Figure 1.--Germany was one of the most industrialized countries in the world with highly advanced technology, although not aeader in mass producion. The country was not self-sufficient in food production. It had to import much of its food. One problem was that unlike its industrial sector, the agricultural sector was ineffient largely peasant based. Few farmsere mechanized. Yields were low in a country needing food. And NAZI ideology made no effort to improve that. MAZI ideology idealized the small-scale farmer and ties to the land--Blut und Boden (Blood and Soil). Hitler was well aware of Germany's inability to feed itself and the terrible consequences during World War I. His plan was to feed Germany by conquering and exploiting neighboring countries. He thought that Germany's food problem would be permanenbtly sloved by seizing the East. As the war developed, the Wehrmacht failed to destroy the Red Army and the occupied East only served to feed the massive force fighting there. It would be the occupied West (especially France) thst would feed the Reich during the war. Here Hitler Youth children help bring in the 1939 harvest. At the same time Hiler and stalin lsunched the War by invading Poland.
Germans occupation policies varied geographically depending largely on the racial makeup of the occupied countries. German racial policies had a major impact. In line with Holocaust actions, Generalplan Ost, and the Hunger Plan. The goal becme to murder all Jews that came into their hands (including those working in war industries) and to substantially reduce the Baltic and Slavic population and convert the survivors to slave labor. The goal was to turn Eastern Europe into a vast German colony. In the West, the goal was more economic and political. The Germans also wanted to exploit the economies and make political changes, but not to reduce the population--with the exception of Jews. And here the Germans exploted Axis allies as well as occupied countries. The German policies were nesitated by the fact that Hitler launched the War withouth the industrial or resource base needed to conduct global war. The War was launched to obtain the resources needed to wage war and thus the industry and resources of the occupied countries were an important part of the Axis war plan. For a range of reasons, this did not work as the Germans planned. The Germans did make considerable use of Western Europeean (especially France) industrial caoacity to support their war effort, but failed to use the coveted resources of the East when the Red Army did not collapse as anticipated. The Wehermacht was sent into the East without supplies. Barbarossa was designed on the basis of living off the land with disaterous results for the civilian populatiion from whom food and other supplies were taken. The resources of the East were used to support the Whermacht in the Eastern Front, but the anticipted resources proved much smaller than anticipated. very little got back to the Reich to support the War economy. The primacy of racial policies should not be neglected. Hitler pursued deadly racial policies even when they interfered with the German war effort.
Germans occupation policies varied geographically depending largely on the racial makeup of the occupied countries. German racial policies had a major impact. German occupation policies turned deadly in the East. They were geerally more correct un the West, butit should not be thought that the war-time policies in the West would have continued after the War had the Germans won the War. In line with Holocaust actions, Generalplan Ost, and the starvation plan. The goal was eliminate Jews (kiling procedures varied geographically, but not the outcome), and substantially reduce the Slavic population and convert the survivors to slave labor. The goal was to turn Eastern Rurope into a vast German colony. In the West, the goal was more economic and political. The Germans also wanted to exploit the economies and make political changes, but not to reduce the population--with the exception of Jews. The primacy of racial policies should not be neglected. Hitler persued deadly racial policies even when they interfered with the German war effort.
Economic Exploitation
The Germans exploted Axis allies as well as occupied countries. The German policies were necsitated by the fact that Hitler launched the War withouth the industrial or resource base needed to conduct global war. The War was launched to obtain the resources needed to wage war and thus the industry and resources of the occupied countries were an important part of the Axis war plan. For a range of reasons, this did not work as the Germans planned. The Germans did make considerable use of Western European (especially France) industrial capacity to support their war effort, but failed to use the coveted resources of the East when the Red Army did not collapse as anticipated. The Wehermacht was sent into the East without supplies. Barbarossa was designed on the basis of living off the land with disaterous results for the civilian populatiion from whom food and other supplies were taken. The resources of the East were used to support the Whermacht in the Eastern Front, but the anticipted resources proved much smaller than anticipated. very little got back to the Reich to support the War economy.
Occupation Responsibilities
Hitler used patch work of occupation approaches. Some of the occupied countries wre plced under militry governments (Belgium, France, and other counties). Other occupied countries were placed in the hands of NAZI civilian authorities (Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and other countries). Here we do not yet have a complete list, but are looking into this.
Begining with the Austrian Anschluss in 1937, substantial territory was annexed to the Reich. This was especially true after the outbreak of World War I in 1939. By 1941, the Germans had annexed territories of Czecheslovakia, Poland, Belgium, France, and Yugolavia to the Reich. The policies toward teachers varied widely in these different regions.
German language policy varied. The Germans did not attempt to suppress national languages in the West. An exception is the areas they annexed to the Reich such as eastern Belgium and Alsace-Loraine. The Germans were especually strict in Alsace-Loraine to stamp out the use of French. German was also imposed in Slovenia. (I think the Italians did the sane in their zone of Slovenis, but perhaps not so definitively.)
