Nazi Authority in Carinthia in the Period from 1938 to 1945 and its Policy towards Slovenes

Abstract

In this paper the author discusses the Nazi authority, its structures and bearers, its purposes and goals on Carinthian territory north of the Saint-Germain border (since annexation on March 13, 1938) and south of it (since April 6, 1941) until the end of the World War II. All efforts of Nazi structures, from Nazi party (NSDAP) which included 10 percent of Carinthian population north of the Saint-Germain border, that being the highest percentage of involved population among all countries in the German Reich, to other political and authoritative structures and repressive apparatus, particularly the gendarmerie, the police, the Gestapo and the Security service (SD), were directed, beside the terrorization of population and suppression of any opposition, also toward radical Germanization of Slovene population. To achieve this goal the Nazis availed themselves also of kindergartens and schools, they commanded the exclusive use of German language in all public life and even forced the Catholic church to perform the worship in German. They fully exploited material and human potentials, the latter by military mobilization of male population.