German Occupation – Mausoleum of Struggle and Martyrdom, Warsaw
Fact of the Polish figure „Ribbentrop-Molotov pact”
Part of the „The myth of national disaster” topic
After Poland’s defeat in 1939, the Germans created two zones of their authority over the defeated country. The western part, called the Wartheland (Reichgau Warthenland), was directly incorporated into the Reich, while from the eastern part the General Government was formed, with its capital in Cracow. In both parts of occupied Poland, the occupation authorities acted extremely brutally. In the General Government, strict regulations were introduced to suppress any germ of resistance. Poles faced the death penalty for many acts. These acts included giving aid to Jews.
It was also the intention of the German authorities to eradicate Polish nationality. To this end, a massive process of Germanization was implemented, and persecution of the Polish intelligentsia was initiated. As a result of these actions, many thousands of Poles were killed, including representatives of the social and intellectual elite. However, as early as 1939, Poles began forming conspiracy organizations to take up arms against the Germans, the most famous of which are Operation Storm and the Warsaw Uprising.
