The Jews of Denmark and Norway: A comparison of fates

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

6 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

04/27/2009

Category :

History & geography

Sub category :

Modern history

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Summary :

Introduction
The Jewish population of Denmark prior to the war
Invasion of Norway and Denmark
The concurrent political situation within Norway
The German occupation of Denmark and Norway
The escape of 900 Jews from Denmark and the fate of the remaing 900
The Danish government's defecse of its Jewish population
Conclusion
Bibliography

Abstract

"Having developed along parallel lines in many areas, the Nordic countries appear as an entity instead of as separate, sovereign countries. The differences of the nations, however, show up clearly when one investigates the fates of the Jewish populations in the respective countries during World War II." It is easy to group the countries of Scandinavia into a single mass based solely on location, but it is imperative to realize that each faced its own unique set of circumstances during the Second World War. What differentiates them is their response to the very thing which united them during these difficult years-the German occupation and their reactions to the radically different levels of German influence within their borders. This paper aims to examine the reasons for these differences, the work of the Danish and Norwegian undergrounds and resistance movements and how the German occupation of each country ultimately affected their respective Jewish populations. In addition, the attitudes of each country's non-Jewish population will be analyzed as to the effect it had on the outcome of the Nazi party's goal of making Europe Judenrein.