Environment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-16-2018
Abstract
This chapter examines the environmental history of Nazi Germany. During the 1930s the Nazi state adopted major policies to preserve landscapes, conserve resources, and protect other features of the environment. High-ranking Nazi officials often supported these policies, for ideological, propaganda, and other reasons. Such policies also mirrored those of other modern countries, although in a very different ideological and political context. At the same time, however, the Nazi state inflicted major damage to the environment, draining swamps, uprooting hedgerows, and straightening waterways. Its autarky policies also encouraged a partial abandonment of sustainable forestry practices, while other measures led to an increase in air and water pollution. Finally, some Nazi officials envisioned carrying out environmentally sensitive policies in parts of occupied Europe, once the Second World War began. As in other aspects of the environmental history of Nazi Germany, competition among agencies and the course of war prevented implementation.
Publication Title
A Companion to Nazi Germany
First Page
413
Last Page
428
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1002/9781118936894.ch25
ISBN
9781118936894,9781118936887
Citation Information
Closmann, C.E. (2018) Environment In A Companion to Nazi Germany. Baranowski, Nolzen, A., & Szejnmann, C. W. (ed). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 413-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118936894