Volksdeutscher SelbstschutzThe Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz ('German people's self-defence') was an ethnic-German self-protection militia, a paramilitary organization comprising ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) mobilized from among the German minority in Poland. The Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz operated before, and during the opening stages of, World War II in the western half of Poland and were responsible for, and took part in, massacres of Poles, along with SS Einsatzgruppen.
EinsatzgruppenNazi paramilitary death squads, part of the SSEinsatzgruppen (German:, lit. 'deployment groups'; also 'task forces') were Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe.
Expulsion of Poles by Nazi GermanyDuring World War II, over 1.7 million Poles were forcibly resettled from the territories of German-occupied Poland, with the aim of their Germanization (see Lebensraum) between 1939 and 1944. The German Government had plans for the extensive colonisation of territories of occupied Poland, which were annexed directly into Nazi Germany in 1939. Eventually these plans grew bigger to include parts of the General Government.
IntelligentsiaThe intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the intelligentsia consists of scholars, academics, teachers, journalists, and literary writers.
Death squadArmed group that conducts extrajudicial killingsItalian soldiers shooting Slovenian hostages. 31 July 1942A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings and murders against a group of people. They are usually deployed by governments or other entities to instill terror in targeted groups. Other violence, such as rape, torture, arson, or bombings may be carried out alongside murders.
Polish peopleLanguagesPredominantly PolishReligionPredominantly Roman CatholicismRelated ethnic groupsOther West SlavsEspecially other LechitesPolish people, or Poles, are a West Slavicethnic group and a nation who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe.
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany, officially the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship.
Mass murderMass murder is the violent crime of killing a certain amount of people, usually at least 3 or 4, and typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more people kill several others. Data suggests that approximately 30% of United States mass murderers die in the act.
Summary executionIn civil and military jurisprudence, summary execution (also called field execution) is the putting to death of a person accused of a crime without the benefit of a free and fair trial. The term results from the legal concept of summary justice to punish a summary offense, as in the case of a drumhead court-martial, but the term usually denotes the summary execution of a sentence of death.
Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)During World War II, Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (and Slovakia) following the invasion in September 1939, and it was formally concluded with the defeat of Germany by the Allies in May 1945. Throughout the entire course of the occupation, the territory of Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (USSR), both of which intended to eradicate Poland's culture and subjugate its people.
TerrorismUse of violence to achieve political or ideological aimsThe Twin Towers of the World Trade Center burning during the September 11 attacks, planned by Osama bin Laden and carried out by al-Qaeda members in New York City on September 11, 2001
World War IIGlobal conflict from 1939 to 1945BelligerentsAlliesAxisCommanders and leadersMain Allied leaders: Joseph StalinFranklin D. RooseveltWinston ChurchillChiang Kai-shekMain Axis leaders: Adolf HitlerHirohitoBenito MussoliniCasualties and losses 60–75 million deaths (military and civilian) World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
Enforced disappearanceUnlawful secret disappearanceWomen of the Association of Families of the Detained-Disappeared demonstrate in front of La Moneda Palace during the Pinochet military regimeAn enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person with the support or acquiescence of a state, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person's fate or whereabouts with the intent of placing the victim outside the protection of the law.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.