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Total Categories: 8
Following the invasion of Poland, Nazi Germany annexed less than 10% of the Second Polish Republic's territory.
Answer: False
In October 1939, Nazi Germany annexed approximately 92,500 square kilometers, representing 23.7% of the Second Polish Republic's territory, a figure significantly exceeding 10%.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact predated the invasion of Poland and outlined the division of Polish territories between Germany and the Soviet Union.
Answer: True
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed in August 1939, predated the invasion of Poland and contained secret protocols detailing the division of Polish territories between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Adolf Hitler first revealed his intention to annex western Poland in 1941.
Answer: False
Adolf Hitler had expressed intentions regarding the annexation of western Polish territories as early as 1933, well before the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union.
According to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union annexed the smaller portion of occupied Polish territory.
Answer: False
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact's secret protocols dictated that the Soviet Union would annex approximately 51.6% of pre-war Poland, a significantly larger portion than the territory annexed by Nazi Germany.
The Gestapo-NKVD conferences were held to coordinate joint German-Soviet administration of the General Government.
Answer: False
The Gestapo-NKVD conferences, held following the joint invasion of Poland, focused on coordinating security measures and suppressing resistance within the occupied territories, rather than formal joint administration of the General Government.
The Katyń massacre was carried out by Nazi Germany against Polish officers.
Answer: False
The Katyń massacre, the mass execution of Polish officers and intelligentsia, was carried out by the Soviet NKVD in 1940, not by Nazi Germany.
What percentage of the Second Polish Republic's territory was annexed by Nazi Germany following the invasion?
Answer: Nearly a quarter (23.7%)
In October 1939, Nazi Germany annexed approximately 23.7% of the Second Polish Republic's territory, amounting to about 92,500 square kilometers.
Which agreement outlined the division of Polish territories between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union prior to the invasion?
Answer: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The division of Polish territories between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union was outlined in the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, signed in August 1939.
When did Adolf Hitler first express his intention to annex western Poland?
Answer: In 1933, during his early consolidation of power
Adolf Hitler had articulated his territorial ambitions concerning western Poland as early as 1933, during the initial phase of his consolidation of power, predating the actual invasion and annexation.
According to the division outlined in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which entity annexed the larger portion of occupied Polish territory?
Answer: The Soviet Union
The division stipulated by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact granted the Soviet Union approximately 51.6% of pre-war Poland's territory, making it the larger portion compared to the territory annexed by Nazi Germany.
The 'Katyń massacre' involved:
Answer: The mass execution of Polish officers by the Soviet NKVD.
The Katyń massacre refers to the mass execution of approximately 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia by the Soviet secret police (NKVD) in 1940, occurring within the Soviet-occupied zone of Poland.
Nazi Germany created entirely new administrative units, distinct from existing German Gaue, for all annexed Polish territories.
Answer: False
Nazi Germany incorporated some annexed Polish territories into existing German Gaue (like East Prussia and Silesia) and created new Reichsgaue (Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Reichsgau Wartheland) from others, rather than creating entirely new units for *all* annexed territories.
The official German term for the annexed Eastern territories was 'General Government'.
Answer: False
The 'General Government' (Generalgouvernement) was the name given to the occupied Polish territories not directly annexed by Germany. The officially annexed territories were referred to as 'incorporated Eastern territories' (Eingegliederte Ostgebiete).
The annexed Polish territories in October 1939 had a population density significantly lower than the rest of pre-war Poland.
Answer: False
The annexed Polish territories in October 1939 contained approximately 10 million people, representing about 30% of the pre-war Polish population, indicating a substantial population, not a significantly lower density compared to the whole.
The Nazi administrative structure of 'Gaue' was established after the annexation of Polish territories.
Answer: False
The 'Gaue' system was established in Germany in 1935, predating the annexation of Polish territories. These Gaue were then either expanded or new Reichsgaue were created from the annexed lands.
Reichsgau Wartheland was composed solely of annexed Polish territory, while Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia included former German areas.
Answer: True
Reichsgau Wartheland was formed exclusively from annexed Polish territory, whereas Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia incorporated annexed Polish lands along with some former German areas and the Free City of Danzig.
The renaming of Reichsgau Posen to Reichsgau Wartheland occurred in 1945.
Answer: False
The renaming of Reichsgau Posen to Reichsgau Wartheland occurred on January 29, 1940, not in 1945.
After Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Bialystok district was formally incorporated into Reichsgau East Prussia.
Answer: False
Following Operation Barbarossa, the Bialystok district was attached to East Prussia but not formally incorporated. Other Polish territories previously under Soviet control were integrated into different Reichskommissariats or the General Government.
Nazi officials proposed transforming the General Government into a 'Vandalengau' or 'Reichsgau Beskidenland'.
Answer: True
Discussions among Nazi officials included proposals to reorganize the General Government into new administrative units such as a 'Vandalengau' or 'Reichsgau Beskidenland'.
Reichsgau Wartheland incorporated territory exclusively from Poznan Voivodeship.
Answer: False
Reichsgau Wartheland incorporated territory from Poznan Voivodeship, but also included significant portions of Lodz Voivodeship, and counties from Pomeranian and Warsaw Voivodeships.
Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia was formed solely from the Greater Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Answer: False
Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia was formed from most of the Greater Pomeranian Voivodeship and parts of the Free City of Danzig, not solely from the voivodeship.
Parts of Warsaw Voivodeship were incorporated into the Regierungsbezirk Zichenau, which was part of Reichsgau Wartheland.
Answer: False
Parts of Warsaw Voivodeship were incorporated into the Regierungsbezirk Zichenau, but this district was part of East Prussia, not Reichsgau Wartheland.
Besides incorporating territories into existing Gaue like East Prussia and Silesia, what new administrative units did Nazi Germany create from annexed Polish lands?
Answer: Reichsgaue, specifically Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Reichsgau Wartheland
In addition to integrating some areas into existing Gaue, Nazi Germany established two new administrative units, known as Reichsgaue, from the annexed Polish territories: Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Reichsgau Wartheland.
What was the approximate population of the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany in October 1939?
Answer: Around 10 million people
The territories annexed by Nazi Germany in October 1939 were inhabited by approximately 10 million people, constituting about 30% of the pre-war Polish population.
What was the administrative structure that Nazi Germany adapted for the organization of annexed territories?
Answer: The Nazi 'Gaue' system, creating new Reichsgaue or expanding existing ones
Nazi Germany adapted its existing 'Gaue' system, established in 1935, by either expanding existing Gaue or creating new Reichsgaue, such as Reichsgau Wartheland and Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia, to administer the annexed Polish territories.
Which of the following was NOT one of the new Reichsgaue created from annexed Polish territories?
Answer: Reichsgau Silesia
Reichsgau Silesia was an existing German Gau that incorporated some annexed Polish territory, but it was not one of the entirely new Reichsgaue created from scratch, unlike Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia and Reichsgau Wartheland.
Nazi Germany's long-term plan for the annexed territories involved their complete Germanization, including the replacement of the local population.
Answer: True
Nazi Germany's long-term objective for the annexed territories was comprehensive Germanization, which included the systematic expulsion, enslavement, and eventual extermination or replacement of the indigenous Polish population with German settlers, aligning with the concept of 'Lebensraum'.
The 'Generalplan Ost' primarily focused on the economic exploitation of the annexed territories.
Answer: False
The 'Generalplan Ost' was a comprehensive Nazi plan focused on the long-term demographic restructuring and German settlement of Eastern Europe, involving the elimination or deportation of millions of Slavic and Jewish populations, rather than solely economic exploitation.
What was the Nazi regime's ultimate goal for the annexed territories?
Answer: Complete Germanization and expansion of 'lebensraum', involving population replacement
The ultimate goal was the complete Germanization of the annexed territories, integrating them into the concept of 'Lebensraum' (living space) through the systematic expulsion, enslavement, and replacement of the indigenous Polish population with German settlers.
The 'Generalplan Ost' was a Nazi plan primarily focused on:
Answer: The long-term demographic restructuring and German settlement of Eastern Europe.
The 'Generalplan Ost' was a blueprint for the radical demographic restructuring of Eastern Europe, envisioning the displacement, enslavement, or extermination of millions of indigenous peoples to facilitate extensive German settlement.
Himmler's initial expulsion orders in October 1939 targeted only Jewish populations from the annexed territories.
Answer: False
Himmler's initial expulsion orders in October 1939 targeted not only Jewish populations but also specific groups of Poles, including 'Congress Poles' and those deemed 'Reich's enemies' or exhibiting Polish patriotism, ordering their deportation to the General Government.
