Figure 1.--The NAZIs closed down school systems in the East. This did not occur in Western countries like Norway. Many individuals schools were, however, closed because German occupation forces sized school buildings for military barrcks and other purposes. Yje press caption here read, "Norway's Children: During the Occupation: When the Nazis closed all schools in Norway during their occupation of the country, they added fuel to the fires of resistbnce by teachrs nd children alike. Children gathered in various himes for their educationm which was conducted 'underground'. This photo, smuggled out of Norway in 1943, shows a class in a private home." While taken in 1943 it was only published after the War in 1945.

NAZI occupation policies on education varied from country. This is not a topic we have found easy to research. There were so many momentous actions conducted by the NAZIs, that schools and education have often been ignored by historians. We see some comments that the NAZIs closed the Norwegian schools. This did happen in the East (Poland and the Soviet Union), but not generally in Western Europe). The situation in Norway is more complicated. The NAZIs and collaborationist Government did not close the schools other than the universities, but many schools did close. This was partially due to the fact that the German occupation authorities seized school buildings to be used as barracs for German soldiers or other purposes. Hitler had a special fixation on Norway out of all prioprtion for the country's strategic value and danger of an Allied invasion. (Churchill wanted to invade after Norway fell to the Germnans in 1940, but could not convibce either the War Cabinet or the Americans.) As a result there was a very large German occupation force in Norway. And the Germans had to seek out barracks. There was no effort to build barracks. School buidings were simply the most available. It was not a German decision to end Norwegian education. In fact there was a Quisling Minister for Church and Educational Affairs--Ragnar Skancke. There were efforts to NAZIfy the schools and other cultural institutions like churches and sports clubs. This was something the NAZIs did not attempt in other occupied countries like Denmark, France, and the Netherlands. We suspect it was primarily an effort pursued by Norweshian Quislings and not the German occupation authorities. The Germans never turned the country over to Quisling although his Nasjonal Samling Party played a major role. Reichskommissar Josef Terboven was the German civilian German occupation authority. He appointed a council of Norwegian ministers to assist him govern occupied Norway (September 1940). He appointed Skancke Councillor of State for Church and Educational Affairs with the title of Minister (September 1941). Skancke was a noted scientist who was largely apolitical. He had refused a post offered by Quisling at he time of the German, but accepted Terboven's offer. We are not entiurely sure why. Perhaps he assumed that the NAZIs had won the War. His work as Minister is controversial. He was not one of the more slavishy NAZI Quislings. He generally was fairly passive, but he did use the authority proivided him to deal forcefully with anyone who opposed his directives. He was not a major figure in NAZIfying the Norwegian churches and schools, he did dimiss bishops, priests and teachers who ressted NAZIfication efforts or demonstated any opposition to National Socialist principles. ["The Bishop ...."] He also ordered Norwegian teachers and school children to attend a Hitler Youth demonstratiomn in Oslo (February 1941). It is thought that this was to be a step in requiring Norwegian children to join the Nasjonal Samling (NS) youth unit, the Umghird. There was still optimism among Quislings and Germans that the Norwegians could be coverted to National Socialism. German youth had been among the most fervent suppoters of Hitler in his rise to power. The Germans did not generally promote the Hitler Youth in occupied countries. Nordic countries for racial reasons were an exception. The order led to the first school strike during the occupation. He ordered the confiscation of books published by authors opposed to Quisling. [Cohen, p. 109.] Another example of resisting the NAZIs was delaying enforcement of an order from Reichskommissar Terboven (July 1941). Terboven ordered that all Norwegian church bells were to be removed from the churches and shipped to Germany for smelting and use by the war industries. Eventually a freustrated Terboven handed over the assignment to Minister of Trade Eivind Blehr (1942) who also refused to comply. Terboven eventually gave up. The efforts to NAZIfy the schools, churches, and sports clubs resulted in actions (variously dismisal, arrest and/or deportation of many teachers. They were replaced with more 'compliant' individuals. They were usually replaced with poorly qualified, but politically reliable individuals. Not only were many schools converted to German barracks, buy parents as teachers were dismissed began taking their children out of schools. We begin to see home-schooling and children studying by informal schools organized in private homes. The schools, the Church, the Supreme Court and sports clubs staged protests and organising boycotts. Many assoiciated with these institutions resigning state positions. Students at the University of Oslo eventually became became a target. The Germans comducted mass-arrests and the closed the University (November 1943). [Fure] The resistance movement was particularly strong among young people, both secondary- and university-age students. Not only the University of Oslo students after it was closed, but also the Technical University in Trondheim became hot beds of anti-NAZI resistance. Closing schools directly or indirectly (using the buildings for barracks) only intensified the resistance effort.

