Forced Labor Empire

Abstract

This chapter examines forced labor communities, looking at encounters between Eastern Workers and non-Soviet foreign workers from the German wartime empire. The Germans treated Eastern Workers as a coherent group of racial inferiors but also promoted divisions between them. The meager rations Germans allotted to forced laborers created animosity not only toward the camp administration but also toward campmates. Regional groups jockeyed for more provisions, and camp “specialists” gained privileges. Paradoxically, these tribulations created solidarity and vibrant social life at the barracks level. The same logic of deprivation shaped Eastern Workers' contacts with other foreign workers. The relative privilege allotted to groups the Germans viewed as racial superiors allowed them to profit from Eastern Workers. Sexual interactions between female Eastern Workers and others, even in the context of romantic relationships, usually had elements of barter. Ultimately, deliberate German policies, social factors, and economic realities atomized Eastern Worker society.