4 ms·

But Nuremberg was very successful in de-Nazifying the country. Denazification was an entirely different process. The Nuremberg trials were for the very top le

by refurb 3y ago

But Nuremberg was very successful in de-Nazifying the country. Denazification was an entirely different process. The Nuremberg trials were for the very top leaders (and only a handful). The apparatus of the Nazi government never went to trial, they went through a Denazification process that was abandoned pretty quickly. There are numerous examples of relatively high level Nazi's being a part of the new German government. The best example is Reinhard Gehlen who led the build up of West Germanys entire intelligence agency. Numerous Nazi officers ended up in high ranking positions in the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) and in high ranking political positions.

jmyeet 3y ago
You're not wrong. Classic example: Adolf Neusinger [1] who went from the Nazi High Command to Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Von Braun was another well-documented example. We just differ on what "de-Nazification" means. It's partly about cutting the head off the snake but also making a public spectacle of it, laying Germany's war crimes bare for all the world to see, especially ordinary Germans. The Nuremberg Trials weren't solely responsible for this but they provided a key focal point. Imagine if we'd cut the head off the Confederate snake in the same way. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger
hef19898 3y ago
Stalin once proposed during one of the Allied conferences to take and execute 50,000 German officers after the war. Since the Nazis kept detailed documentation about who did what, I think one could have easily found 50,000 SS and Wehrmacht members that committed war crimes severe enough to do so. Part of me thinks that should have happened, way to many Nazi scumbags got away to hold positions of power in the BRD.

4 ms·

But Nuremberg was very successful in de-Nazifying the country. Denazification was an entirely different process. The Nuremberg trials were for the very top le

by refurb 3y ago

jmyeet 3y ago
You're not wrong. Classic example: Adolf Neusinger [1] who went from the Nazi High Command to Chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Von Braun was another well-documented example. We just differ on what "de-Nazification" means. It's partly about cutting the head off the snake but also making a public spectacle of it, laying Germany's war crimes bare for all the world to see, especially ordinary Germans. The Nuremberg Trials weren't solely responsible for this but they provided a key focal point. Imagine if we'd cut the head off the Confederate snake in the same way. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger
hef19898 3y ago
Stalin once proposed during one of the Allied conferences to take and execute 50,000 German officers after the war. Since the Nazis kept detailed documentation about who did what, I think one could have easily found 50,000 SS and Wehrmacht members that committed war crimes severe enough to do so. Part of me thinks that should have happened, way to many Nazi scumbags got away to hold positions of power in the BRD.