It was 10:00 a.m. on November 20, 1945. The Second World War was over. Chief Justice Geoffrey Lawrence of the United Kingdom read the indictments aloud. The International Military Tribunal against Nazi war criminals had been established. The defendants pleaded: all “not guilty”. This trial could have been the most important trial in American history. This would set the stage for war crimes forever. Four countries initiated proceedings: the United States, the United Kingdom, the USSR and France. It was important that even during the war, when some governments collapsed, the world had a stable international justice system. The Nuremberg Trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany, at the Palace of Justice. The trial was originally supposed to take place in Berlin, but there was no prison there and the city was ruined by the attack launched by Russia (Jewish Virtual Library). Berlin was the capital of Germany, so it was an ideal place to try Nazi criminals. Another reason it was supposed to take place in Berlin was that one of the countries that was pursuing the criminals, the former USSR, had taken Berlin single-handedly and was proud of it (Jewish Virtual Library). Russia was reluctant, but the trial took place in Nuremberg instead of Berlin. Among all other cities in Germany, the IMT chose Nuremberg because annual Nazi rallies were held there and it was the center of Nazi ideas (West's Encyclopedia of American Law). Another reason it was held at the Palace of Justice is because that's where the Nuremberg Laws were passed. The Nuremberg Laws were a series of laws passed by the Nazis in 1935 to diminish the Jewish population (West's Encyclopedia of American Law). The Germans were not allowed to...... middle of paper ......r Legacy. " United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Web. February 20, 2014. Source E: Roland, Paul. The Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis and Their Crimes Against Humanity . London: Arcturus, 2010. Source F: “International Military Tribunal for Germany Project.” ] October 2, 1946. Washington Post. January 30, 2014. Source H: “Nuremberg Trials.” Histoire.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. February 20, 2014. Source J: “Nazi War Crimes Trials: The Jewish Virtual Library.”. 2014.