Generalplan Ost

Long ago, leaders in Germany had a bad plan.

They wanted more land in the east. This was called a plan for living space. They wanted to move people into these lands.

To do this, they treated many people very unfairly. They tried to take homes away from others. Many people were hurt by this plan.

The plan was never finished because Germany lost the war. It was a very sad and hard time.

During World War II, Nazi leaders made a plan called Generalplan Ost.

This plan was for land in Eastern Europe. The leaders wanted more living space. They called this idea Lebensraum.

They wanted to move German settlers into these new lands. To do this, they planned to remove many people. They targeted Slavic people, Jews, and others.

The plan had two main parts. The first part was for the war. The second part was a long-term goal. It was meant to take 25 to 30 years. The leaders wanted to make the area German. They planned to kill or move millions of people. They even planned to use hunger to cause deaths.

Some people were forced to work as slaves. Many others died from disease or starvation. If the plan had finished, over 60 million people would have died. However, Germany lost the war. This meant the full plan never happened.

Generalplan Ost, often called GPO, was a massive and terrible plan made by Nazi Germany.

The goal was to change Eastern Europe forever. Nazi leaders wanted to take over these lands and make them German. They called this idea Lebensraum, which means "living space." They wanted to move German settlers into these new areas. To do this, they planned to remove the people already living there. This included many different groups of people.

The plan worked by targeting specific groups of people. The Nazis viewed Slavic people and Jews as "untermenschen," or inferior. They wanted to clear these lands through ethnic cleansing and genocide. This meant killing many people or forcing them to leave. Some people were forced into slave labor to help the German war economy. Others were moved far away, beyond the Ural Mountains. The plan even included a "Hunger Plan." This was a way to cause the deaths of 30 million Slavic people through starvation.

Nazi leaders developed this plan between 1939 and 1942. It was not just one single document. Instead, there were at least four different versions of the plan. The first version was discussed in mid-1940. Another version was found in April 1942. A third version was dated June 1942. The final "Master Plan for the East" came from the RKFDV on October 29, 1942.

Many high-ranking officials were involved in making these rules. Heinrich Himmler was a leader in the SS who supervised the drafting. He worked with groups like the RSHA and the RKFDV. One official, Hans Ehlich, helped write the plans with Konrad Meyer. The cost to carry out these ideas was huge. Estimates ranged from 40 billion to 67 billion Reichsmarks. This was almost as much as all the money Germany made in 1941.

The plan was divided into two main parts. The "Small Plan" was for things happening during the war. The "Big Plan" was a long-term goal for 25 to 30 years after the war. If the Nazis had won, the results would have been devastating. It is estimated that over 60 million people would have died. However, Germany was defeated in World War II. Because of this defeat, the full plan was never actually finished.

Generalplan Ost, or GPO, was a massive Nazi German plan for Eastern Europe.

The goal was the "Germanization" of captured territories. This meant changing the culture and people of these lands to match German ideals. The plan was based on the idea of Lebensraum, or "living space." Nazi leaders believed Germany needed more land for its people to grow.

To achieve this, they planned to move Germanic settlers into Central and Eastern Europe. This process required the removal of the people already living there.

The mechanism of the plan involved systematic violence and displacement. Nazi ideology categorized Slavs, Eastern European Jews, and other indigenous groups as "Untermenschen," or inferior people. The plan aimed to clear these lands through genocide and ethnic cleansing. This included massacres, mass starvations, and the use of chattel labor. Many people were also forced into sexual slavery or abducted as children.

The goal was to reorganize the entire population structure of the region.

Planners divided the GPO into two distinct stages. The first was the "Small Plan" (Kleine Planung). This stage focused on actions taken during the war as Germany conquered new areas. The second was the "Big Plan" (Grosse Planung). This was a long-term vision for 25 to 30 years after a Nazi victory. It described a gradual process of settling up to 10 million Germans in an extended living space.

History shows that the plan was a work in progress with several versions. The first blueprint was discussed in mid-1940 during population transfers. A second version was obtained by the RSHA in April 1942. A third version was officially dated June 1942. The final "Master Plan for the East" was issued by the RKFDV on October 29, 1942. These revisions happened as the war in the East progressed.

The scale of the planned casualties was enormous. If fully implemented, it is estimated that over 60 million people would have perished. The plan included a "Hunger Plan" to kill 30 million Slavic inhabitants through starvation. It also aimed to deport roughly 80 million Russians beyond the Ural Mountains. Planners estimated that 30 million of those deported would die from the lack of resources.

The plan targeted specific percentages of different ethnic groups for removal.

Specific targets were set for various nations in the region. For example, the plan called for the removal of 80 to 85 percent of Poles. In Belarus, 75 percent of the people were targeted for extermination or expulsion. The plan envisioned removing 70 to 80 million Russians. In the Baltic states, the targets were also high, such as 85 percent of Lithuanians. These numbers show the total intent to eliminate existing populations.

Implementing such a massive program required immense resources. Cost estimates for the GPO ranged from 40 to 67 billion Reichsmarks. This amount was nearly equal to Germany's entire GDP in 1941. A 1942 version allocated 45.7 billion Reichsmarks for the project. Over half of that money was meant for land remediation and transport infrastructure. The rest was intended for urban and industrial development.

Ultimately, the GPO was only partially carried out. The plan was a major part of the Nazi "New Order" in Europe. However, the German defeat at Stalingrad changed their priorities. Resources were moved away from colonization to support the war effort. Because Germany lost the war, the full Master Plan never materialized.

The plan remains a primary example of how ideology can drive state-sponsored violence.