Nazi plans for the 'removal' of Poles included only forced labor and expulsion.
Answer: False
Nazi plans for the 'removal' of Poles encompassed a broader range of brutal measures, including ethnic cleansing, mass executions, organized famine, and the eradication of Polish national groups through scattering them into forced labor pockets.
Nazi ideology classified Poles as 'Herrenvolk' (master race) in the annexed territories.
Answer: False
Nazi ideology classified Poles as 'untermenschen' (subhumans), not 'Herrenvolk' (master race). This racial classification justified their brutal treatment, including enslavement and extermination.
Poles in the annexed territories faced economic discrimination, including lower taxes and higher wages compared to Germans.
Answer: False
Poles in the annexed territories faced severe economic discrimination, characterized by confiscated property, higher taxes, and significantly lower wages compared to Germans, who often received preferential treatment and higher compensation.
Forced labor requirements for Poles in the annexed territories applied only to adults between 18 and 50.
Answer: False
Forced labor requirements for Poles in the annexed territories began at a much younger age (as young as 7-8 in rural areas) and extended to a higher age (up to 70 for men) than typically applied in the General Government.
The Nazi regime implemented measures to encourage the biological growth of the Polish population.
Answer: False
The Nazi regime implemented measures specifically designed to *reduce* the biological growth of the Polish population, including restrictions on marriage, forced separation of couples, and proposals for mass sterilization, aiming for their eventual eradication.
The 'Intelligenzaktion' aimed to integrate Polish intellectuals into the German administration.
Answer: False
The 'Intelligenzaktion' was a brutal Nazi operation specifically designed to eliminate the Polish intelligentsia, including teachers, clergy, and professionals, to decapitate Polish leadership and prevent organized resistance.
The 'Ost-Arbeiter' policy allowed Polish women to return home for childbirth without repercussions.
Answer: False
The 'Ost-Arbeiter' policy often denied Polish women the right to return home for childbirth. Pregnancies could be forcibly aborted, and children born to 'Ost-Arbeiter' often faced extremely high mortality rates in designated facilities.
The German Interior Ministry justified its penal law by asserting the inherent 'Polish guilt' and unworthiness of Poles.
Answer: True
The German Interior Ministry justified its harsh penal laws against Poles by invoking a doctrine of inherent 'Polish guilt' and racial unworthiness, framing Poles as racially inferior and thus subject to extreme legal measures.
The 'Selbstschutz' was a Polish resistance organization operating in the annexed territories.
Answer: False
The 'Selbstschutz' was not a Polish resistance organization but a paramilitary group composed of local Germans in the annexed territories who actively assisted the Nazi regime in implementing its policies of repression and ethnic cleansing.
What happened to the Polish population in the annexed territories according to Nazi plans?
Answer: They were targeted for enslavement, extermination, and expulsion.
According to Nazi plans, the Polish population in the annexed territories was designated for enslavement, extermination, and expulsion, as part of the broader goal of Germanization and establishing 'Lebensraum'.
Which group was specifically targeted for mass murder as part of the initial plans for the Polish population?
Answer: The Polish intelligentsia
The Polish intelligentsia, including teachers, clergy, and professionals, was specifically targeted for mass murder under operations like the 'Intelligenzaktion' as part of the Nazi strategy to eliminate Polish leadership and prevent organized resistance.
How did the Poles treated economically in the annexed territories compared to Germans?
Answer: They faced significant economic discrimination, including lower pay and confiscated property.
Poles in the annexed territories endured substantial economic discrimination, including the confiscation of their property and businesses, imposition of higher taxes, and significantly lower wages compared to Germans, who often received preferential economic treatment.
The 'Intelligenzaktion' was a Nazi plan specifically targeting which group?
Answer: The Polish intelligentsia
The 'Intelligenzaktion' was a targeted Nazi campaign aimed at the elimination of the Polish intelligentsia, including academics, clergy, doctors, and other educated individuals, to cripple Polish leadership and resistance.
What was the justification used by the German Interior Ministry for its harsh penal law against Poles?
Answer: Poles were considered racially inferior and possessed 'indelible guilt'.
The German Interior Ministry justified its penal code against Poles by asserting their inherent 'Polish guilt' and racial inferiority, framing them as fundamentally unworthy and thus subject to extreme legal measures.
