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The Nuremberg Trials: Volume I: Bringing the Leaders of Nazi Germany to Justice
The Nuremberg trials were the most important criminal hearings ever held, charging Nazi leaders with war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law. 20 high-ranking Nazi officials were brought to justice in the first of these trials, including Hermann Goering, Albert Speer and Rudolf Hess, and the full horror of their actions were announced on the world stage.
Terry Burrows gives a detailed account of these trials, using shocking excerpts from the original transcripts. We hear chilling admissions from the accused as well as harrowing testimonies from victims of the Nazi regime.
These atrocities
• The devastating events of the Holocaust and its architects
• The 'medical experiments' in Auschwitz and Block 46 in Buchenwald
• Forced labor and economic pillaging in France, Denmark, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union.
The Nuremberg Trials not only provides insight into the Nazi regime during World War II but also the court proceedings which marked a turning point in international law.
Terry Burrows gives a detailed account of these trials, using shocking excerpts from the original transcripts. We hear chilling admissions from the accused as well as harrowing testimonies from victims of the Nazi regime.
These atrocities
• The devastating events of the Holocaust and its architects
• The 'medical experiments' in Auschwitz and Block 46 in Buchenwald
• Forced labor and economic pillaging in France, Denmark, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union.
The Nuremberg Trials not only provides insight into the Nazi regime during World War II but also the court proceedings which marked a turning point in international law.
256 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2019
22 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 5, 2021
This book is a very good start in my opinion for anyone who wants to start learning about the Nuremberg Trials and the International Military Tribunal. The author did an amazing amount of research and the information is relevant with lucid insights.
However, I was a bit disappointed when I found no mention of Lemkin or Lauterpacht in the making of Count 4 and the mention of genocide. I also found that at times it was a bit too much focused on the American side of the trials and Robert H Jackson.
This is why I took 1 star off.
However, I was a bit disappointed when I found no mention of Lemkin or Lauterpacht in the making of Count 4 and the mention of genocide. I also found that at times it was a bit too much focused on the American side of the trials and Robert H Jackson.
This is why I took 1 star off.
August 25, 2019
I must give the author credit for such a thoroughly researched and straightforward book. This is a no-nonsense account of the first of the Nuremberg Trials, that can at times be, understandable difficult to read. It makes on wonder how there can possibly be people in the world who still deny that the Holocaust ever happened. The evidence is laid out in this book for all to read.
Frightening, jarring and moving at once, this is an important book. This is the kind of book that you want to talk to someone about after you read it, even if the conversation is uncomfortable. I am a firm believer in the old adage that if we forget the past, we are doomed to repeat it, and I think books such as this one are valuable just for that reason.
Although there are some very difficult portions of this book to read and still believe in the world afterwards, this book is eye-opening and thought-provoking on a grand scale. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the events of WWII and the Nazi terror that was instituted upon the people.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Frightening, jarring and moving at once, this is an important book. This is the kind of book that you want to talk to someone about after you read it, even if the conversation is uncomfortable. I am a firm believer in the old adage that if we forget the past, we are doomed to repeat it, and I think books such as this one are valuable just for that reason.
Although there are some very difficult portions of this book to read and still believe in the world afterwards, this book is eye-opening and thought-provoking on a grand scale. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the events of WWII and the Nazi terror that was instituted upon the people.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
June 8, 2023
Really, really fascinating to be able to read exactly what was said in that court room over the course of these trials. Some of it genuinely made me sick to my stomach but like with all history, these stories needed to be told. I’ve read about the Nuremberg trials before but this was more in depth and detailed than anything else I’ve come across.
