Hi wm,
You characterize some of Germany's problems quite well.
However, the Reich was not to be built with any Jews or Poles. The Jews were to undergo a "final solution" that evolved from expulsion to extermination, while Poles judged to be of largely "Germanic" extraction were to Germanized and those deemed racially iredeemable were to gradually be displaced from their lands by German settlers.
"Czechia" neither had an uncomprehensible language, nor was it poorer than Germany.
Although incomprehensible to untutored Germans, the Czech language was part of a Slavic language continuum rather larger than all the Germanic languages of Europe combined.
Czech industry, with its large weapons and automobile plants, such as Skoda, was much coveted by Germany for its advanced state of industrial development.
Nor was the population poverty stricken. If you look at the Reich Year Books for 1938-41 you will also find that the life expectancy of Sudeten Germans was actually marginally higher than that of Alt Reich Germans.
Cheers,
Sid.
Did the SS and Einsatzgruppen ruin "Operation Barbarossa"?
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Sid Guttridge
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Re: Did the SS and Einsatzgruppen ruin "Operation Barbarossa
Well, in 1937 the ratio of Germany/Czechoslovakia GDPs was almost 8 to 1, the ratio of GDPs per capita was 5 to 3. Skoda was a nice trophy, and maybe Bohemia and Moravia, the rest was poverty stricken mountainous territories.
The final solution would be much harder to achieve, Hitler had only a part of Poland in his clutches. Many of the Jews was in the Soviet held territory, and many fled there in fear of the Nazis. And under the stern gaze of the USSR it wouldn't be easy to hide the killings in such a small territory.
The language is incomprehensible to the Germans, the others - Poles, Russians, Ukrainians have a fighting chance for a meaningful communication although just barely. The point was conquest and assimilation of territories belonging to a different major language family is costly and troublesome, closely related linguistically territories are easier and cheaper.
The final solution would be much harder to achieve, Hitler had only a part of Poland in his clutches. Many of the Jews was in the Soviet held territory, and many fled there in fear of the Nazis. And under the stern gaze of the USSR it wouldn't be easy to hide the killings in such a small territory.
The language is incomprehensible to the Germans, the others - Poles, Russians, Ukrainians have a fighting chance for a meaningful communication although just barely. The point was conquest and assimilation of territories belonging to a different major language family is costly and troublesome, closely related linguistically territories are easier and cheaper.