"British plans to prosecute Indians for treason, for having briefly fought on the side of the Japanese, had to be abandoned." .
Atlee also gained independence for Ceylon, which was granted on February 4, 1948. It was a "friendly separation" that left Ceylon choosing to be a member of the British Commonwealth. In 1972 the country became known as Sri Lanka. This release was a success as it showed a reforming Britain moving away from past overseas restraints and encouraging freedom and independence. It also freed up a considerable amount of money, as Britain no longer needed to support its economy and pay for diplomats. .
Following the war, the Allies of WWII had begun a prosecution of Axis war leaders for their crimes in the infamous Nuremberg Trials. In early October 1945, the four prosecuting nations of Great Britain, the United States, France, and the USSR issued an indictment against 24 men and six organizations. The defendants all had individual cases in which they were charged with planning and carrying out the war in Europe, and the brutal and systematic murder of millions of people. "It was the greatest trial in history" were the words of a British judge and an opinion agreed upon around the world. .
Prosecutors from the four triumphant nations presented their case against 22 Nazi leaders over the course of the next ten months. The prosecutors had charged the defendants with conspiring, launching aggressive war and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the end, three were acquitted, eight received long prison sentences, and the rest were sentenced to death. "At 12:45 p.m. on October 15, 1946, the executions began." .
It has been argued that the Nuremberg Trials were just the "victors" justice" , and the trial has been criticized for a variety of reasons. The accused had been charged with violations of international law, but the law was binding on nations, not individuals.
