"Non-Germans" Under the Third Reich (220 page)

Guidelines issued by the head of the Department of Cultural Affairs on January 10, 1940 (Institute for Western Studies, Pozna
, doc. I-727 3 f.); a priests’ seminary remained in existence as a “university-like institution”; the others were closed down.

18.
Warsaw University was carried on by the Poles in the underground, as were similarly the higher schools; cf. also diary notes by Dr. Troschke, Bl. 36 f. (BA Ostdok. 13 GG 1a/10); concerning Polish science 1939–45, cf. Madajczyk,
Polityka
, 2:142 ff.

19.
Report by
Amtsleiter
Gauweiler, February 28, 1940 (“Diensttagebuch 1940,” 121 ff., 124 f.); Decree on Schools in the General Government, October 31, 1939 (
VBl.GG
[1939]: 18); guidelines issued by the head of the Department of Cultural Affairs on January 10, 1940 (Institute for Western Studies, Pozna
, doc. I-727 3 f.), according to which authorization was given to reestablish vocational and technical schools “in small numbers” and “teacher training colleges in limited numbers”; Decree on Vocational Schools in the General Government, April 29, 1941 (
VBl.GG
[1941]: 265 ff.), with an implementing order issued on November 26, 1941 (
VBl.GG
[1941]: 679 f.), which authorized attendance at technical schools; in April 1942 a state technical college was established in Warsaw that also accepted Polish undergraduates (
Krakauer Zeitung
, February 28, 1942). Sec. 5 of the Decree on Schools in the General Government, October 31, 1939 (
VBl.GG
[1939]: 18); Decree on Private Schools in the General Government, April 12, 1940 (
VBl.GG
1 [1940]: 134); Decree on Private Schools in the General Government, April 23, 1940 (
VBl.GG
1 [1940]: 160).

20.
Decree on Schools in the General Government, October 31, 1939 (
VBl.GG
[1939]: 18). In Warsaw in February 1940 there were already as many as 29 German schools with approximately 4,000 German pupils (Report by
Amtsleiter
Gauweiler, February 28, 1940, “Diensttagebuch 1940,” 121 ff., 124 f.). In 1941 there was a total of 300 German schools in the General Government, with
volksdeutsche
teachers working alongside 46 teachers of Reich German origin. There was an “almost complete” lack of recruits (because of the lowering of public esteem for the teaching profession), according to the head of the Central Department of Science, Adolf Watzke, at a cabinet meeting on October 15, 1941 (“Diensttagebuch 1941,” 213 ff.). In 1944 there were 2 million Polish
Volksschüler
, 22,000 Polish teachers, and 4,000 teachers of religious education. Numerous illegal schools, particularly
Gymnasien
, were active (Secretary Schmelzer of the Central Department of Science and Art in a working discussion on July 4, 1944, “Diensttagebuch 1944,” vol. 4). Jewish children were banned from attending schools until the Decree on Jewish Schools of August 31, 1940 (
VBl.GG
1 [1940]: 258); after that, the Jewish schools (
Volksschulen
) were run under the aegis of the Jewish Councils, which had been formed in every municipality, though they had only the status of private schools. Higher schools for Jews were closed in December 1939 and all teachers peremptorily dismissed. For a detailed account, see the “Report on the Development of the General Government” of July 1, 1940, BA R 52 II/247, 113 f. (138). Decree on the Development of the School Administration of March 16, 1940,
VBl.GG
1 (1940): 106; for an account of the school policy and the issue of curricula guidelines, cf. minutes of a meeting of the school commissioners of the district chief, January 1, 1940, in Kraków (Institute for Western Studies, Pozna
).

21.
Up to 1942 there were no textbooks whatsoever. Report from the governor of the Warsaw District for February 1942 of March 17, 1942 (Institute for Western Studies, Pozna
, doc. I, 10, 203). The Polish textbooks were not usable because they were “full of anti-German sentiments.” There-upon, the Central Department of Science commissioned a math book, a reading book, and a
Fibel
(primary school textbook); but these could not be printed owing to the paper shortage (250 tons of paper would have been needed). As a result, the Polish
Volksschulen
mostly made very slow progress because of the lack of teaching material and schoolrooms; the Polish technical and vocational schools (over 150 in Warsaw) clearly suffered less from the shortages (discussion of district chiefs on January 14, 1941, “Diensttagebuch 1941,” vol. 2). Frank issued a decree on April 13, 1940, which reduced the numbers of Polish teachers by getting rid of those who were “politically unreliable” and “bad characters,” those earning two salaries, and
Vertragslehrer
(teachers who operated as
privatdozents
) (Du Prel,
Das Generalgouvernement
, 135). Polish teachers at former higher schools were not reemployed at Polish
Volksschulen
as a matter of principle—a further measure to eliminate the Polish intelligentsia (“Report on the Development of the General Government,” July 1, 1940, BA R 52 II/247, 113 f.). Schools for Poles were founded only in places where, in five successive years, there were at least 40 pupils. Class numbers were around 70 (Du Prel,
Das GG
, 172, 135). By contrast, German schools were to be established in all localities with more than 10 school-age children (secs. 1, 2 of the Decree on Schools of October 31, 1939,
VBl.GG
[1939]: 18).

