This War Ends in a Courtroom: Nuremberg (2025) and the Real Trials
The Nuremberg Trials and the recent film "Nuremberg (2025)" highlight how the Allies aimed to conclude World War II by pursuing justice through law instead of revenge, setting the foundation for the postwar order.
"The privilege of opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated. That four great nations, flushed with victory and stung with injury stay the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason."
US Army psychiatrist Dr. Kelley, who examined 22 top Nazi leaders held by the Allies, recalled Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring as “positively jovial” upon his daily visits. Yet, when Kelley left Nuremberg, Göring, regarded as one of history's worst war criminals, “wept unashamedly.”
Kelley’s official role was to assess and maintain the mental competency of the Nazi defendants to ensure they were fit for trial. Beyond this, Kelley sought to understand the roots of their evil nature.
Key Points
- The Nuremberg Trials were the first to prosecute crimes against world peace legally.
- The Allied powers chose law over vengeance, emphasizing reason after victory.
- Psychiatric evaluations played a crucial role in determining defendants' fitness to stand trial.
- Kelley’s experience revealed complex human emotions even in notorious war criminals like Göring.
Author's summary: The Nuremberg Trials symbolize justice prevailing over revenge, with psychiatry offering insights into the nature of evil behind Nazi crimes.