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4.1 What happened to the Jews of Europe at the beginning of the war (1939–41)?
UNIT 4
Europe’s Jews in the Second World War
On 1 September 1939, a week after signing a neutrality agreement with the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. However, within a matter of weeks Poland had been defeated – in the west by the formidable German force, and in the east by the Soviet Union, which invaded on 17 October. In the nine months after the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the German army rapidly conquered much of Western and Northern Europe. Everywhere the Nazis and their allies controlled, they discriminated against Jews. For example, Jews in many countries had to wear a star on their clothes, or an armband, that identified them as Jews. But the treatment of the Jews was not the same in all the countries under Nazi control or influence. The case studies on page 45 give examples of how Jews were treated in some of these countries.
Activity
Read the country case studies on page 45 and identify similarities and differences in the way Jews were treated in different European countries.
N
NORWAY SWEDEN FINLAND
ESTONIA
IRELAND
Atlantic Ocean North Sea
DENMARK
GREAT
BRITAIN London NETHERLANDS Berlin LATVIA
Baltic Sea
LITHUANIA
EAST PRUSSIA SOVIET UNION
BELGIUM Warsaw
GERMANY POLAND
PORTUGAL
SPAIN LUXEMBOURG Prague
FRANCE
Vienna SWITZERLAND
VICHY FRANCE SLOVAKIA
HUNGARY
ROMANIA
UKRAINE
Corsica ITALY YUGOSLAVIA
BULGARIA Key
Greater Germany, June 1941 Movement of German army Greater Germany, 1939
Axis powers
Countries occupied by Axis powers, June 1941 Nazi collaborating regimes Allied powers and their colonies Soviet Union and Soviet-occupied territories Neutral nations
Black Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Sardinia ALBANIA
GREECE TURKEY
MOROCCO ALGERIA TUNISIA CYPRUS SYRIA IRAQ
Figure 4.1 German expansion, September 1939–June 1941
Netherlands
After its surrender, the Netherlands was taken over by the SS. Jews were fired from their jobs in the civil service and businesses had to register their assets. Jewish students were expelled from schools and universities. In January 1941, all Jews had to register themselves as Jews. In February 1941, several hundred young Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps in Germany.
Denmark
The Nazis allowed the Danish government to continue to rule the country, as they saw Danish people as ‘fellow Aryans’. The Danes protected their Jewish citizens. Throughout this period Jewish people in Denmark typically continued to live as they did before German occupation.
France
The German army occupied northern and western France. In southern and eastern France, a (French) government was set up that collaborated with the Nazis (called the ‘Vichy government’). In March 1941, Jewish property was taken away, leaving thousands homeless. In the autumn, both zones of France passed antisemitic laws, which were also applied in France’s colonies in North Africa – Morocco and Algeria. Jews were no longer allowed to work as doctors, lawyers or teachers, or in industry and trade, the civil service or the military.
Romania
In September 1940, a group of military officers and a fascist movement, the Iron Guard, seized power in Romania and joined the war. The government introduced antisemitic measures and took away Jewish property. Some Iron Guard members attacked Jews in the streets, robbing and sometimes killing them. In January 1941, dozens of Jewish civilians were murdered in Bucharest.
Germany
Jewish population: approx. 243,000
When the war started, the majority of German Jews had their jobs taken away. Jews were given a strict curfew and were not allowed to enter certain parts of many cities. They were also given reduced food rations and were only allowed to buy supplies from specific shops at specific times.
Hungary
Between 1938 and 1941 the government passed laws against the Jews. Jews and non-Jews couldn’t marry, and Jews were excluded from various jobs. In 1939, a forced-labour service was created for male Jews. Once Hungary joined the Axis powers, the labourers were sent to help the war effort. At least 27,000 subsequently died.
Due to the movement of people and borders during this period, it is difficult to know precise population figures. The figures here are estimates based on information from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
