АНТИПАРТИЗАНСКАЯ ПРОПАГАНДА НЕМЕЦКИХ ВЛАСТЕЙ НА ОККУПИРОВАННОЙ ТЕРРИТОРИИ СОВЕТСКОЙ БЕЛОРУССИИ

Abstract

The article examines the ideological aspects of the German struggle against partisans in the occupied territory of Soviet Belarus. The author, on the basis of previously unpublished documents of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (propaganda publications of the occupation authorities, orders and circulars of the heads of the German General Commissariat, reports of partisans) and a number of historical studies, analyzes the content of German propaganda materials, identifies its main thematic areas, determines the effectiveness of anti-partisan propaganda. The heads of the General District (W. Kube and C. von Gottberg) expressed a special opinion on the methods of anti-partisan struggle. They believed that punitive actions were ineffective and the main stake in the anti-guerilla struggle made on propaganda and involvement of the local population. The author concludes that the massive and large-scale propaganda influence of the German administration was neutralized by an extremely cruel occupation policy (namely, punitive actions of the SS against partisans and the civilian population living in the partisan zone, the genocide of Jews, which caused obvious rejection and fear) as well as partisan counter-propaganda. Attempts to involve the Belarusian population to combating partisans proved to be not very effective. Moreover, the very actions of the German occupation authorities — forced recruitment to work in Germany, as part of numerous collaborationist organizations — forced Belarusians to seek salvation among the partisans.