September 10, 2019
Review for The Nuremberg Trials Volume 1 by Terry Burrows
As an honest reviewer I must admit that at the beginning of reading this book I really struggled and was down hearted that I would have to give it a low rating of maybe 2. However, it didn't take me long to really start to get into it and for the ratings to increase. I still am not sure at the moment so will decide at the end of my review. This is the trial of 22 of the worst war criminals and it goes into so much detail on their crimes, the defence, the prosecution, the trials decision and the punishment. It is very harrowing at times and goes into details of what was seen and done at places like Aushcwitz. I must praise the author as I can't imagine how much research went into this book and this is reflected in my rating. Again, to play devil's advocate there was a lot of language I did struggle to understand which I was thinking about eating wise but have decided not to allow this face to judge my rating as it is what it is being a "legal memoir" so to say. I personally couldn't read this book in one due to this so read other books at the same time which I am glad I did as it made it easier for me to take this one in. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and court room proceedings. I would also like to acknowledge it isn't all about just the trials themselves and it does go into alot of detail of the defenses history which I enjoyed reading. Taking into account all these facts I would like to give this book 4.5/5 but as there is no choice for half numbers I would give it a 5 rather than a 4 as I do think the author deserves this for all the research. I learned many new things while reading this book so thank you to the author for this. Anyone else read this book?
As an honest reviewer I must admit that at the beginning of reading this book I really struggled and was down hearted that I would have to give it a low rating of maybe 2. However, it didn't take me long to really start to get into it and for the ratings to increase. I still am not sure at the moment so will decide at the end of my review. This is the trial of 22 of the worst war criminals and it goes into so much detail on their crimes, the defence, the prosecution, the trials decision and the punishment. It is very harrowing at times and goes into details of what was seen and done at places like Aushcwitz. I must praise the author as I can't imagine how much research went into this book and this is reflected in my rating. Again, to play devil's advocate there was a lot of language I did struggle to understand which I was thinking about eating wise but have decided not to allow this face to judge my rating as it is what it is being a "legal memoir" so to say. I personally couldn't read this book in one due to this so read other books at the same time which I am glad I did as it made it easier for me to take this one in. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and court room proceedings. I would also like to acknowledge it isn't all about just the trials themselves and it does go into alot of detail of the defenses history which I enjoyed reading. Taking into account all these facts I would like to give this book 4.5/5 but as there is no choice for half numbers I would give it a 5 rather than a 4 as I do think the author deserves this for all the research. I learned many new things while reading this book so thank you to the author for this. Anyone else read this book?
August 7, 2019
Deeply moving and disturbing, The Nuremberg Trials shed light on the unparalleled atrocities committed by the Nazi regime before and during World War II. The transcripts are horrifying, especially the cases of the defense and the observations of psychologist Gustave Gilbert, who monitored the defendants.
After reading the prosecution's case you can't help feeling that no punishment could have been severe enough for the committed crimes against humanity.
After reading the prosecution's case you can't help feeling that no punishment could have been severe enough for the committed crimes against humanity.
September 10, 2019
Review for The Nuremberg Trials Volume 1 by Terry Burrows
As an honest reviewer I must admit that at the beginning of reading this book I really struggled and was down hearted that I would have to give it a low rating of maybe 2. However, it didn't take me long to really start to get into it and for the ratings to increase. I still am not sure at the moment so will decide at the end of my review. This is the trial of 22 of the worst war criminals and it goes into so much detail on their crimes, the defence, the prosecution, the trials decision and the punishment. It is very harrowing at times and goes into details of what was seen and done at places like Aushcwitz. I must praise the author as I can't imagine how much research went into this book and this is reflected in my rating. Again, to play devil's advocate there was a lot of language I did struggle to understand which I was thinking about eating wise but have decided not to allow this face to judge my rating as it is what it is being a "legal memoir" so to say. I personally couldn't read this book in one due to this so read other books at the same time which I am glad I did as it made it easier for me to take this one in. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and court room proceedings. I would also like to acknowledge it isn't all about just the trials themselves and it does go into alot of detail of the defenses history which I enjoyed reading. Taking into account all these facts I would like to give this book 4.5/5 but as there is no choice for half numbers I would give it a 5 rather than a 4 as I do think the author deserves this for all the research. I learned many new things while reading this book so thank you to the author for this. Anyone else read this book?
