The De-Nazification of Post-WWII Germany/Europe

Not only did America and her allies defeat Nazi Germany militarily in WWII, but the U.S. military went to amazing lengths to 'de-Nazify' Germany and Europe after the war. That de-Nazification included the mass arrests of Germans and others based solely on political grounds, the forced viewing of anti-racist propaganda and harsh restrictions on private employers and employees.

The U.S. military was not the only ally involved in the de-Nazification program, but it led the program nonetheless.

After WWII German and Austrian citizens who had been either members of the Nazi party or sympathetic to Nazism had great difficulty finding any meaningful employment due to de-Nazification. Famed U.S. General George S. Patton complained about the severity of the allied de-Nazification program and was removed from command by Dwight Eisenhower as a result [1]. In fact, Eisenhower strictly outlawed vocal or written opposition to any part of the anti-Nazi program by military forces [2].

The U.S. de-Nazification program in Germany/Europe become more severe as time went on. In September 1945 U.S. military leaders were told that "all phases of German life" would be de-Nazified. The most severe de-Nazification law imposed upon post-war Germany was Military Government Law No. 8. That law prohibited even private employers from allowing any former Nazi party member to work at any vocation except laborer. This law applied to millions of intelligent Germans, many of whom were professionals - e.g., doctors, lawyers - and had families to provide for. Furthermore, ex-Nazis who owned businesses often had to surrender those businesses to military authorities if those ex-Nazis were discovered to have held middle or high rank in the Nazi government or party before or during WWII. [Thousands of businesses owned by former Nazis were seized by the military in late 1945 and 1946]. And in some areas of Europe, top medical personnel were dismissed from their jobs due to de-Nazification, which of course denied health care to many citizens. Under the program, whether a former Nazi had directly oppressed anyone or not was moot. The mere fact that he was a former Nazi very often doomed his future in Europe.

Of note concerning the U.S. de-Nazification program is that Jews played a key role in it. In fact, several Jewish Marxists created material which was used by the U.S. government to de-Nazify Europe [3].

Also of concern regarding de-Nazification is that Nazism was in fact less severe as an ideology than that of our former Soviet 'allies,' i.e. communism. For example, private property could be owned in Nazi Germany but not in Soviet Russia.







[1] Patton was removed from command as military governor of Bavaria in October 1945 after complaining that too many good employees were being removed from various jobs [under de-Nazification] simply for political reasons. U.S. newspapers blasted Patton for his views on de-Nazification, which likely hastened his firing

[2] allied leader Eisenhower was known in military school as 'the Swedish Jew' and once commented that he "hated" the Germans

[3] Boasian and Frankfurt School Jews, including Herbert Marcuse and Gene Weltfish, helped create material used in the de-Nazification program in Europe. A pamphlet that Weltfish co-wrote, "The Races of Mankind," was among the material used

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