany and would punish them as well. Roosevelt eventually chose the proposal by the War Department to define war crimes and bring the Nazi leaders to trial, as well as treating the regime as a crimi-nal conspiracy13. The other Allied leaders agreed, and at the Yalta conference issued a statement in favor of a trial for the Nazi leaders.

INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL

The delegates from the Allied powers met to discuss how the trials would proceed in June of 1945. No trial of this magnitude and international importance has been held before and as such, the delegates were unsure

ments for three purposes, all of which revolved around empowering the Germans. First, the experimentation was aimed at developing a treatment for illnesses and injuries suffered by the Nazi on the battlefield, includ-ing burns, wounds, malaria, and hepatitis. To ensure a realistic response to a possible treatment, prisoners needed to replicate the condition of the soldiers. In some cases, when finding a method to treat open wounds, SS soldiers inflicted similar gashes on prisoners and rubbed glass shards and dirt into the cut in order to create a more realistic representation11. Secondly, experiments tested the limits of man, hoping for German soldiers to make best use of their abilities. Among the many tests, prisoners were subjected to low pressure and high altitude environments and freezing experiments for this purpose. Lastly, doctors strove to advance the eugenics movement. Attempting illustrate the superiority of the Aryan race, doctors would observe the spread of con-tagious diseases among prisoners. Furthemore, doctors sought efficient sterilization methods in order to prevent the reproduction of the Jewish people. In all, estimates indicate that nearly 1,885,889 to 2,045,215 civilians were murdered in the concentra-tion camps10. However, prior murder of Jews and other undocumented deaths adds even more to this count. The effects atrocities of the camps still reverberate to this day. Emaciated bodies and severed limbs only reveal a glimpse of the horrors and war crimes of the SS sol-diers. Yet, the enormity and complexity of the entire system encompasses the culpability of the whole nation; it’s difficult to place the blame on one single member. However, as the world hopes to alleviate the tragedy and pursue justice, steps will be taken to appropriately punish those responsible for the war crimes committed against humanity. Hitler’s ideas soon overtook the minds of the na-

12. “A Short History of War Crimes.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 19 July 1997. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.13. Linder, Doug. “Nuremberg Trials.” NurembergACCOUNT. UMKC, 2000. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.14. “The Nuremberg Trials.” The Nuremberg Trials. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.Image: Nuremberg Trials. Digital image. USHMM. USHMM, n.d. Web.

Page 8: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

TopicCommittee Name

8

nation, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war,14 or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of domestic law of the coun-try where perpetrated13. The British judge, Sir Geoffrey Lawrence was voted as the Chief Justice in order to lessen America’s role in the trial and escape criticism. On November 20th, the trial begins. Be prepared to change the meaning of international law.

THE INDICTMENTS

Count One: Conspiracy to Wage Aggressive War Crimes committed before the war began, a plan to com-mit crimes during the warCount Two: Waging Aggressive War, or “Crimes Against Peace” Planning, preparation of wars of aggressionCount Three: War Crimes.Slave labor, treatment of POWs, use of outlawed weap-onsCount Four: Crimes Against HumanityActions in concentration camps and other mass extermi-nations

DEFENDANTS

Defendant 1: Hermann Wilhelm Goering Post: Reichsmarshall-Highest rank in the Ger-man Armed forces (The Wehrmacht); Chief of the Luft-waffe- the German Air Force; President of the Reichstag- German Parliament; Director of the Four Year Plan Capture: Surrendered to American officers Indictments: Indicted on all four counts15

Goering (born 1893) was a member of the Ger-man Air Force during the first World War. With his his-

of how to run the trial, and more importantly, whose laws to follow. Though each country wanted to follow their own laws, American prosecutor, Justice Robert Jackson, argued “What we propose is to punish acts which have been regarded as criminal since the time of Cain and have been so written in every civilized code.”13 After ten days it was decided that the adversarial system (Defense attorneys and prosecutors argue their case and then a judge or jury decides the verdict) used by the U.S. and Britain would be employed. The defenses of “just fol-lowing orders” or “so did he” were decided to be inad-missible during the trial14. One of the Allies’ main goals was to make the trial as fair as possible so as not to be accused of war crimes themselves The Charter for the International Military Tri-bunal was signed on August 6th by the delegates that outlined the laws and procedures for the trials. On Au-gust 8th it was announced that the International Military Tribunal (IMT) would be held in Germany and will try Nazi leaders for war crimes. The leaders will be tried individually under Article 6 of the IMT’s Charter for: 1. Crimes against Peace: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assur-ances, or participation in a Common Plan or Conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing; 2. War Crimes: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in oc-cupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity; 3. Crimes against Humanity: namely, murder, extermi-