As an honest reviewer I must admit that at the beginning of reading this book I really struggled and was down hearted that I would have to give it a low rating of maybe 2. However, it didn't take me long to really start to get into it and for the ratings to increase. I still am not sure at the moment so will decide at the end of my review. This is the trial of 22 of the worst war criminals and it goes into so much detail on their crimes, the defence, the prosecution, the trials decision and the punishment. It is very harrowing at times and goes into details of what was seen and done at places like Aushcwitz. I must praise the author as I can't imagine how much research went into this book and this is reflected in my rating. Again, to play devil's advocate there was a lot of language I did struggle to understand which I was thinking about eating wise but have decided not to allow this face to judge my rating as it is what it is being a "legal memoir" so to say. I personally couldn't read this book in one due to this so read other books at the same time which I am glad I did as it made it easier for me to take this one in. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and court room proceedings. I would also like to acknowledge it isn't all about just the trials themselves and it does go into alot of detail of the defenses history which I enjoyed reading. Taking into account all these facts I would like to give this book 4.5/5 but as there is no choice for half numbers I would give it a 5 rather than a 4 as I do think the author deserves this for all the research. I learned many new things while reading this book so thank you to the author for this. Anyone else read this book?
August 31, 2019
Fascinating insight into the Nuremberg trials and the 22 defendants who, between them, seemed to have their fingers in every conceivable Nazi pie during the reign of terror that was the Nazi era.
Such an interesting mix of men and approaches to their different jobs and their justifications for what they did. It didn't surprise me much, what the results of the IQ tests were, that were conducted on them whilst the trial was on.
The author clearly did a lot of research, and considering how many documents were involved in the entire thing, did a good job of summarising the salient points. I had a basic knowledge of the trials before I read the book but there were things that I hadn't known about and reading this book added to my general knowledge of this period in our history. I didn't realise the extent to which slave labour was used in Germany, for example.
May something like the Nazi's never, ever happen again.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing.
Such an interesting mix of men and approaches to their different jobs and their justifications for what they did. It didn't surprise me much, what the results of the IQ tests were, that were conducted on them whilst the trial was on.
The author clearly did a lot of research, and considering how many documents were involved in the entire thing, did a good job of summarising the salient points. I had a basic knowledge of the trials before I read the book but there were things that I hadn't known about and reading this book added to my general knowledge of this period in our history. I didn't realise the extent to which slave labour was used in Germany, for example.
May something like the Nazi's never, ever happen again.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing.
September 7, 2024
Excellent and accessible account of the Nuremberg Nazi trials. In books like this the main danger is to make the book too long, there is so much material to cover. For that reason I really appreciated that the author took the hard task of telling the story of the trials in a short book of around 200 pages, written at an accessible highschool level. The book is complete with many verbatim quotation passages, courtroom drama, and well fleshed out 'dramatis personae'. One illustrative example was the description of Goerring's performance on the stand and how he bested the prosecutor in his arguments and knowledge of facts. Good writing helps the reader get the feeling for what it was like to live through the event. This book, though short, did that for me.
April 6, 2025
The Nuremberg Trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany in the aftermath of World War II. Multiple war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by the Nazi regime during World War II. Many of the architects of the Holocaust were tried there, as well as many Nazi doctors who experimented on human beings confined to concentration camps. I did not find this book to be very informative or supremely well done, but that may be because I specialized in World War II history and my scope of understanding runs a little deeper than this book provided. If you are just getting interested in this topic due to current events, this may be a good starter book for you.
October 12, 2019
This is a tough read but very necessary. Obviously, I knew about the Nuremberg Trials but I learned a lot about how they came to be held, the structures and design of them and the true attempt to bring justice to the horrible events of the Holocaust and World War II.
I would definitely recommend this for everyone and I’m curious to read the next volume which seems like it will cover the trial of institutions versus this one which was focused on individual defendants.
