Der Europäische Gedanke und der NS-Staat
The European Idea and the NS-State

Summary/Abstract: In the Nazi-era the European ideas were strongly promoted in order to establish the German dominance over Europe. Since 1939 the NS-propaganda was established in all the occupied territories in northern and western Europe. This propaganda was spread by the two-weekly Magazine “Signal”, it contained military, political and economic matters. This Magazine had over two mio. Readers and was translated in over 20 languages in Europe. The aim of this propaganda was to convince the people in the occupied territories that they live in a patrimonial state, which cared for the “working class”, invested in infrastructure and energy etc. Since 1942 the NS-propaganda tried to inspire volunteers to join the Waffen-SS, saying that the war in the East was a war of all European people against “bolshevism”. In the text, the reader will find an example of the front page of “Signal”. However, the Nazi-authorities never thought of a state of autonomy for the occupied states (which fought disparately to keep their status, but were destined to be satellite states under Nazi-control. Strangely enough, Hitler and his close followers like Himmler were strictly against any European idea, he considered the expansion in the East as a battle to get more “living space” (Lebensraum) for German settlers. He never spoke of Europe, but of the “Grossgermanisches Reich”, which should unite all people with German origins or German Language.

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