Holocaust on Trial: Mass Observation and British Media Responses to the Nuremberg Tribunal, 1945–1946

Abstract

On 21 November 1945, six months after the end of the Second World War, 21 former high-ranking members of the Nazi state entered Courtroom 600 in the Nuremberg Palace of Justice to face charges of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity.¹ The subsequent proceedings before the four Allied powers lasted for almost a year, fill over 20 volumes and have become known as one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The legacy of the International Military Tribunal (IMT) is multifaceted; aside from its significance in terms of the development of international criminal law and, in particular, the concept of ‘crimes against humanity’, the trial was also responsible for the preservation and translation of a wealth of primary source material from the Third Reich which remains an important tool for historical research. In popular culture too, the IMT — and the subsequent Nuremberg proceedings — has left its mark, including the 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg and the 2000 production Nuremberg. Furthermore, the courtroom itself has become something of a tourist attraction, receiving 13,138 visitors in 2005 alone. It now houses a permanent exhibition on the tribunal.²