How did the forced labor requirements for Poles differ in the annexed territories compared to the General Government?
Answer: Forced labor applied from a younger age and extended to a higher age in the annexed territories.
In the annexed territories, forced labor requirements for Poles commenced at a younger age (as young as 7-8) and extended to a higher age (up to 70 for men) compared to the more restricted age range typically enforced in the General Government.
What was the role of the 'Selbstschutz' in the annexed territories?
Answer: A paramilitary organization of local Germans aiding Nazi policies.
The 'Selbstschutz' was a paramilitary organization composed of ethnic Germans residing in the annexed territories, actively collaborating with the Nazi regime by participating in arrests, expulsions, and murders of Poles and Jews.
Jewish populations in the annexed territories were primarily relocated to newly established Jewish autonomous regions within Germany.
Answer: False
Jewish populations in the annexed territories were subjected to forced ghettoization and systematic deportation to concentration and extermination camps, not relocation to autonomous regions within Germany.
How were the Jewish populations treated in the annexed territories under Nazi rule?
Answer: They were forced into ghettos and systematically deported to concentration and extermination camps.
Jewish populations in the annexed territories faced immediate persecution, including forced ghettoization and systematic deportation to concentration and extermination camps as part of the Nazi's 'Final Solution'.
In November 1939, Nazi estimates suggested that Germans constituted a majority of the population in the four relevant annexed provinces.
Answer: False
Nazi estimates from November 1939 indicated that Germans constituted approximately 49% of the population in the four relevant annexed provinces, with Poles making up about 47%, meaning Germans did not constitute a majority.
Heinrich Himmler was appointed Hitler's settlement commissioner for strengthening Germandom in the annexed territories.
Answer: True
Heinrich Himmler was appointed 'Reich's commissioner for strengthening Germandom' (RKF) in October 1939, tasking him with overseeing settlement and Germanization policies in the annexed territories.
Nazi Germany successfully implemented large-scale resettlement of settlers from the 'Altreich' (pre-war Germany) into the annexed territories.
Answer: False
The large-scale resettlement of settlers from the 'Altreich' into the annexed territories faced significant practical challenges and did not occur as planned; the program was largely postponed until after the war, with greater reliance placed on ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe.
Over one million ethnic Germans were settled in Poland as part of Nazi colonization efforts.
Answer: False
Estimates for ethnic Germans settled in the annexed territories vary, but figures generally range from approximately 400,000 to 631,000, significantly less than one million. This number also excludes administrative personnel.
All ethnic Germans were permitted to settle in the annexed territories without any form of evaluation.
Answer: False
Ethnic Germans wishing to settle in the annexed territories were subject to a rigorous 'racial evaluation' process, known as 'Durchschleusung,' conducted by Nazi authorities to determine their perceived racial value and eligibility.
The 'Volksliste' was a system for classifying ethnic Germans based on their perceived loyalty and racial value.
Answer: True
The 'Volksliste' was a Nazi registration system that classified individuals of German descent into different categories based on their perceived racial value and loyalty, determining their rights and status within the Reich.
The 'Heim ins Reich' action involved resettling ethnic Germans into homes vacated by expelled Poles.
Answer: True
The 'Heim ins Reich' (Home into the Reich) action was a key component of Nazi colonization policy, facilitating the resettlement of ethnic Germans, primarily from Eastern Europe, into housing previously occupied by Poles who had been forcibly expelled from the annexed territories.
The 'Durchschleusung' process was used to identify and deport ethnic Germans deemed racially unsuitable.
Answer: False
The 'Durchschleusung' process was a 'racial evaluation' used to classify ethnic Germans for settlement eligibility, not for deportation of the unsuitable. Those deemed racially unsuitable were generally not permitted to settle.
What was the 'Durchschleusung' process related to?
Answer: The evaluation and classification of ethnic Germans for settlement in annexed territories.
The 'Durchschleusung' process was a racial evaluation conducted by Nazi authorities to assess the suitability of ethnic Germans for resettlement in the annexed territories, determining their eligibility based on perceived racial value.
What was the 'Volksliste'?
Answer: A classification system for ethnic Germans based on loyalty and race.
The 'Volksliste' was a Nazi registration system that categorized individuals of German ethnicity based on their perceived racial purity and loyalty to the Reich, determining their legal status and rights.
