The de-Nazification of Germany by the Allies

Germany surrenders at WWII on 7th May 1945, and - as planned - the Allies occupy their respective zones. De-Nazification is an early focus. 

Four-Pronged Approach: 

1 - Force Germans to come face-to-face with the atrocities of the Nazi regime, visiting concentration camps in their thousands, and digging mass graves.

2 - Banning the NSDAP and all Nazi insignia. 

3 - Removing Nazis from civil service roles and enforcing vetting for civil service positions. 

4 - War tribunals, to bring about a sense of justice. 

Early Measures

CONFRONTING THE PUBLIC 

• 1000s made to visit concentration camps and build mass graves. 
• This aimed to ensure that Germans began to view the Nazi regime in a negative light. This was a successful measure: by 1953, a survey revealed that just 25% had a positive view of Hitler. 

WAR TRIBUNALS 

Plans for these were set out at the Yalta Conference (2nd-11th February 1945). 

Nuremberg Trials 

• 20th October 1945-2nd November 1946.
• 24 Nazi officials and 7 organisations: 177 trials in total, in the face of 4 judges (one from each of the Allied powers). 
• Saw 12 death sentences and 7 further prison sentences of between 10 years and life. 
• Dealt with all aspects of the Nazi regime.

Local Trials

• Carried out in each of the zones by the appropriate Allied authority. In total, 5,000 were tried and 486 were sentenced to death. 
• US zone was able to carry out its 1,672 trials efficiently due to the USA's strong economy. 84.7% were found guilty.
• French zone carried out the most cases: over 2,000. French trials also went on the longest: into the 1950s. The perpetrators of the June 1944 massacre of 643 in Oradour-Sur-Glace didn't receive justice until as late as 1953!
• The 1947-48 Krupp trial saw the punishment of Alfred Krupp, a key industrialist who had been known to use slave labour during WWII. He was to be punished with 12 years imprisonment and the confiscation of all his property. He was to ultimately be acquitted by John McCoy in 1951, American High Commissioner of Germany. 

Issues with the Trials

• Ultimately, these were very costly, and many didn't come to justice as a result. The Allies also felt overwhelmed by the sheer scale upon which the trials would have to be arranged. In some cases, guilty individuals were selected from a pool of up to 5,000. 
• The Allies were divided on who constituted an individual worthy of punishment. It had to be considered that many joined the Nazi party and its affiliated organisations opportunistically…