The German occupation of Poland was remarkably brutal. The Nazis considered Poles to be racially inferior. Following the military defeat of Poland by Germany in September 1939, the Germans launched a promotion of terror. German police units shot thousands of Polish civilians and required all Polish males to perform forced labor. The Nazis wanted to destroy Polish culture by eliminating the Polish political, religious, and informed leadership. This was done basically because of Germans dislike for Polish culture and in part to prevent resistance against the occupation. The Nazis conducted disciplinary measures against populations in areas where resistance was encountered.
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'The German Occupation of Poland '
In November 1942, the Germans expelled over 100,000 people from the Zamosc region (in Poland); many were deported to the Auschwitz camps similar to the ones that got rounded up in Germany. About 50,000 Polish children were taken from their families, transferred to the Reich, and subjected to "Germanization" policies. Following the invasion of western Poland to Germany, Hitler ordered the "Germanization" of Polish territory. Which meant that he wanted everything to be German like. Nazi governors expelled hundreds of thousands of Poles from their homes in the different communities throughout Poland. More than 500,000 ethnic Germans were then settled in these areas.
Between 1939 and 1945, at least 1.5 million Polish citizens were deported to German territory for forced labor. Ultimately virtually all of Poland’s Jews came to experience the full force of ghettoization, forced labor, and extermination. (6 Niewyk). Hundreds of thousands were also imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. It is estimated that the Germans killed at least 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians died during World War II. In addition, the Germans murdered at least 3 million Jewish citizens of Poland. The murder of the Jews is discussed solely in the context of the fate of Poland during the war. (Atlas 22) This is significant because Polish Jews had the highest death rate between any of the races.
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According to Kristallnacht by James M. Deem, approximately three million Polish citizens perished during World War II: about one-fifth of the pre-war population. (10) with evidence from both perspectives, it can be inferred that Polish Jews had the most effect on the Holocaust to a moderate extent. Though they both went through the same kind of treatment more Polish Jews were killed due to geographical location and the location of the Jews. Although Jews were prominent in Germany, they were also prominent in Poland and had a high contribution towards the Holocaust.