I would definitely recommend this for everyone and I’m curious to read the next volume which seems like it will cover the trial of institutions versus this one which was focused on individual defendants.
August 2, 2020
Hard to read, just because it is heavy material. Also harrowing, gosh the tattoo bit got to me :( but at the same time, this is history and I am pleased I read it and pleased they were nailed. Only trouble is the punishment is not nearly as harsh as these horrible people deserved. So awful to believe that this really happened, it seems like something out of a cruel fiction novel. I will never understand how anyone could be so cruel or so evil.
June 6, 2023
I didn't know much about this event in history and I found this short non-fiction account through the library and was shocked to read that the 22 German Nazis chosen to represent the totality of the four counts leveled at the Nazi party, refused to accept responsibility for their actions. Many deflected their guilt when taking the stand, even when shown the actual videos of their atrocities. It is a fascinating look at the tribunal and how it all started.
April 15, 2023
Just when I thought I knew what these monsters did, I learned even worse torture was imposed on innocent people. I stood exactly where some took their last breaths. I’m glad that some of these monsters were found guilty and sentenced appropriately.
September 18, 2019
The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!
January 2, 2023
Good use of direct quotes to tell how the trial played out. I thought the author’s analysis could have been written better. But would recommend this book!
February 4, 2024
This book is a good historical review of the Nuremberg trials.
February 26, 2025
Good, but would've like to see more transcript.
March 12, 2024
Succinct summary of the first of the Nuremberg Trials, with explanations of the actual charges, descriptions of the actions of the defendants, synopses of the prosecution statements and evidence for each defendant, and their convictions and punishments. If you’re looking for a quick run-through of the event or a refresher of what happened, this is a great overview.
November 28, 2019
The Nuremberg Trials: Volume I, Bringing the Leaders of Nazi Germany to Justice by Terry Burrows. Following the Second World war, prominent Nazi officers were put on trial for war crimes. This book follows; the lead up to the trials, the decisions made, and the characters who made those decisions. The text makes a detailed analysis of the primary documents surrounding these trials. It is an interesting read. However, its detailed nature may prove off putting to some readers.
September 15, 2019
This is a clear and concise, but surprisingly eloquent account of the Nuremberg Trials. It is extremely difficult to read, however, because it is just so grim and horrific. I couldn't even read some of it. For example, children were actually thrown into the ovens at some of the concentration camps! The horrors are just never-ending.
I have read a lot about the war, but I didn't know that Russian PO W's were branded and deliberately malnourished, and that Tchaikovsky's and Tolstoy's houses were desecrated by the Nazis.
There was some criticism of these trials - that the laws were made by the victors, for example, and that the Axis powers were not signatories to all of the treaties and agreements in question. However, as Robert Jackson pointed out in his closing speech, the defendants 'prepared and waged wars of aggression, rearming in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, and launching unprovoked attacks...' They also 'enslaved and plundered the populations of occupied countries...'and persecuted and murdered Jews and Christians'. I agree with the conclusion that criticism of the judgments in the face of the horrific crimes which the Nazis committed is really just quibbling.
I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I have read a lot about the war, but I didn't know that Russian PO W's were branded and deliberately malnourished, and that Tchaikovsky's and Tolstoy's houses were desecrated by the Nazis.
There was some criticism of these trials - that the laws were made by the victors, for example, and that the Axis powers were not signatories to all of the treaties and agreements in question. However, as Robert Jackson pointed out in his closing speech, the defendants 'prepared and waged wars of aggression, rearming in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, and launching unprovoked attacks...' They also 'enslaved and plundered the populations of occupied countries...'and persecuted and murdered Jews and Christians'. I agree with the conclusion that criticism of the judgments in the face of the horrific crimes which the Nazis committed is really just quibbling.
I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
July 20, 2020
I do not read much history. But this was on my to read list for awhile to get the entire scope of what happened. Some of it was very hard to read. The first hand testimonies were harrowing to say the least. But I do think its an important read to see how international law has been shaped by this event and the actions these men made during the war
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews