The Nuremberg trials
Individuals are tried for crimes against humanity, and following orders is rejected as a defence.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 315 days
- Era
- Contemporary, Holocene
From November 1945 an international tribunal tries surviving Nazi leaders for waging aggressive war, war crimes and crimes against humanity — categories partly created for the occasion, which is the standing objection to them. The proceedings established that individuals bear personal criminal responsibility regardless of official position or superior orders. Modern international criminal law, including the ICC, descends directly from this.