People from all over Europe fell victim to the system of forced labour established under National Socialism. Between 1939 and 1945, more than 12 million people, the majority of them from Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, had to work in the German Reich and in German occupied regions. They toiled under inhuman conditions in armaments factories and in agriculture in order to satisfy the steep rise in the labour demand of the German war economy. Forced labourers were also employed in all areas of society.

The majority of the German population approved of the system of forced labour. It took almost 60 years before German society was willing to address this issue.

In the preamble to the Foundation Law, the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” was given a mandate to keep alive the remembrance of National Socialist injustice for future generations. Accordingly, the Foundation supports a wide spectrum of projects that explore the history of forced labour under National Socialism and raise awareness of this theme among the general public.
Use the navigation bar to access more information on publications, internet sites, research projects and exhibitions on the history of forced labour under National Socialism.

• www.zwangsarbeit.eu 
• www.zwangsarbeit-archiv.de
• www.lernen-aus-der-geschichte.de
• Video Interviews

www.step21.de/WEISSE-FLECKEN