Dutch Under Nazi Occupation
Natalia Szlarb
Introduction to Dutch Studies
27.04.2011
British English
Accommodation, Co-operation or Collaboration?
Dutch population under the German Occupation
The German occupation in the Netherlands has been, and probably will be the cause of the heated debate among historians, politicians or Dutch citizens themselves for quite a long time. The question which triggers the emotions is how the Dutch people acted during the occupation. One the most influential historians on this matter, De Jong, one of the first faced the myth of an intransigent people standing up to the terror of occupier. [1] In the evolution of this view, there is certain consensus reached by most of the historians; most of the Dutch people tried to adopt “accommodation” tactic during the occupation. The essay focuses rather on the daily aspects of average Dutchman to understand sociology behind it; it examines the specific Dutch attitude of “accommodation” during German occupation, the origins and the consequences.
1. Prewar Dutch-German relations
Contrary to common belief, a far from insignificant rapprochement between the Dutch and the Nazi Germany had existed during the interwar periods. The origins could be traced in some way similar ideological and economical motives i.e. a virulent anti-communism that had deeply infiltrated in the Dutch elites. In 1917, after the collapse of tsardom, the Bolsheviks annulled all foreign debts. Although it was not the Dutch Government that suffered, but mostly private individuals who had invested heavily in the empire of the Tsar. In those days the amount of 1 billion guilders was at stake which was even more than the total sum of Dutch annual expenditure.[2] The common hatred of Communists proved to be somehow common ground for Dutch and Germans before the war.
The pro-German attitude in the Netherlands among authorities and elites was also confirmed by the German diplomat Wolfgang zu Putlitz, who spent four years in England, and
Introduction to Dutch Studies
27.04.2011
British English
Accommodation, Co-operation or Collaboration?
Dutch population under the German Occupation
The German occupation in the Netherlands has been, and probably will be the cause of the heated debate among historians, politicians or Dutch citizens themselves for quite a long time. The question which triggers the emotions is how the Dutch people acted during the occupation. One the most influential historians on this matter, De Jong, one of the first faced the myth of an intransigent people standing up to the terror of occupier. [1] In the evolution of this view, there is certain consensus reached by most of the historians; most of the Dutch people tried to adopt “accommodation” tactic during the occupation. The essay focuses rather on the daily aspects of average Dutchman to understand sociology behind it; it examines the specific Dutch attitude of “accommodation” during German occupation, the origins and the consequences.
1. Prewar Dutch-German relations
Contrary to common belief, a far from insignificant rapprochement between the Dutch and the Nazi Germany had existed during the interwar periods. The origins could be traced in some way similar ideological and economical motives i.e. a virulent anti-communism that had deeply infiltrated in the Dutch elites. In 1917, after the collapse of tsardom, the Bolsheviks annulled all foreign debts. Although it was not the Dutch Government that suffered, but mostly private individuals who had invested heavily in the empire of the Tsar. In those days the amount of 1 billion guilders was at stake which was even more than the total sum of Dutch annual expenditure.[2] The common hatred of Communists proved to be somehow common ground for Dutch and Germans before the war.
The pro-German attitude in the Netherlands among authorities and elites was also confirmed by the German diplomat Wolfgang zu Putlitz, who spent four years in England, and
Bibliography: Hirschfeld Gerhard, Nazi Rule and Dutch Collaboartion, The Netherlands under German Occupation, Hamburg 1988 Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990 Warmbrunn, The Dutch under German Occupation 1940-45. Stanford University Press, 1963 Brinks Jan Herman, The Dutch, the Germans and the Jews Woolf, Linda M.,Survival and Resistance: The Netherlands Under Nazi Occupation, New York, 2000 Hamilton, Leslie Ann, "Dutch Resistance to the Nazis during World War Two" (2003) ----------------------- [1] Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990 [2] Zee, C. “To prevent worse. The Preparation and execution of the destruction of Dutch Jewry during the Second World War” Amsterdam, 1997, p.40 [3] Leader of the Dutch Nazis [10] Warmbrunn, The Dutch under German Occupation 1940-45. Stanford University Press, 1963 [11] Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990 [12] Warmbrunn, The Dutch under German Occupation 1940-45. Stanford University Press, 1963 [13] Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990 [18] Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990 [19] Jong Louis, The Netherlands and Nazi Germany, Harvard University Press, 1990