HistoryExtra podcast What should we do with the Nazis? The road to the Nuremberg Trials
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Nov 16, 2025 
Philippe Sands, an international lawyer and author, dives into the groundbreaking Nuremberg Trials—history's first international criminal trial. He discusses the urgent need for justice following World War II and the innovative legal concepts that emerged, like crimes against humanity and genocide. Sands recounts the challenges in drafting the Nuremberg Statute, the pivotal roles of individuals like Raphael Lemkin, and the symbolism behind choosing Nuremberg as the trial site. The conversation highlights the monumental shift in international law birthed from this historic event.
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Nuremberg As The Legal Template
- Nuremberg became the model for later tribunals; subsequent tribunals often used its statute as a template.
- The 1990s Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals drew directly from Nuremberg's innovations.
Expectation Of A Six-Month Trial
- Sir Geoffrey Lawrence's wife's scrapbook contained a letter assuring him the trial 'won't last more than six months.'
- Organizers indeed aimed to complete the trial rapidly and return judges to normal duties.
Nuremberg Was Historically Unprecedented
- The Treaty of Versailles had provision to try Kaiser Wilhelm, but no tribunal followed, making Nuremberg truly unprecedented.
- Nuremberg therefore created a new form of international criminal justice.
