Western Europe

Early Nazi Rule in Western Europe

Between September 1939 and June 1940, the Germany army and German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) invaded Norway, Denmark and Poland. In 1940, Germany managed to invade France, Belgium and Holland, all in the space of 6 weeks (although Belgium and Holland are both quite small geographically).

The Nazi occupation of Western Europe

By 1942, Nazi German troops controlled most of France, Belgium, Holland (the Netherlands), Denmark and the Channel Islands (Jersey & Guernsey) in the English/French Channel.

The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands

On the 14th of May 1940, the Dutch Army surrendered after the 'Battle of the Netherlands'.
The surrender came because of the Luftwaffe's (the German air force) brutal bombing of the city of Rotterdam.
814 civilians and 24,000 houses were destroyed by the Luftwaffe's raid.

Control of the Netherlands

Some members of the Dutch royal family escaped to Britain on the British warship, the HMS Codrington.
Germany placed the country under the control of a governor, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, an Austrian who strongly believed in Nazi values. He was executed for war crimes in 1946.

Treatment of the Dutch

Anne Frank's house in the Netherlands is the most famous example of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. She died in 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
The Nazis executed Jews. Only 27% of Dutch Jews survived the war, relative to 60% of Belgian Jews.
Nazi policies in Western Europe were kinder than in Eastern Europe. Hitler thought that the Dutch and Belgian were part of his Aryan race.
In the Netherlands, the schools, education system and the civil service did not change during Nazi rule.

Relative peace in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands

Resistance was relatively low in the Netherlands. People working in the civil service were aware of the Nazi's treatment of Jews.
- One small sign of resistance was on Prince Bernhard's birthday (29 June 1940), many Dutch wore carnations in solidarity with the royal family. Dutch people were not punished for this bit of resistance

Later Nazi Rule in Western Europe

Using the Netherlands case study, it is evident that 1941-2 represented a turning point in the way the Nazis approached Western Europe.

The February Strike of 1941 in the Netherlands

The February Strike of 1941 was a strike organised by the Dutch Communists in response to the Nazis sending Dutch Jews to their concentration camps in Eastern Europe.
300,000 people went on strike in Amsterdam.
18 protestors were executed by the Nazis.
There were strikes by the local population in Denmark in 1943, Belgium in May 1941 and Norway in September 1941.

The Nazi treatment of Dutch Jews

On the 29th of April 1942, all Jews in Holland had to wear a yellow Star of David symbol so they could be identified at all times.
In 1945, 35,000 Dutch Jews were alive, living in the Netherlands. In 1939, there had been 140,000 Dutch Jews.
Only 27% of Dutch Jews survived the war, relative to 60% of Belgian Jews.

Forced labour in Germany

In 1943, Germany was suffering from a shortage of soldiers and workers.
Hendrik Seyffardt, a Dutch General who collaborated with the Nazis was in charge of rounding up Dutch men to work in Germany.
In February 1943, Seyffardt was shot at his home by Dutch anti-Nazi rebels.
The Dutch went on strike and Nazi troops shot 95 Dutch people in response.
In the end, only tens of thousands of Dutch people went to work in Germany instead of the intended 300,000+.

Resistance and the Civil Registry Office bombing

In 1943, 12 people resisting the Nazis were arrested for blowing up the Amsterdam Civil Registry Office. 800,000 identity cards were destroyed by the bomb, making Nazi administration and persecution more difficult.
In 1944, the Nazis wanted every single Dutchman of working age to complete forced labour to support the Nazi party. Lots of people fled or resisted.

The Railway Strike in the Netherlands

The Dutch government-in-exile, known as the 'London Cabinet' was a group of politicians living in England led by the Dutch Queen, Queen Wilhelmina.
British and American forces were planning a big operation, 'Operation Market Garden'. The London Cabinet asked Dutch railway workers to strike.
30,000 railwaymen went on strike. The German Army ran their own railways and instead stopped transporting food around the Netherlands, causing many to starve in the winter of 1944-45.
Canadian soldiers liberated the Netherlands on 5 May 1945.

1Dictatorship

1.1Hitler & The Nazi Party in 1933

1.1.1The Origins of the Nazi Party

1.1.2Hitler & The Growth of the Party

1.1.3The 1932 Election

1.2Establishing Dictatorship, 1933-1934

1.2.1Establishing Dictatorship

1.2.2Achieving Total Power, July 1933 - August 1934

1.2.3End of Topic Test - Dictatorship

1.2.4Grade 9 - Dictatorship

2Control & Opposition

2.1The Machinery of Terror

2.1.1Police State & Legal System

2.1.2The Gestapo & SS

2.1.3Concentration Camps

2.1.4End of Topic Test - Control & Opposition

2.2Nazi Propaganda

2.2.1The Effectiveness of Nazi Propaganda

2.3Opposition to Nazi Rule

2.3.1The Left

2.3.2Church Leaders

2.3.3Youth Groups

2.3.4Support for Nazi Rule

2.3.5End of Topic Test - Propaganda & Opposition

2.3.6Grade 9 - Propaganda & Opposition

3Changing Lives, 1933-1939

3.1Work & Home

3.1.1Work

3.1.2Home

3.2The Lives of Young People

3.2.1Education

3.2.2Youth Movements

3.3Nazi Racial Policy

3.3.1Racial Policy

3.3.2Persecution of the Jews

3.3.3End of Topic Test 0 Changing Lives

3.3.4Grade 9 - Changing Lives

4Germany in War

4.1The Impact of War

4.1.1Impact of the War Economy on the People

4.1.2Impact of Total War on the People

4.2Growing Opposition from the German People

4.2.1Opposition from the People

4.2.2Opposition from the Army

4.2.3End of Topic Test - Germany in War

4.2.4Grade 9 - Germany in War

5Occupation

5.1Nazi Rule in Eastern and Western Europe

5.1.1The Start of World War 2

5.1.2Western Europe

5.1.3Eastern Europe

5.1.4End of Topic Test - Occupation

5.2The Final Solution

5.2.1Ghettos & Executions

5.2.2Death Camps

5.2.3End of Topic Test - The Final Solution

5.3Responses to Nazi Rule

5.3.1Collaboration

5.3.2Accommodation

5.3.3Resistance

5.3.4End of Topic Test - Responses to Nazi Rule

5.3.5Grade 9 - Occupation

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