NAZI Overall Education Policies

NAZI occupation policies on education varied from country. This is not a topic we have found easy to research. There were so many momentous actions conducted by the NAZIs, that schools and education have often been ignored by historians. Generally speaking the NAZIs did not attempt to NAZIify the schools in occupied countries. That is not to say that they had no impact on schools and education. In the East (meaning Poland and the Soviet Union), policies were different. the NAZIs closed down schools to the extent they still existed after the destruction of the Polish state and Soviet governmental institutions. Their view was that Slavic peoples did not need to be educated. Many were to be killed or enslaved for menial labor as part of Generalplan Ost. The situation for Jewish bchildren was even worese in the Gettoes estnlishecmostly in Poland, education was banned. It was ilklegal to oopen svchools in the ghetties and the adults involved faced execution. In Western Europe, except for killing Jews, Hitler was content to delay such actions until after the War was won. He was more inclined to pursue policies that would not disrupt the occupation and the ability to efficently exploit the economies of the occupied countries during the War.

German Education Policy in Norway

Seizing school buildings for barrack was not a German decision to end Norwegian education. In fact, the Germans were hopeful that they could NAZIfy the Norwegian people, including the youth. Many NAZIs believed, "Blood will tell". there was a Quisling Minister for Church and Educational Affairs--Ragnar Skancke. There were efforts to NAZIfy the schools and other cultural institutions like churches and sports clubs. This was something the NAZIs did not attempt in other occupied countries like Denmark, France, and the Netherlands. We suspect it was primarily an effort pursued by Norwegian Quislings, although Terboven may have adopted it on his own. The Germans never turned the country over to Quisling although his Nasjonal Samling Party played a major role. Reichskommissar Josef Terboven was the German civilian German occupation authority.

Concillor of State for Church and Education Affairs: Rangar Shancke

Treboven appointed a council of Norwegian ministers to assist him govern occupied Norway (September 1940). He appointed Rangar Skancke Councillor of State for Church and Educational Affairs with the title of Minister (September 1941). Skancke was a noted scientist who was largely apolitical. He had refused a post offered by Quisling at he time of the German, but accepted Terboven's offer. We are not entiurely sure why. Perhaps he assumed that the NAZIs had won the War. His work as Minister is controversial. He was not one of the more slavishy NAZI Quislings. He generally was fairly passive, but he did use the authority proivided him to deal forcefully with anyone who opposed his directives. He was not a major figure in NAZIfying the Norwegian churches and schools, he did dimiss bishops, priests and teachers who ressted NAZIfication efforts or demonstated any opposition to National Socialist principles. ["The Bishop ...."] He ordered the confiscation of books published by authors opposed to Quisling. [Cohen, p. 109.] There were insrtabce in which Shancke refused to cooperate with Treboven. He delayed enforcement of an order from Reichskommissar Terboven (July 1941). Terboven ordered that all Norwegian church bells were to be removed from the churches and shipped to Germany for smelting and use by the war industries. Eventually a freustrated Terboven handed over the assignment to Minister of Trade Eivind Blehr (1942) who also refused to comply. Terboven eventually gave up.

