The Racial State-Impact of the war against Poland Flashcards
What did war provide the regime with?
- A nation emergency that enabled them to act with more dictatorial power and in greater secrecy
- A way for Germanisation of occupied territories in Poland and a ‘Jew-Free’ Nazi empire
How was the country of Poland divided after the conquest?
Three areas:
- Eastern Poland occupied by USSR
- Western part of Poland incorporated into German Reich
- Area in between designated ‘General Government’ of Poland, under Nazi Governor, Hans Frank
What was the Nazi ‘masterplan’ for Poland?
To create Lebensraum for ethnic Germans by driving Poles and Jews out of West Prussia and Warthegau so ‘empty’ lands could be completely ‘Germanised’
What was a problem for Germany after the conquest of Poland?
The sheer number of Jews; 1,901,000 (61%) were in territory occupied by Germany at end of 1939 and posed difficult strategic problems for Nazi regime
What did the Nazis use therefore due to the sheer amount of Jews issue?
They used the General Government district as dumping ground for Poles and Jews
How were the conditions in the General Government?
The Nazis deliberately intended conditions to be so bad that most of the people deported there would die
How many people and Jews were deported between November 1939 and February 1940?
The SS attempted to deport one million people eastwards- 550,000 were Jews
What was another downside of this mass deportation?
The authorities could not cope with mass deportation of western Jews from Germany and Austria at the same time
