Paying for Hitler's War
The Consequences of Nazi Hegemony for Europe

Paying for Hitler's War is a comparative economic study of twelve Nazi-occupied countries during World War II.

Jonas Scherner (Edited by), Eugene N. White (Edited by)

9781107049703, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 March 2016

475 pages, 11 b/w illus. 53 tables
23.4 x 15.7 x 2.9 cm, 0.8 kg

'Paying for Hitler's War marks an important new stage of scholarship about that tragic conflict.' Mark Harrison, EH.Net

During World War II, Germany occupied much of continental Europe. Although the social and political history of this occupation has been studied extensively, the economics of the unprecedented transfer of resources has received surprisingly little attention. Allies, neutrals, and conquered nations under German hegemony were a vital source of supplies for Hitler's war machine. Without the war material, consumer goods and labor they provided, Germany would not have been able to wage a prolonged multi-front war. All of these countries suffered enormous losses, but each had a distinct experience that depended on Germany's wartime needs, whether they were allied, occupied or neutral, and their place in Nazi racial ideology. Paying for Hitler's War is a comparative economic study which explores these different experiences through case studies of twelve nations spanning the European continent.

Introduction Jonas Scherne and Eugene N. White
Part I. Germany's Wartime Dilemma: 1. Putting Versailles into perspective - Germany's economic aims for a victorious war in 1918 Carsten Burhop
2. Germany's financial policies in Europe under Nazi hegemony - some fundamental principles, conflicts, and results Jonas Scherner
3. Employing the enemy - the economic exploitation of POW and foreign labor from occupied territories by Nazi Germany Johann Custodis
Part II. The Occupied West: 4. The long shadow of Vichy - the long-term consequences of German occupation in France Eugene N. White
5. Forced collaboration, entrepreneurial strategies, and their long-term effects in France Marcel Boldorf
6. The Netherlands in ruins? Postwar economic problems in the Netherlands as a result of the German occupation Martijn Lak
7. La politique du moindre mal - twice-occupied Belgium Kim Oosterlinck and Eugene N. White
8. The economic and social impact of German construction programs in occupied France and Italy, 1940–5 Fabian Lemmes
Part III. Northern Europe: 9. Economic effects of the German occupation of Norway, 1940–5 Harald Espeli
10. Sweden as an occupied country? Swedish-belligerent trade during World War II Eric Golson
11. The impact of the German occupation in Denmark, 1940–5 Steen Andersen
12. Master and slave? Equal partners? Economic interactions and exchange of strategic resources between Germany and Finland during the Second World War Jari Eloranta and Ilkka Nummela
Part IV. Eastern Europe: 13. System transformation as a consequence of war? Czechoslovakia's path from war to a planned economy Jaromir Balcar and Jaroslav Kucera
14. German economic exploitation of Bulgaria, 1932–44 - short-term policies and long-term institutional effects Vera Asenova
15. Soviet economic warfare, the German occupation of Ukraine, and the economics of the limiting factor Kim Christian Priemel
16. The economic consequences of German occupation policy in Poland Romana Bräu.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Second World War [HBWQ], European history [HBJD]