Life under Nazi Rule: Reports by Anti-Fascists in Occupied Europe, 1933-1945

This collection contains two newsletters published by the Internationale Transportarbeiter-Föderation/International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), a pan-European trade union, between 1933 and 1945.

Published in several languages, Germany Under the Swastika (Hakenkreuz über Deutschland) and Fascism (Faschismus) were originally intended to document the deeds and misdeeds of the Nazi regime in Germany. However, their scope expanded during the Second World War to include reports about occupied Europe. The Spanish Civil War also features heavily, with contributors warning that a victory for Franco would embolden other dictators.

Both publications focus on the role played by organised labour, the working class, and the political left in fascist dictatorships. Widely regarded as sober, accurate, and reliable, they provide a unique insight into life under fascism in the 20th century.

Hundreds of [Dutch] military trains were run and for practically the whole of the personnel it was a depressing feeling that their work aided the hated occupying power. Those who normally loved their work now performed it reluctantly

Fascism: Facts and Figures about the Dictatorships, Jan 1945, Fascism; Vol. XIII; img 2

Key Documents

Document

Fascism, 1934-1945

Document

Germany under the Swastika, 1933-1934

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Insights

Both newsletters contain dispatches from Germany as the Nazi regime cemented its grip on power. They also cover the Third Reich's expansion across Europe during the Second World War.

Although both newsletters were published in several languages, this collection only contains the English language editions.

'Germany Under the Swastika' describes how Hitler's government quashed internal dissent. There is a particular focus on trade unions, cooperatives, and institutions of the political left.

Both publications mention the concentration camp system, with one issue in particular highlighting the construction of new camps in Italy during the spring of 1938.