Belarusian intelligentia in propagandism activities of the german occupation authorities in 1941 -1944

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the phenomenon of the Belarusian intelligentsia in the conditions of the German occupation of the period 1941-1944. The author defines the types of interaction, motives, and political intentions of this social group in the conditions of war. Materials and methods. The territorial scope of the study is limited to the General District of Belarus, within which the head of the civil administration V. Kube pursued a policy of so-called "Belarusization", aimed, among other things, at attracting the local intellectual elite to interact with the occupation authorities. Representatives of the Belarusian intelligentsia, who chose the path of collaboration, were guided by various motives. Its politically active part sought to implement the Belarusian national project under the Nazi protectorate, the embodiment of which would be the acquisition of sovereignty.Results. Representatives of this group actively participated in the activities of the German occupation authorities at various levels. And representatives of the Belarusian cultural elite saw in cooperation with the German authorities the possibility of creative self-realization in the national  language.Conclusion. In both cases, they were the main instrument of German propaganda in the district. Their ethnicity and fluency in the Belarusian language were an additional means of verifying the content of propaganda. For their part, representatives of the Belarusian intelligentsia, who purposefully and consciously interacted with the German authorities, saw them as a means to achieve their own goals, hoping that in the conditions of the Nazi regime, the implementation of a national-state project is possible.