History of Europe

Why were the Nuremberg Trials held after World War 2?

The main Nuremberg Trials held by the victors (USA, United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union) from November 1945 until October 1946 had four purposes:

- Punish war criminals whose acts were part of an attack not just on a particular country but directly on civilization

- Deter such crimes in the future by demonstrating that those guilty of atrocious, aggressive warfare face serious punishment

- Promote peace by taking revenge to satisfy society after suffering from the crimes

- Prevent those guilty of atrocious acts from further crimes against peace