Schulte, Theo J. (1987) The German army and National Socialist occupation policies in the occupied areas of the Soviet Union 1941-1943. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

During the Second World War, with the failure of the German invasion
of the Soviet Union to maintain its momentum, large areas of captured
Russian territory remained under German Army jurisdiction for the
entire duration of the conflict; rather than being turned over to
National Socialist civilian administrators.
Evidence drawn from the files of two of the military government
rear areas (KorOcks) is used in order to consider the institutional
response of the Army towards this unanticipated problem.
Methodological approaches associated with 'history from below' are
combined with orthodox 'history from above' in order to reassess the
findings of secondary literature on the topic. Particular
consideration is given to primary data which describes the war from
the perspective of the German soldiers who conducted policy on the
ground.
Initially, the controversial historical debate which has developed
as to the Wehrmacht's role in the occupied areas is discussed and set
against the wider background of the place of the armed forces within
the Third Reich. The character and organisation of military
government in the Soviet Union is then described so as to indicate
the complex and difficult conditions under which the German troops
operated. Following on from this, a range of diverse issues are
discussed, including economic policy, anti-partisan warfare, the
treatment of Soviet prisoners of war, army relations with the
civilian population, Wehrmacht co-operation with the SS, criminal
behaviour amongst the German soldiers, and troop morale and fighting
power. A number of highly critical interpretations of Wehrmacht
activities are thus re-evaluated; especially those which emphasise
the extent to which members of the German armed forces were
influenced primarily by ideological considerations.
Overall, while full regard is given to the weight of evidence which
seeks to demythologise 'apologist' arguments that deny the calculated
involvement of the German Army in the racial war of annihilation
conducted in the East, equal attention is drawn to the varied
responses and conduct of the German troops directly involved in
implementing such policies. Accordingly, due regard is also given to
the importance of social, socio- psychological and institutional
factors in influencing individual and group behaviour within the
Third Reich.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DK Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Soviet Union -- History -- 1939-1945, Germany. Heer -- History -- 20th century, Soviet Union -- Politics and government -- 1936-1953
Official Date:	April 1987
Dates:	Date Event April 1987 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Berghahn, Volker R. (Volker Rolf), 1938-
Extent:	x, 396 leaves
Language:	eng

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