The crimes of Nazi Germany and its collaborators during the Second World War were not limited to the mass atrocities of the Holocaust. With the withdrawal of the German Wehrmacht from the occupied territories in 1943, new forms of violence emerged. As German troops retreated from Allied offensives, occupying forces murdered groups of prisoners in camps and prisons, organised deadly evacuations and killed people they considered “resistive” or “unproductive.” Eventually, this violence spread from the occupied territories to Germany and Austria as forces retreated. Crimes were not only committed against prisoners, but increasingly against forced labourers, prisoners of war and finally against Volksgenossen (national comrades), i.e. their own populations. Any final inhibitions fell away.
Questions
The conference will examine the nature and scope of Nazi crimes in the final months and weeks of the war. One focus will be the direct connection between military retreat and crimes against civilian populations, not only in the Soviet Union, but also in other theatres of war. What forms of violence developed, to what extent were military actors involved, and what official and unofficial legitimisation strategies did they employ to defend their indefensible actions? How did the dynamics of the mass atrocity take shape in a space where victim groups were increasingly intermingled and other social groups, including the non-organised sections of the population, were involved? How did participation in the violence look like, but also how was it limited?
Topics
The organisers encourage submissions that address topics such as mass crimes during the periods of evacuation in Eastern Europe and Italy starting in 1943, in Western Europe from mid-1944, and in the German Reich in 1945 – this includes research on “death marches” of prisoners, the final murder campaigns in the camps, or the killing of “unruly” Germans who were, for example, suspected of desertion or defeatism in the final months of the war. Preference will be given to papers that pay particular attention to less researched topics such as violence against prisoners of war, prison inmates, or forced laborers in this final phase of the war, as well as analyses that examine this period not only at a microhistorical, but also on a macrohistorical level.
Technicalities
The conference languages are German and English.
Applications should be written in German or English and include an outline of the topic (600 words) as well as a brief CV/list of publications. Please send your application in a single PDF file by e-mail with the subject line “HGM-VWI-Conference 2025” by 15 July 2024 to: cfp@vwi.ac.at.
A jury will choose successful proposals. You will receive immediate confirmation that your proposal has been received. If you do not receive confirmation, please send a follow-up email.