THE HISTORY OF SPECIAL CAMPS IN GERMANY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Abstract

The history of special camps in the Soviet zone is practically an aspect of the Soviet occupation policy in Germany that has not been studied in historiography. This article highlights and analyzes various aspects of the history of these special camps: the reason for their creation, the course of the deployment of the camp system during the Second World War, the nature of the contingent held in the camps, their staffing, as well as the place of special camps in the system of Soviet military administration bodies and their role in the activities of Soviet state security bodies in East Germany in the first post-war years.