Nazi Germany, Annexed Poland and Colonial Rule: Resettlement, Germanization and Population Policies in...

— —

Dr Rachel O'Sullivan (Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Germany) Paul Jackson (University of Northampton UK)

Nazi Germany, Annexed Poland and Colonial Rule

Resettlement, Germanization and Population Policies in Comparative Perspective

Dr Rachel O'Sullivan (Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Germany), Paul Jackson (University of Northampton UK), Raul C�rstocea (University of Leicester UK)

$59.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Bloomsbury Academic
29 May 2025

European history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Second World War; Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship

Series: A Modern History of Politics and Violence

This book examines Nazi Germany’s expansion, population management and establishment of a racially stratified society within the Reichsgaue (Reich Districts) of Wartheland and Danzig-West Prussia in annexed Poland (1939-1945) through a colonial lens. The topic of the Holocaust has thus far dominated the scholarly debate on the relevance of colonialism for our understanding of the Nazi regime. However, as opposed to solely concentrating on violence to investigate whether the Holocaust can be located within wider colonial frameworks, Rachel O’Sullivan utilizes a broader approach by investigating other aspects, such as discourses and fantasies related to expansion, settlement, ‘civilising missions’ and Germanisation, which were also intrinsic to Nazi Germany’s rule in Poland.

The resettlement of the ethnic Germans—individuals of German descent who lived in Eastern Europe until the outbreak of the Second World War—forms a main focal point for this study’s analysis and investigation of colonial comparisons. The ethnic German resettlement in the Reichsgaue laid the foundations for the establishment and enforcement of German society and culture, while simultaneously intensifying the efforts to control Poles and remove Jews. Through this case study, O’Sullivan explores Nazi Germany’s dual usage of inclusionary policies, which attempted to culturally and linguistically integrate ethnic Germans and certain Poles into German society, and the contrasting exclusionary policies, which sought to rid annexed Poland of ‘undesirable’ population groups through segregation, deportation and murder. The book compares these policies — and the tactics used to implement them — to colonial and settler colonial methods of assimilation, subjugation and violence.

By: Dr Rachel O'Sullivan (Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History Germany)
Edited by: Paul Jackson (University of Northampton UK), Raul C�rstocea (University of Leicester UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781350377233
ISBN 10: 1350377236
Series: A Modern History of Politics and Violence
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 29 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Part I: Looking West? Looking East? 1. ‘A Bigger Germany, It Shall Be!’ Germany’s Colonial Past in Africa and Poland Part II: The Annexation of Poland and the Restructuring of Society 2. ‘Our Children Will Have It Better than We Do!’ Societal Stratification and Assimilation in Poland 3. A German Task: The Reich German Mission 4. Effacing Difference and the Settler Colonial Model Part III: Aligning Overseas and Continental Colonial Aims during the Third Reich 5. ‘To Colonise Is to Cultivate’: Colonial Overlaps between Africa and Poland 6. Conclusion Bibliography Index

Rachel O'Sullivan is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Holocaust Studies, Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History, Germany.

Reviews for Nazi Germany, Annexed Poland and Colonial Rule: Resettlement, Germanization and Population Policies in Comparative Perspective

Carefully researched and intelligently argued, O’Sullivan’s excellent book offers a fascinating contribution to ongoing debates about the linkages among Nazism, colonialism, and genocide. In particular, the insights gleaned from comparing the Nazi occupation of annexed Poland to other examples of colonialism greatly enrich our understanding of Nazi population policies, including the Holocaust. * Catherine Epstein, Henry Steele Commager Professor of History, Amherst College, USA *