15. “The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg.” The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg. UMKC, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.16. Trueman, C. N. “The Sturmabteilung or SA - History Learning Site.” History Learning Site. The Learning Site, May 2012. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.17. “Hermann Goering.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise;, 2015. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.

EDGEMUN III

8

NUREMBERG TRIALS

Page 9: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

TopicCommittee Name

9

were looted and set on fire) Goering fined the Jews a bil-lion marks for the damages and began to eliminate them from the economy. He excluded them from public places and amenities such as resorts, schools, and parks. After directing the Luftwaffe in Poland and France, and helping with the Anschluss (the annexation of Austria) Goering was promoted to Reichsmarshall. However, sev-eral tactical errors against Great Britain led him to fall into the disfavor of Hitler and his political career began to decline. He continued to flounder until he was dis-missed by the party and arrested; finally being captured by American forces in 1945.

Defendant 2: Albert SpeerCaptured by AmericansPost: Reichsminister of Armaments and MunitionsIndictments: Indicted on all four counts18

Speer (born 1905) joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and developed a close friendship with Hitler, believing him to be the answer to communism and poor govern-mental powers of the Weimar Republic. As an architect, he designed monuments and the parade grounds at Nuremberg where Triumph of the Will (A Nazi propa-ganda film) was filmed19. He was also responsible for flag formations and other grandiose displays to promote the party. In 1937 Hitler promoted Speer to Inspector Gen-eral of the Reich and appointed him to build the Reich Chancellery and the Party palace. As a close friend of Hitler’s he quickly made his way to the inner circle and in 1938 received the Nazi Golden Party Badge of Honor. Since deportations of Jews were becoming increasingly common, Speer took over the task of allocating their residencies. In 1942 Speer assumed the role of Reichsminister of Armaments and Munitions, in which he was in charge of planning the war economy, planning defenses and

tory as a war hero, along with his privileged background, he was a prime candidate to join the Nazi party. In 1922, Hitler appointed him the head of the SA, or brownshirts. Much like Mussolini’s blackshirts, the SA was Hitler’s own army, to protect him when speaking in public or to terrorize his enemies16. In 1923 he participated in the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed coup by Hitler and left Germany for several years. During his exile he was a patient in a mental hospital and an asylum for dangerous inmates. After he returned to Germany in 1927, Goering rejoined the Nazi party and in 1932, became president of the Reichstag. Just a year later, when Hitler became chancellor, Goering was given the positions of Minister of Inte-rior, Commander-in-Chief of the police and Gestapo (secret police), as well as Commander of Aviation. He, Himmler, and Heydrich, the creators of the secret police began crushing resistance with the use of concentration camps. A month later, Goering exploited the Reichstag fire, claiming it to be work of communists. This allowed him and the Nazi party to purge the police and replace them with SA and SS men. He also used the fire to elim-inate the left-wing parties and institute laws that threat-ened civil rights in Germany17. In 1934 he orchestrated yet another purge, the Night of the Long Knives, and rid many SA officers who were gaining too much power, including Ernst Rohm. Goering quickly moved up the ranks. In 1935 he was appointed the Commander-in-chief of the air force and in 1936 he was appointed the director of the Four-year-plan. As director of the plan he essentially had con-trol of the German economy and became very wealthy. He became quite the egomaniac and flaunted his wealth. He was exceedingly corrupt, taking bribes and display-ing his collection of stolen art. On Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass, during which Jewish businesses

18. “The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg.” The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg. UMKC, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.19. Braun, Elihai. “Albert Speer.” Jewish Virtual Library. Jewish Virtual Library, 2014. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.

