In stark contrast to the prime minister, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II has expressed her comprehension of the collaboration policy. In the interview, Rasmussen meanwhile called the collaboration policy "naive" and "dishonorable," and condemned the "elite then in power, which was not just neutral, but led an extremely active policy of accommodation, with wide-reaching consequences for Jewish refugees and forced laborers. Thousands of Danish companies, including arms manufacturer Dansk Industri Syndikat, exploited the policy of collaboration for profit and cooperated more closely with Nazi Germany than anybody demanded of them, according to recent research produced by a group of historians, led by Ole Lange.
Without being pressured by either the occupying power or their own government, these companies adapted their production to German needs, often using forced Soviet or Polish labor on a large scale, the research shows.
But some critics have charged that Rasmussen, 52, who has been critical of Denmark's wartime regime in the past, failed to understand the reality of the s, and opportunistically tried to present himself as a moralistic leader. Historians, while leaving little doubt as to the extent of corporate collusion with Germany, still warn that Rasmussen should not draw conclusions of guilt too easily.
Bo Lidegaard, a historian and author of a new book "The Battle for Denmark ," told AFP that "the more one learns about that period, the more difficult it becomes to condemn the policy of collaboration. The United States and Britain, he added, actually wanted Denmark to continue to collaborate to avoid an outright hostile occupation of the kingdom.
And Britain called on its agents in Denmark not to provoke a Nazi takeover of Denmark which would have been against the allies' interests. The Americans were exactly of the same opinion," he said. Long-held views about countries' actions during World War II are being challenged by findings this week that Liechtenstein's royal family used Nazi camp labors and Denmark and Iceland deported Jews to Germany. April 16, The leaders of Germany and Denmark met on Tuesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations, a series of agreements which secured the rights of minorities in each others countries.
March 29, A report released on Wednesday cleared Liechtenstein of serving as a haven for stolen Nazi goods but found fault with the royal family for using Nazi forced labor.
In late April of that year, German authorities handed the Danish prisoners over to the custody of the Swedish Red Cross. Virtually all of the refugees returned to Denmark in Although a housing shortage required some of them to live in shelters for a few months, most found their homes and businesses as they had left them, since the local authorities had refused to permit the Germans or their collaborators in Denmark to seize or plunder Jewish homes.
In total, some Danish Jews died during the Holocaust , either in Theresienstadt or during the flight from Denmark. This relatively small number represents one of the highest Jewish survival rates for any German-occupied European country.
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For Teachers Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust. Wise — International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. About This Site. Glossary : Full Glossary. Denmark German policies varied from country to country, including direct, brutal occupation and reliance upon collaborating regimes. Key Facts. More information about this image. Cite Share Print Tags rescue.
Jewish Population of Denmark In , in a service attended by Danish King Christian X, the Jews of Copenhagen celebrated the hundredth anniversary of their synagogue's existence. German Occupation of Denmark Until , the German occupation regime took a relatively benign approach to Denmark. Resistance and Rescue in Denmark The tone of the German occupation changed in early Deportation to Theresienstadt Despite the rescue efforts, the Germans seized about Jews in Denmark and deported them to the Theresienstadt ghetto in occupied Czechoslovakia.
Discussion Questions Which organizations and individuals aided and protected Jews from persecution between and ? Glossary Terms. This led to fighting between Danish and German soldiers and the Danish navy sinking several vessels to prevent them falling into German hands.
Arrests and executions became more common. The German occupiers used such repression in order to maintain control in Denmark and to respond to the sabotage activities of the resistance movement. Another consequence of the increase in German repression was the persecution of the Danish Jews.
In October the German police were deployed to arrest the Jews, so that they could be sent to concentration camps. However, in a unique rescue operation more than Danish Jews were helped to neutral Sweden, where they could live in safety for the rest of the war. On 19 September the Germans dissolved the Danish police, which was seen as a potential military threat.
By Denmark was a run-down country characterised by shortages of goods, fear and conflict. This was without a single English, American or Russian soldier setting foot on Danish soil.
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