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war and social upheaval: World War II -- Axis occupation policies
World War II Occupation Policies: The Occupying Powers
Figure 1.--The World War II beligerants pursued radically different occupation policies. Axis policies were not only to acquire land and territory, but to radically change the ethnic map. This became a matter of life and death as the Germans set out to destroy the Jewish population as a high priority. Here in German-occupied Poland, Jews are arriving at the Chelmo death camp. Plans were being laid for killing Slavs and other targeted peoples in large numbers as well, but these operations had to be phased back as they were disrupting the German war effort.
The World War II beligerants pursued radically different occupation policies. Occupation was a major Axis war aim, primarily to obtain needed natural resources and what the Germans called lebensraum--living space. The Axis powers occupied many countries in Europe and Asia as well as afew colonies in Africa. They proceeded to implement policies that were unique to the modern age. Their policies were designed to create new colonies to exploit. But rather than just exploit the local popultion, the Germans un particular set out on a massive ethnic cleaning operation to destroy or enslave the existing population, They largely suceeded in wipeing out the Jewish popultion in occupied countries, but had only begun to kill or enlave the Slavs when the War turned against them. The killing opertions conflicted with the need to exploit conquered areas to support the War effort. You can not exploit people after younkill them. This did not stop the NAZIs from killing Jews. It did slow down the implementation of Generalplan Ost to kill tens of millions of Slavs. The Soviet Union unlike the Axis did not need resources, but it was pursuing a mixture of the Communist ideology of workd rcolution and traditional Russian imperialism. Its occupation policies were very similar to those of the NAZUs without the Jewish racial component. This is not surprising as the two countries signed the NZI-Soviet Nonaggrsion Pact, becoming allies in the caving up of Eastern Europe. Soviet policies changed somewhat after Hitler invaded the Siviet Union, but still pursued ethnic cleansing, Coomunist revolution, and Russian imperialism. Allied policies were widely different. Allies policies were based on emergency action to save the lives of millions of displaced persons, many of whom were near stavation and sick. Next the Allies set out to return constitutinal, democratic rule.
Axis occupation policies varied widely, especially German policies. One consistent them with the Axis was economic exoloitation and efforts to annex some areas and suppres foreign elements in those areas. Here German racial policies had a major impact. In line with Holocaust actions, Generalplan Ost, and the Hunger Plan. The goal was to muderall Jews that came into their hands and substantially reduce the Baltic and Slavic population and convert the survivors to slave labor. While Germany, Italy, and Japan were the principal Axis countries, smaller countries like Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania were given their own occupation zones by the Germans. Axis policies were in one sence nesitated by the fact that they 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 Axis countries planned. The Germans did make considerable use Western Europe (especially France) 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 Japanese did seize their Southern Resource Zone with needed resources like oil and rubber. Getting the resources back to the Home Islands, however, proved a very difficult undertaking as the U.S. Navy perfected its submarine campaign on the Japanese Marus. Axis racial policies (especially German and Japanese) proved deadly and were persued irrespective of economic concerns or impact on the war effort.
The Soviet Union is the only World War II country which occupied other countries as both a German and Anglo-American ally. Soviet policies were so brutal in the Baltics an Romania that these countries became German allies (1940-41). At the onset of Barbarossa, peopl in the Baltics and the Western Ukraine even saw the Germans as liberators. Soviet occupation policies were very consistent. The goal was to annex some areas, deport selected groups, supress democratic elements, and install compliant puppet regimes. Depending on one's ideological point of view, the Soviet advance might be considered as liberation or simoly a different occupation. The lateer seems a better description, because unlike the situation in Western Europe, the people of Eastern Europe were not given a real democratic choice about the nature of their new government. Stalin used the power of the Red Army and MKVD to impose Communist police states on the people of Eastern Europe. The policy when they reach Germany was to exact substantial reparations as well as a generous dose of revenge. There was some restraint on the part of the Soviets in the aftermath of World War II, but as the Cold War developed, this contraint disappeared and hard-line Stalinist policies were introduced throughout Easttern Europe.
As the Allies moved into German occupation areas of Western Europe, the policy was essentially one of liberation and relief because the Germans had devastated local economies. At first Alied civil affairs involved assisting liberated countries. This in some cases meant populations in desperate states, although the liberation of France occurred so rapidly that battle damage was largely localized to the Normandy are. Italy whch swiched sides was in a desperated conditions. The Dutch north of the Rhine in particular were starving. The Allies did adopt occupation policies for the Axis countries (Austria, Germany, and Japan). Italy was a little different because as part of the Italian surrender, Italy joined the war against the Germans. The Allied policies in these countries was to turn over civil administration to local authorities as rapidly as possible. Here there were governments-in-exile located in London that could rapidly step in to take control. President Roosevelt did not get on with General DeGualle and there was some thought of directing the transition in France. DeGualle and the Free French, however, moved very rapidly to take control of the civil administration in liberated areas that the Americans quickly dropped the idea of interfering. The Allies did adopt occupation policies for the Axis countries (Austria, Germany, and Japan). Italy was a little different because as part of the Italian surrender, Italy joined the war against the Germans. The policy became in both Germany and Japan to radically transform civil society with a goal of creating modern democratic states. The traditional policy of retribution was dropped and in both countries, the Americans set about rebuilding the economies. (The British and especually the French had different policy ideas, but eventually came around to the American view.)