22.
Frank at a working meeting on February 25, 1940, in Radom (“Diensttagebuch 1940” 1:107 ff., 114): “If school has to be suspended in Germany, then it can also be suspended here. You can always use the lack of coal or shortage of rooms as an excuse. It is perfectly clear that we should safeguard the Polish
Volksschulen
for them. But if they don’t want to make use of them, we shouldn’t force them. It is certainly not in our interest to encourage raising the level of education of the Poles” (
Doc. Occ
. 6:393 n. 10); cf. also “Diensttagebuch II” of May 27, 1940, 541: “In regard to the school system, it must be emphasized that the number of teachers is still too large. We must get to the point where there are about 70–80 pupils to one teacher [as in the Annexed Eastern Territories—Author]. We have to remove the younger teachers and give the older ones classes so large that the level of education falls all by itself.” The curriculum in Polish
Volksschulen
included nature studies, six hours of “practical activities” (“school fields to be used for experiments”), in some cases with “great success.” German language lessons were planned (report by Schmelzer, July 4, 1944, “Diensttagebuch”).

23.
Decree on Associations in the General Government of July 23, 1940 (
VBl.GG
1 [1940]: 225); charities concerned with free welfare were also affected by the dissolution. The assets of disbanded associations were expropriated; those of charitable organizations were placed at the disposal of the Department of Population Affairs, Central Department of Internal Administration, which
could
use them to support Polish welfare associations (memorandum, Central Department of Internal Administration, September 18, 1940, BA R 52 III/4, 17 ff., 39 f.). For more on the disbanding of associations, cf. Frank, “Staatsverwaltung,”
Das Generalgouvernement
(1941), ser. 13, 14, 7 ff., 13).

24.
Decree on the Rights of Foundations in the General Government, August 1, 1940,
VBl.GG
1 [1940]: 244). Religious sects were dissolved as of March 31, 1941 (
VBl.GG
[1941]: 197).

25.
Cf. Nuremberg doc., D-965. Amongs other, the University Library in Warsaw and the Polish parliamentary library were expropriated, the latter transported to Berlin and Breslau (Wrocław), on November 15 and 16, 1939; the Hebrew Library and the library of the Polish Foreign Ministry were dealt with similarly; 14,000 volumes are said to have been lost (Nuremberg doc., D-965).

26.
Discussion involving Frank, Geobbels, and others on October 31, 1939, in Łód
(reproduced in
Doc. Occ
. 6:406 ff.); more than half of the approximately 300 cinemas in the General Government were closed down; the remaining cinemas showed German films and prewar Polish films (
Nazi Culture in Poland
, 214). In October 1941 there were 17 German, 62 German-Polish, and 44 Polish cinemas operating (Jaenicke, “Propaganda und Kulturarbeit” [1941], 8)—in other words, 106 cinemas for a population of 10.5 million.

27.
The following newspapers and magazines (initially carrying only news) were permitted:
Goniec Krakówski, Nowy Kurier Warszawski, Dziennik Radomski, Kurier Kielecki, Kurier Cz
stochowski
, and
Nowy Głos Lubelski;
these were later joined by
Gazeta Lwówska
(for Galicia); an illustrated magazine,
Illustrowany Kurier Polski
(Du Prel,
Das Generalgouvernement
, 301 f.); a weekly,
7 Dni;
and a monthly,
O Miesi
Powie
(Story of the month). A pornographic magazine,
Fala
(The wave) appeared later. Polish special-interest magazines allowed to appear included
Ster
(Tax),
Zawod y
ycie
(Work and life), a monthly for vocational schools;
Rolnik
(The farmer), a monthly;
Sieco
(The seed);
Wzorowa Gospordaka
(The model business), a monthly;
Las i Drzewno
(Forest and wood);
Zdrowie y
ycie
(Health and life), a periodical of the Medical Association; in all, nine dailies, four weeklies, one bimonthly, two monthlies and about 20 special-interest periodicals (some fortnightly, some monthly) (Gassner, “Die Presse” [1941], 14). For the Ukrainian population there were two dailies, two weeklies, and various monthly magazines; there was a newssheet for the Jewish population,
Gazeta
ydowska
(15). The German newspapers in the General Government were
Krakauer Zeitung
, with a Warsaw edition,
Warschauer Zeitung
, and from October 26, 1941, a Lemberg edition;
Lemberger Zeitung
(12 ff.); there was also a very expensively produced magazine dealing with cultural history,
Das Generalgouvernement
(15,000 circulation, according to comments by the publisher of the
Krakauer Zeitung
, Strotzig, during a discussion with Frank on January 14, 1941, “Diensttagebuch 1941”); the organ of the Institute for Eastern Studies,
Die Burg
(which published research findings from the General Government);
Das Vorfeld
, the organ of the NSDAP; and
Pressedienst des GG
, which was a press agency supplying news from the General Government for the press in the Reich.