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4 - War Crimes and the Path towards the UNWCC

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2021

Michael Fleming
Michael Fleming
Affiliation:
Polish University Abroad, London
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Summary

This chapter explores the evolution of thinking on war crimes prior to and during the Second World War. The first part of the chapter considers how ’war crimes’ were understood before the Second World War. It discusses the Hague Conventions, the post-World War I settlement, the failure to try Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the legacy of the Leipzig trials. This is followed by an examination of the deliberations on war crimes in different international fora during the war years. The chapter also explores the debate within the Polish Government in Exile that resulted in the passing of war crimes legislation. It is argued that the debates in these fora helped advance understanding of the challenges of war crimes prosecution which, in turn, provided firm foundations for legal discussion and innovation within the UNWCC.

Keywords

International OrganisationsWar Crimes LegislationInternational London AssemblyHague ConventionsHersh Lauterpacht
Type
Chapter
Information
In the Shadow of the Holocaust
Poland, the United Nations War Crimes Commission, and the Search for Justice
 , pp. 113 - 143
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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