Журнал «История: факты и символы»

BELARUSIAN OSTARBITERS: THE ROLE OF PROPAGANDA IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ECO-NOMIC PLANS OF THE GERMAN OCCUPATIONAL AUTHORITIES (IN THE MA-TERIALS OF THE GENERAL DISTRICT OF BELARUS)

Author: Pushkarenko E.A.

The article examines the problem of the role and content of German propaganda in the course of recruiting actions of « Ostarbeiters» among the population of the General district of Belarus. The author analyzes a number of historical sources of the German occupation authorities, including the orders and orders of the highest representatives of the « third Reich», the General Commissars of Belarus V.Kube and K. von Gottberg, as well as propaganda materials. The novelty of the research is due to its object. In modern Russian historiography, there are very few works devoted to the specifics of the propaganda work of the German occupation authorities in the former Soviet republics, including the BSSR. The study of German propaganda in the occupied Soviet territory on the materials of the General district of Belarus allows us to trace the evolution of its content, means and methods, since the occupation of Belarus lasted for more than three years. The article names and describes the forms and methods of German propaganda addressed to potential Belarusian «Ostarbeiters» and reveals its content. The author notes that German propaganda appealed to the feelings and took into account the peculiarities of the Belarusian people's mentality. The researcher concludes that German propaganda on the territory of the General district of Belarus was more diverse in forms, methods, and content than in other occupied parts of the USSR. This was due to the duration of the occupation regime, the need to attract the local population in the deep rear of the active army to cooperate to implement the economic plans of the German authorities, and the activity and scale of the partisan movement. However, the effectiveness of the propaganda work was low. It was leveled by the brutal regime of occupation and exploitation, punitive expeditions with SS against civilians and partisans, police actions «hunting» people to send to work in the Reich, partisan counter-propaganda about the real situation of «Ostarbeiters» in Germany. The author notes that the heads of the German civil administration of the districtV. Kube and K. von Gottbergexpressed a «special opinion» about the forced methods of recruitment conducted by the SD, and advocated the predominantly voluntary nature of attracting labor, giving priority to propaganda methods in this matter. However, this position is not explained by their humanistic beliefs, but by their desire to solve the purely practical problems of providing the Reich's industry and agriculture with workers from the East in the most effective way and with the least losses. It should be noted that during the great Patriotic war, about 380,000 people were taken out of Belarus for forced labor in Germany.