EDGEMUN III

9

NUREMBERG TRIALS

Page 10: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

TopicCommittee Name

10

roads, and dealt with weaponry19. Speer was able to keep up war production in the midst of Allied attacks through his use of slave labor. By 1944, 7.5 million foreigners and 2 million POWs were used as slaves. Speer eventually fell out of favor with Hitler when he expressed dissent towards Hitler’s scorched earth policy, though he ulti-mately saved Germany from total devastation

22. Dosh, Kristi. “NFL in London Raises Legal Issues.” <i>ESPN</i>. ESPN Internet Ventures, 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

NUREMBERG TRIALS EDGEMUN III

10

PARTICIPANTS

DEFENSE

JUDGES

PROSECUTION

Major General Iona Nikitchenko (Soviet Union)Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Volchkov (Soviet Union)Sir Norman Birkett (Britain)Francis Biddle (U.S.)John J. Parker (U.S.)Professor Henri Donnedieu de Vabres (France)Robert Falco (France)

Otto StahmerHans FlächsnerGünther von Rohrscheidt Franz Exner

Lieutenant-General Roman Andreyevich Rudenko (Soviet)Attorney General Sir Hartley Shawcross (Britain)Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson (U.S.)Francois de Menthon (France)

Page 11: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

TopicCommittee Name

11

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERJudges:

1. Will repentance play a role in your determination of punishment?2. What significance, if any, shall repentance have in determination of punish-ment?3. How do you plan to punish if found guilty on all four counts? Three counts?4. How will you choose to interpret the charter?5. As the charter might not be comprehensive, to what degree shall you abide by the guidelines? How should the charter be interpreted/changed, if even necessary, for future needs?

Defense:1. How can you portray your defendant in the most positive light?2. How will you utilize your witnesses?3. Given that your defendant has likely committed atrocities, how will you prove they are not international war crimes?4. What evidence (if any) will you use to support your case?5. How can you apply the current charter to the advantage of the defendant?

Prosecution:1. How will you keep the defendants from evading your questioning?2. How can you best use the witness testimony?3. Will you use any evidence? How will you incorporate it into your cross exami-nation?4. How might you expose the gaps in the current charter and push for reform?

NUREMBERG TRIALS EDGEMUN III

11

Page 12: NUREMBERG TRIALS - edgemun.com€¦ · the way for more extensive war crime laws. In the early Christian era, the need to defend and expand the faith was a major motivation for war,

TopicCommittee Name

12

WORKS CITED

“A Short History of War Crimes.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 19 July 1997. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.Braun, Elihai. “Albert Speer.” Jewish Virtual Library. Jewish Virtual Library, 2014. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“Casualties | WW1 Facts.” WW1 Facts. WordPress, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“Charter of the International Military Tribunal.” The Nuremberg Trials. UKMC, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“Concentration Camp System: In Depth.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.Dyer, Peter. “A History of War Crimes.” A History of War Crimes. MayFirst.org, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.““Final Solution”: Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.“Hermann Goering.” Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise;, 2015. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.J. Llewellyn et al, “Why the Weimar Republic failed?”, Alpha History, 2014.Linder, Doug. “Nuremberg Trials.” NurembergACCOUNT. UMKC, 2000. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“Nazi Beliefs.” BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.“Nazi Medical Experiments.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.STEENHARD, R. “A Supreme Offence against International Morality and the Sanctity of Treaties: William II of Hohenzollern and the Treaty of Versailles | Peace Palace Library.” Peace Palace Library. Peace Palace Library, 27 June 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.“The Peace Treaty of Versailles.” The Peace Treaty of Versailles. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.“The Holocaust.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 23 Jan. 2016.“The Nuremberg Trials.” The Nuremberg Trials. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2016. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/proj-ects/ftrials/nuremberg/NurembergIndictments.html>Trueman, C. N. “The Sturmabteilung or SA - History Learning Site.” History Learning Site. The Learning Site, May 2012. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg.” The Nazi Defendants in the Major War Criminal Trial in Nuremberg. UMKC, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015.“War Crimes - Historical Development.” - Rules, Christian, Soldiers, and Grotius. Net Industries, n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2015. <War Crimes - Historical Development>.

Images:Treaty of Versailles. Digital image. CDN History. N.p., n.d. Web.Einsatzgruppen. Digital image. USHMM. N.p., n.d. Web.Nuremberg Trials. Digital image. USHMM. USHMM, n.d. Web.

12

NUREMBERG TRIALS EDGEMUN III