In Forces of Habit I described the provision of extra alcohol rations for German troops and their adjuncts involved in both regular military and "special" actions, such as participation in mass executions (pp. 143-144). I have since come across several references to similar uses of alcohol in the Holocaust literature, e.g., in Christopher Browning's Ordinary Men. I do not recall, however, any cases of the Germans distributing alcohol in amounts or circumstances that would be likely to foment rebellion. I would also stress, with Frederick Smith, that the use of alcohol as an incentive for work (particularly for difficult, unpleasant, and/or morally compromised work) has a long and extensive history. Comparatively speaking, I don't see anything unusual in the Germans' "incentivizing" behavior.
David T. Courtwright
Presidential Professor
Department of History
University of North Florida
1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224-2645 USA
email: [log in to unmask]; office phone: 904 620-1872;
office fax 904 620-1018; home phone 904 745-0530
________________________________________
From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Frederick H. Smith [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 10:35 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Nazi alcohol policies in occupied Europe
In my book Caribbean Rum: A Social and Economic History I explore this issue in
a different context. White sugar planters doled out huge amounts of rum to
enslaved workers on their estates, but they were ambivalent about the practice.
On the one hand planters used rum as a reward for good work and as a work
incentive. It was also given out during holidays, such as Christmas and cropover.
However, slave revolts and rebellions were frequent during these holiday
celebrations. Moreover, the planters wanted a productive workforce and turned
a blind eye to drinking and drunkenness as long as it did not interfere with
productive labor (the source of the planters' power). In short, planter discussions
of drinking by their enslaved workers reveal a strong ambivalence. Rum was a
tool of domination, but it was also a key instrument in fomenting rebellion.
------
Frederick H. Smith
Associate Professor
College of William and Mary
Department of Anthropology
Washington Hall
PO Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187
Email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 757-221-1063
---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:36:43 -0500
>From: David Fahey <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Nazi alcohol policies in occupied Europe
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>I recall at a conference hearing a Polish scholar say that his father,
>a railroad worker during the Nazi occupation, received vodka for good
>work. Providing alcohol to occupied populations had many
>complications. Did drunkenness encourage rebellion or acquiescence?
>As in the example cited, could it be used to enforce good behavior?
>Did Nazi policy vary from country to country?
>
>--
>David M. Fahey
>Professor Emeritus of History
>Miami University
>Oxford, Ohio 45056
>USA
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