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Symposium "From the Crimes to the Beginning of the Judicial Reappraisal of National Socialism"

On 20 November 2025, the start of the Nuremberg Major War Crimes Trial will mark its 80th anniversary. On this occasion, the ICWC is organizing a two-day symposium. As part of the event, the ICWC Annual Celebration, featuring the 16th Marburg Lecture on International Criminal Law, will also take place on 19 November.

Veranstaltungsdaten

The International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg marked the beginning of efforts to investigate and prosecute National Socialist crimes—efforts that continue to this day and remain subject to social and political change. The IMT is also considered groundbreaking for the development of international criminal justice.

The phrase describing the Nuremberg Trials as “the greatest history seminar ever held in human history” (Buruma 1994: 186) has almost become proverbial. Attributed to the American prosecutor of German descent, Robert M. W. Kempner, it refers to the Allies’ intention in Nuremberg not only to punish the unprecedented mass crimes of the Nazi regime but also to lay the foundation for the historical assessment of the Third Reich. Moreover, the Nuremberg Major War Crimes Trial represents a turning point in the genesis of international criminal law, as, for the first time, heads of state, political leaders, and military elites were held accountable and tried before a court for acts committed in office, as though they were “ordinary” criminals.

The IMT took place between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the start of proceedings, the ICWC is organizing a two-day scholarly symposium dedicated to the legal examination of National Socialist crimes. The symposium is thematically divided into two focal points: the first day concentrates on the crimes of National Socialism, while the second day addresses their legal processing and emerging challenges, such as the impact of populist, anti-liberal, and historical revisionist tendencies. The symposium fosters dialogue among history, law, and social sciences by providing a space for interdisciplinary exchange.

Further information can be found on our website.