The end of world war two marked the beginning of a new era, an era of partnership, civility, human rights and justice. After the defeat and destruction of Hitler’s Third Reich, the world was seeking justice against such cruel, atrocious and barbaric methods of war that Nazi Germany engaged in throughout the course of the war which resulted in one of the largest genocide in recent history. Having committed such atrocious and despicable acts of mass genocide against the European Jewish population, the world powers did not think that the mere defeat of Nazi Germany was enough punishment, therefore an investigation of the high ranking Nazi members that were responsible and played a role in the genocide and extermination of approximately six million Jews across Europe was sought. In one way or another, there had to be accountability for such horrendous acts to show the world that these crimes against humanity will not be left unpunished and set a precedence that the murder of civilians in war or peacetime will not be tolerated by other nations.
World war two has played a significant role in many countries around the world and many have shaped their foreign policy and international laws that aims to not allow for such a war to occur again in the future. “Crimes against humanity as a new principle saw its birth after the second world war, as a result of the atrocities committed by the Nazi forces before and during the armed conflict. The establishment of the United Nations in 1945 was in a way the embodiment of the generalized fear for those atrocities ever being committed again”1. However, after seventy years, how have the Nuremberg trials affected the policies and laws of the United States?