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Denazification

Denazification (German: Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Party or SS members from positions of power and influence, by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations associated with Nazism, and by trying prominent Nazis for war crimes in the Nuremberg trials of 1946. The program of denazification was launched after the end of the war and was solidified by the Potsdam Agreement in August 1945. The term denazification was first coined as a legal term in 1943 by the U.S. Pentagon, intended to be applied in a narrow sense with reference to the post-war German legal system. However, it later took on a broader meaning.[1]

For Russian use of the term during the invasion of Ukraine, see Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine § Allegations of Nazism.

In late 1945 and early 1946, the emergence of the Cold War and the economic importance of Germany caused the United States in particular to lose interest in the program, somewhat mirroring the Reverse Course in American-occupied Japan. The British handed over denazification panels to the Germans in January 1946, while the Americans did likewise in March 1946. The French ran the mildest denazification effort. Denazification was carried out in an increasingly lenient and lukewarm way until being officially abolished in 1951. Additionally, the program was hugely unpopular in West Germany, where many Nazis maintained positions of power. Denazification was opposed by the new West German government of Konrad Adenauer,[2] who declared that ending the process was necessary for West German rearmament. On the other hand, denazification in East Germany was considered a critical element of the transformation into a socialist society, and the country was stricter in opposing Nazism than its counterpart. However, not all former Nazis faced judgment. Doing special tasks for the occupation governments could protect Nazi members from prosecution, enabling them to continue working and in some cases reach prominence, as did special connections with the occupiers.[3] One of the most notable cases involved Wernher von Braun, who was among other German scientists recruited by the United States through Operation Paperclip and later occupied key positions in the American space program.[4][5][6][7]

V. Persons Exonerated (German: Entlastete). No sanctions.

IV. Followers (German: ). Possible restrictions on travel, employment, political rights, plus fines.

Mitläufer

III. Lesser Offenders (German: Minderbelastete). Placed on probation for two–three years with a list of restrictions. No internment.

II. Offenders: Activists, Militants, and Profiteers, or Incriminated Persons (German: Belastete). Subject to immediate arrest and imprisonment up to ten years performing reparation or reconstruction work plus a list of other restrictions.

I. Major Offenders (German: Hauptschuldige). Subject to immediate arrest, death, imprisonment with or without hard labor, plus a list of lesser sanctions.

A majority in the years 1945–1949 stated Nazism to have been a good idea but badly applied.

[89]

In 1946, 6% of Germans said the had been unfair.[89]

Nuremberg trials

In 1946, 37% in the US occupation zone answered “no” to the statement "the extermination of the Jews and Poles and other non-Aryans was not necessary for the security of Germans".[a]

[89]

In 1946, 1 in 3 in the US occupation zone said that Jews should not have the same rights as those belonging to the Aryan race.

[89]

In 1950, 1 in 3 said the Nuremberg trials had been unfair.

[89]

In 1952, 37% said Germany was better off without the Jews on its territory.

[89]

In 1952, 25% had a good opinion of Hitler.

[89]

The US conducted opinion surveys in the American zone of occupied Germany.[89] Tony Judt, in his book Postwar: a History of Europe since 1945, extracted and used some of them.[90]


British historian Ian Kershaw in his book The "Hitler Myth": Image and Reality in the Third Reich[91] writes about the various surveys carried out at the German population:


However, in Hitler, Germans, and the "Jewish Question", Sarah Ann Gordon notes the difficulty of drawing conclusions from the surveys. For example, respondents were given three alternatives from which to choose, as in question 1:


To the question of whether an Aryan who marries a Jew should be condemned, 91% responded "No". To the question of whether "All those who ordered the murder of civilians or participated in the murdering should be made to stand trial", 94% responded "Yes".[92]


Consequently, the implications of these alarming results have been questioned and rationalized; as another example, Gordon singles out the question "Extermination of the Jews and Poles and other non-Aryans was not necessary for the security of the Germans", which included an implicit double negative to which the response was either yes or no. She concludes that this question was confusingly phrased (given that in the German language the affirmative answer to a question containing a negative statement is "no"): "Some interviewees may have responded 'no' they did not agree with the statement, when they actually did agree that the extermination was not necessary."[93] She further highlights the discrepancy between the antisemitic implications of the survey results (such as those later identified by Judt) with the 77% percent of interviewees who responded that actions against Jews were in no way justified.[93]

(Analysis on Denazification effect)

Did the United States Create Democracy in Germany?

Categories of offenders and sanctions.

Control Council Directive No. 38 (October 12, 1946)

Archived October 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

Example of a poster used by US forces to create "collective guilt"

THE U.S. MILITARY GOVERNMENT AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMOCRATIC REFORM, FEDERALISM, AND CONSTITUTIONALISM DURING THE OCCUPATION OF BAVARIA, 1945–47

The Denazification of Austria by France

Denazification, cumulative review. Report, 1 April 1947 – 30 April 1948.

East Germany did face up to its Nazi past