Eastern Europe

Early Nazi Rule in Eastern Europe

On the 22nd of June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union annexing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They had already invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia and joined with Austria.

Nazi rule in Poland

Before the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had owned most of Poland. It had been part of the State of Prussia (which had been the most powerful German state).
Poland became a country at the end of World War 1 in 1918. Most powerful Germans had come from the state of Prussia and believed that it was rightfully German.
Invading Poland at the start of September 1939 had been the trigger for France and Britain to declare war on Germany.

General Government

The Nazi policy of 'Lebensraum' (living space in the East) involved conquering Poland and using the vast territory as part of the German empire.
A region called the 'General Government' was created in Poland for administrative purposes.
Poland effectively disappeared as a country and became part of Germany.

Generalplan Ost (The Eastern General Plan)

Generalplan Ost was Heinrich Himmler's (the head of the SS) plan to ethnically cleanse Eastern Europe.
Lebensraum involved clearing land territory for German people. Slavs and Jews were not viewed as worthy of occupying this living space.
Polish people were removed from their homes, which were given to German people.
Slavs and Jews were sent to concentration camps to do forced labour or to be executed.

Hans Frank

Hans Frank was a lawyer who had supported the Nazi Party since the beginning.
Frank was installed as the leader of the General Government in Poland.
He forced Polish people to live in ghettos, closed Polish schools, killed the most intelligent people in Poland and oversaw the death camps in Poland.

Operation Reinhard and the Polish Decrees

'General Government' was a zone in Poland created during Germany's occupation of Poland.
In October 1941, Operation Reinhard began. This was a plan to kill every Jew in the 'General Government' district of Poland.
Hitler and the Nazi Party viewed Dutch and Belgian people as Aryan equals.
Slavs living in the Baltic states and Poland were viewed as inferior. From 1940, Polish Decrees made all Polish labourers were a 'P' badge on their clothes.
The Wehrmacht (the army) and the SS killed over 2 million non-Jewish, Polish civilians and troops.

Polish Resistance to Nazi Occupation

What was Nazi rule like in Poland?

Nazi rule in Poland was more brutal than the Nazi rule in the Netherlands.
This is probably because Hitler viewed the Dutch as Aryans and the Poles as Slavs.
Slavs in Poland were treated similarly to the Jews in Nazi-occupied territory.
Also logistically, the concentration and death camps were located in Poland, making mass executions easier.

Was there resistance to the Nazis in Poland?

The Polish government-in-exile, like the Dutch government-in-exile was based in London.
They created a resistance movement in Poland, aimed at reducing the brutality of the Nazi actions in Poland. This movement was called the Delegatura.

What was the Warsaw Uprising?

The Delegatura tried to re-capture Warsaw from the Nazis in August 1944.
The rebellion was designed to coincide with a Soviet advance from the East into Poland against the Nazis.
25% of Warsaw was destroyed. Over 2,000 German troops died and between 150,000-200,000 Poles are thought to have been killed in mass executions in response to the Warsaw Uprising.
The Uprising lasted 2 months but failed because of a lack of Soviet support.

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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