Youth Groups

The Boys Scouts were very popular in Norway before the War. The Qyuslings hoped that this enthusiam could be chnelled in a Hitler Youth movement. Shancke He also ordered Norwegian teachers and school children to attend a Hitler Youth demonstratiomn in Oslo (February 1941). It is thought that this was to be a step in requiring Norwegian children to join the Nasjonal Samling (NS) youth unit, the Umghird. There was still optimism among Quislings and Germans that the Norwegians could be coverted to National Socialism. German youth had been among the most fervent suppoters of Hitler in his rise to power. The Germans did not generally promote the Hitler Youth in occupied countries. Nordic countries were differenht. The NAZIs sa thiseccountriescas populated with people of 'genetice value'. Thus for racial reasons the nprthern Europeans were an exception. The order led to the first school strike during the occupation.

Seizure of School Buildings

We see some comments that the NAZIs closed the Norwegian schools. This did happen in the East (Poland and the Soviet Union), but not generally in Western Europe). The situation in Norway is more complicated. The NAZIs and collaborationist Government did not close the schools other than the universities, but many schools did close. This was partially due to the fact that the German occupation authorities seized school buildings to be used as barracs for German soldiers or other purposes. Hitler had a special fixation on Norway. As a result there was a very large occupation force. And the Germans had to seek out barracks. School buidings were simply the most available. It was not a German decision to end Norwegian education.

NAZI Efforts

The efforts to NAZIfy the schools, churches, and sports clubs resulted in various actions (dismisal, arrest and/or deportation) against teachers. They were replaced with more 'compliant' individuals. The replacements were generally poorly qualified, but politically reliable individuals.

Norwegian Response

Norwegian parents with the seizue of school buildings and as teachers were dismissed began taking their children out of schools. We begin to see home-schooling and children studying by informal schools organized in private homes. The schools, the Church, the Supreme Court and sports clubs staged protests and organising boycotts. Many assoiciated with these institutions resigning state positions.

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is the country's most importat and respected university. The Norwegian Student Society sharply criticised the German invaders and the Riksrådet (national government). The Germans immediately disolved the group (September 1940). Apart from that, the University of Oslo did not play an iportant role in the resistance movement. This was in contrast to ctivity in the schools, the Church, the Supreme Court and soorts clubs. The University of Oslo is a special case. Students at the University eventually became became a German target. The Germans moved against the University (November 1943). It appears to have been an order by Reichskommissar Josef Terboven without consultiung with Berlin. He ordered the University closed cand the students arrested. One historian reports, "Contrary to popular belief, the reason for the closure was not due to the fire in the university's Great Hall; it was the result of prolonged frustration on the part of the German authorities over the fact that the Nasjonal Samling party (NS) had failed in its attempts to implement its Nazification programme at the university." [Fure] At the time both the staff and students at the University were against pursuing political opposition to the NAZIs. It certinly not that they were pro-NAZI. “The Nasjonal Samling party’s nazification programme for the University of Oslo was a total failure." [Fure] The Germans arrested some 1,250 students and closed the university buildings. About half were eventually released. The other hsld were deported to Buchenwald and Sennheim concentration camps in Germany where they were trained for the Waffen SS and deoloyed on the Eastern Front.

Impact on the Resistance Movement

The resistance movement was particularly strong among young people, both secondary- and university-age students. Not only the University of Oslo students after it was closed, but also the Technical University in Trondheim became hot beds of anti-NAZI resistance. Closing schools directly or indirectly (using the buildings for barracks) only intensified the resistance effort. Given the size of the German garrison in Norway, there culd be no armed rebellion, but the Resistabce was able to achiueve some importan=t successes. They were able to get many people tasrgeted by the NAZIS such as the Jews ans abti-NAZIs out of the country. They assuisted with the Telemark operation and repoorted on Germsn ship movements.

Sources

Cohen, Maynard M. A Stand Against Tyranny: Norway's Physicians and the Nazis.

Fure, Jorunn Sem. Universitetet under nazifiseringspress.

"The Bishop and the Quisling," Time Magazine (December 25, 1944).

Created: 3:44 AM 8/29/2018
Last updated: 3:44 AM 8/29/2018