Which action involved resettling ethnic Germans into homes vacated by expelled Poles?
Answer: Heim ins Reich
The 'Heim ins Reich' (Home into the Reich) program was specifically designed to resettle ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe into properties and homes previously occupied by Poles who had been forcibly expelled from the annexed territories.
The annexation of Polish territories by Nazi Germany was fully compliant with international law, including the Hague Convention of 1907.
Answer: False
The annexation violated international law, specifically the Hague Convention of 1907. Nazi authorities attempted to circumvent legal challenges by declaring the war over before annexation, arguing the convention was inapplicable.
Nazi policies strictly forbade any social interaction between Germans and Poles in the annexed territories.
Answer: True
Nazi policies enforced strict segregation, forbidding friendly contacts between Germans and Poles, restricting Poles' access to public facilities, and imposing severe social rules to maintain racial separation.
The Nazi regime targeted the Catholic Church by closing Polish churches and arresting Polish priests.
Answer: True
The Nazi regime systematically targeted the Catholic Church in the annexed territories, closing Polish churches, confiscating religious property, and arresting, imprisoning, or murdering Polish priests as part of its efforts to suppress Polish identity and culture.
The judicial system in the annexed territories provided full legal protection for Poles.
Answer: False
The judicial system in the annexed territories offered Poles minimal legal protection. Proceedings were often expedited, legal representation was inadequate, and racial criteria frequently led to harsh sentences, including death penalties.
Sonderaktion 1005 was designed to document Nazi atrocities for future prosecution.
Answer: False
Sonderaktion 1005 was a secret Nazi operation aimed at destroying evidence of mass murder by exhuming bodies from mass graves and cremating them, thereby concealing the scale of their atrocities.
The Nazis attempted to suppress Polish culture by closing schools and banning the Polish language in public.
Answer: True
The Nazis actively suppressed Polish culture by closing Polish educational institutions, prohibiting the Polish language in public spheres and official communications, and banning Polish literature and historical education.
Bishop Carl Maria Splett actively resisted Nazi policies and supported Polish clergy.
Answer: False
Bishop Carl Maria Splett maintained close ties with Nazi officials and pursued policies that replaced Polish clergy with German ones, and banned the use of Polish in churches, contrary to actively resisting Nazi policies.
Catholic Polish priests faced minimal repression under Nazi rule.
Answer: False
Catholic Polish priests faced severe repression under Nazi rule, with many being arrested, imprisoned, murdered, or expelled. Churches were frequently closed or repurposed, reflecting the Nazi effort to dismantle Polish religious and cultural institutions.
Which international law convention was violated by the annexation of Polish territories?
Answer: The Hague Convention of 1907
The annexation of Polish territories by Nazi Germany violated established international law, most notably the Hague Convention of 1907, which governed the laws and customs of war on land.
What was the purpose of 'Sonderaktion 1005'?
Answer: To erase evidence of mass murder by destroying victims' remains.
'Sonderaktion 1005' was a clandestine Nazi operation tasked with dismantling mass graves and cremating victims' remains to conceal the evidence of mass atrocities committed by units like the Einsatzgruppen.
How did Nazi policies affect Polish education in the annexed territories?
Answer: Education was severely limited to basic skills, preparing Poles for servitude.
Nazi policies drastically curtailed Polish education, limiting it to rudimentary skills necessary for manual labor and servitude, while prohibiting the teaching of Polish history, literature, and geography, and closing higher educational institutions.
Which statement accurately describes the fate of Catholic Polish priests in the annexed territories?
Answer: Many were arrested, imprisoned, murdered, or expelled.
Catholic Polish priests faced severe persecution, with numerous arrests, imprisonment, executions, and expulsions. Churches were frequently closed or repurposed, reflecting the Nazi effort to dismantle Polish religious and cultural institutions.
After World War II, the annexed territories were recognized as German by the Allies and remained under German administration.
Answer: False
Following World War II, the annexed territories were not recognized as German by the Allies. They were subsequently incorporated into the People's Republic of Poland, and the German population was largely expelled.
What was the fate of the annexed territories after World War II?
Answer: They became part of the People's Republic of Poland.
Following World War II, the territories annexed by Nazi Germany were not recognized as German and were subsequently incorporated into the People's Republic of Poland, with the majority of the German population being expelled.