How did the Allies deal with the issue of war crimes in Europe?
1 Answer
The most high profile example was the Nuremberg Trials.
Explanation:
The allies tried leading Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. They were an important development in international law by introducing the concept of war crimes. A number of leading Nazis such as Von Ribbentrop, Jodl and Keitel were executed. Others such as Speer and Von Papen were given prison sentences.
The allies also executed a number of guards at camps such as Belsen.
On the surface it would seem that the allies took decisive action. However even before the end of the war, Cold War politics were dominating such issues. As Europe became divided, co-operation over dealing with war crimes broke down.
Strategies such as the Marshall Plan and the regeneration and re-integration of West Germany meant that most Nazis remained unpunished. This included doctors who had committed appalling atrocities at Auschwitz, as well as those who became important members of the West German government, military and judiciary.
Another major problem was that many of these crimes had been committed in Eastern Europe which was now under Soviet control. Camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka and Chelmno were in Poland. The divisions in Europe meant there was no extradition agreement between West Germany and East European countries and requests for them to stand trial were refused.
In some cases the allies actively used Nazis responsible for major war crimes. For example the Americans used the expertise of Klaus Barbie, the head of the Gestapo in Lyons. They were particularly interested in his counter-intelligence experience. They then helped get him out of Europe into South America.
It is the case that as soon as the Soviet Union became the new enemy, there was little interest in pursuing Nazis and most got off with some of worst crimes in human history.