I don't think the Germans attempted to suppress Czech, except in the annexed Sudetenland. Of course Slovakia broke away and became a NAZI ally. So Slovak was not suppressed.
In the East it was different. The Germans suppress not just Polish, but Poles. Polish libraries were looted. Many of the books were destroyed, some shipped back to the Reich.
Large areas of Poland were annexed to the Reich. All publishing and instruction in Polish ceased and the Germans set out to deport all Poles into the Government General. I think publishing in Polish ceased. Libraries were closed. Universities and I think secondary schools were closed down. I am less sure about primary schools.
With Barbarossa large areas of the western Soviet Union were occupied. As far as I know the three Baltic languages were not suppressed or the schools closed. Many in the Baltics saw the Soviets as liberators.
In Western Russia, Bylorussia, and the Ukraine the language policy was similar to Poland, but I do not have much information. One German official did not even want the warning signs at railroad crossings to be in Ukranian. Education was just be for a few primary years and just enough to make the population economically iuseful to the Germans.
NAZI Germany as a result of military conquests, occupied mich of Europe with the exception of the Russian areas of the Soviet Union. German occupation policies varied wudely from country. There were two primary German objectives. First was to harness the occupied areas to the German war economy. Second was to pursue German racial policies. These included the killing of all Jews and the dreastic reduction of the Slavic population in the East. When the two primary goals conflicted, the racialm policy was given priority. Thus when the drafting of German workers created a labor shortage in the Reich, the Germans cintinued the killing of Jewish workers, even skilled workers slaving in war plants. The actual German occupation policies varies from country to country because of the different racial composition of the occupied areas. And the NAZI occicials in the occupied countries weregiven substantial latitude which caused a varierty of difference. Other variations occurred becauseof border changes and the different occupation authorities.
Post-War Plans
Far too many people believe that the German occupation was as bad as it could get and that after the War there would be a general moderatiomn of German policies. Actually nothing could be further from the truth. We know a good deal about what the Germans were planning. The Germans who did not punish their own people for war crimes were collecting evidence for war crimes trials against Allied civilian and military leaders. Actually one war crimes trial was held, but by NAZI ally Vichy and not the NAZIs thrmselves. And the NAZIs left us a detailed record of their horrifying plans in the east--Genralplan Ost. This was the work of the new Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Reich Main Security Office--RSHA). The NAZI security agencies were reorganized shortly after the outbreak of the war (September 27, 1939). The SD and SiPo (Gestapo and Kripo) were combined to form the new RSHA. Reinhard Heydrich was given control of the new RSHA. [Longerich, pp. 469-70.]
Some of Gneralplan Ost was implemented, but not in full force because the NAZIs concluded for good reason that implementation would disrupt the NAZIs ability to fully exploit the occupied country's economy. There was not yet a plan for the West. The RSHA and SS think tanks were, however, working on one. One of the SS men working on Western Europe's future was RSHA offoicial Werner Best. Best was made head of RSHA Amt I (Department I). This was the RSHA unit responsible for Administration and Legal mtters concerning the SS and security police. [H�hne, p. 256.] Heydrich and Heinrich Himmler relied on Best to develop legal approaches to dealing with enemies of the state. Jews were considered enemies of the state, this included Jewish policy. Heydrich appoited him one of the directors of his foundation, the Stiftung Nordhav. Best lost a power struggle for leading positions within the RSHA (1940). He left Berlin for occupied France. [Gerwarth, p. 165.] He was granted the military rank of Administration Chief (Kriegsverwaltungschef). He was appointed chief of the Section "Administration" (Abteilung Verwaltung) of the Administration Staff (Verwaltungsstab, Dr Schmid) under then Milit�rbefehlshaber in Frankreich (Military Commander in France--MBF). At the time General Otto von St�lpnagel was the military commander. Best held this position for 2 years. As RSHA emissary in France, Best's unit worked on the question of the futureof Western Europe. They drew up plans for a total reorganization of Western Europe based on NAZI racial principles. There vision was to annex the Netherlands, Flanders and northern Franxe (France north of the Loire river) into the Reich. Belgian Wallonia and French Brittany would become Reich protectorates. Northern Ireland would be united with the Republic of Ireland. Britain would be partitioned into several provinces. Spain would be divided into separate small states such as Galicia, Basque Country and Catalonia. [Langbehn & Salama, p. 61.] Best was made xxx for Denmark (Novemnber 1942). The fact that Denmark was one of the countries slated for annexation may explain the choice. In addition to political changes, there would have been further actions aginst Jews, especially Mischling. It is unclear if other groups would have been singled out for slavery or destruction as was the case in Generalplan Ost.
Sources
H�hne, Heinz. The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler�s SS (Penguin: 2001).
Gerwarth, Robert. Hitler's Hangman: The Life of Heydrich (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011).
Langbehn & Salama. German Colonialism: Race, the Holocaust, and Postwar Germany (2011).
Longerich, Peter. Heinrich Himmler: A Life (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).
