Nazism and German Nationals in the Netherlands, 1933—40

Abstract

The degree of enthusiasm or opposition shown by the population of Germany towards nazism, both before and after 1933, has been the subject of continued debate not least because of its relevance to the overall question of the German resistance to Hitler. Although major studies of specific regions as well as those on Germany as a whole have provided a clear picture on attitudes inside the Third Reich,' very little information has emerged on the reaction to nazism and the Hitler regime of German citizens living abroad, the Auslandsdeutsche. Studies of nazi organizations abroad have tended to concentrate on the structure and functions of the different groups, rather than on the appeal of nazism to the A uslandsdeutsche.2 Given this lack of knowledge about such a large number of German citizens, including 335,496 in Europe alone,3 it seems appropriate to examine nazism in its ideological and organizational forms as it affected one particular group of A uslandsdeutsche in Europe. In countries where the Germans formed a distinct national minority and established their own 'National Socialist' parties, the scope of the NSDAP for organization and activity was somewhat limited. Whereas the Germans living in the Sudetenland and Danzig proved to be far more important to Hitler's foreign policy aims, the political background in these two areas tends to complicate the issue. Western Europe, therefore, provides a more suitable area for research and the Netherlands, with a German population of up to 100,000, provides an example large enough to allow for some tentative conclusions.