Re: My question was whether anyone in other Pre-WWII Europe set up their own concentration camps independently initiating their own genocide programs.
And the answer is clearly NO.
It's an answer to an IRRELEVANT question.... Of course, as a German fuhrer, Adolf Hitler was a somewhat unique character. Yet, as far as concentration camps go, other countries did set up their own transitory camps (Breendonk in Belgium, for instance). France also had its concentration camps --that is, camps where undesirables (Jews, homos, communists, free masons, etc.) were gathered before their final trip to a German camp (Dachau, Auschwitz,...)
I think that we have to consider the whole operation (of extermination) as a rational division of labor between European countries: the engineering division was located and operated in Germany, the leading country, however, many important tasks were contracted out to "subsidiaries". For example, in Flanders (Northern Belgium), nazism was highly popular because it appealed the Flemings' cultural community with their fellow Germans. Hence many young Flemings volunteered to fight side by side with their German brothers.
I think it's wrong to put all the blame on Germans alone --they merely happened to be at the forefront of the xenophobic Zeitgeist.... And remember what the US looked like in the Roaring Twenties: the KKK was thriving with over 10 million members, lynching of Blacks was widespread, and the US armies that came in Europe to free its people from the Nazi yoke were SEGREGATED armies.
Again, xenophobia and racism were --and still are-- a EUROPEAN issue, not a German(ic) one. Moreover, even some Jews shared the Nazis' racial prejudice: the Betar lobby, if I remember right, had a fascistic-Zionist agenda....
Re: And yes, many people, in order to "get along" were more than willing to give up their jewish neighbors, or do nothing to prevent their being carted off (what COULD they actually do to prevent it in that kind of environment?).
What could they actually do to prevent it?? Bah! I guess that, at this point, there're two kinds of people: those who asked themselves that question --and give up-- and those who just scramble to prevent Nazis and fascists from winning.... Of course, I admit that the latter is easier to do when one feels s/he's a potential target....
Regards,
Gus. (I'm afield right now so I'll answer more tomorrow) |
