The Nazi Genocide of the Roma by Anton Weiss-Wendt

Author:Anton Weiss-Wendt
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Published: 2015-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

The Attitudes of the Local Population Toward the Persecution of Roma

At first glance, popular attitudes toward the persecution of the Roma appear to be of secondary importance when compared with the actual German policies. However, the actions conceived and implemented by the occupation authorities did not exist in a vacuum. The Romani quarters were situated within the existing Russian or Ukrainian neighborhoods. Under conditions of German occupation, some individuals among the local population came to play an important role in civil administration, overseeing the implementation of various German orders and decrees, including those concerning the treatment of civilians. The attitudes of non-Roma, both as individuals and figures of authority, apparently had an impact, if only limited, on the genesis of the Nazi Final Solution of the Gypsy Question. The attitudes toward victims varied depending on local and regional context, the socioeconomic profile of the Roma community in any given region, popular images of “Gypsies,” and prewar interethnic relations. Without taking these factors into account, I argue, any attempt to both reconstruct and interpret the demise of the Romani minority in Ukraine during World War II would be incomplete.

So far, Nikolai Bessonov has been the first and only scholar who attempted not just to provide some examples of popular reactions toward the Nazi persecution of the Roma, but also to explicate those reactions. Thus, he has argued that the Slavic population extended support to the Romani minority, which was not at all the case with the Jews. Bessonov further stated that he “was unable to find even one case of support given by the locals to the occupiers.”96 He differentiated between political, economic, and cultural-psychological reasons as to the wide-scale aid given by the locals to the Roma: (1) Unlike Jews, Roma stayed outside politics and therefore were not responsible for the Soviet terror in the eyes of local population; (2) as horse-owners and skilled artisans, Roma maintained close contact with local farmers (for instance, in the winter season Romani families often rented a part of peasant’s house); (3) traditional activities of the Roma such as fortune-telling, singing, and dancing enjoyed steady popularity among the local population. In addition, the latter generally viewed the Roma as a group poorer than themselves.97

However important, these observations mainly concern the relationship that had existed in rural areas, with a more complex admixture of social, professional, material, and cultural factors at play in urban centers. Indeed, the factors outlined by Bessonov apply almost exclusively to itinerant Roma, whereas sedentary, acculturated Roma were altogether well integrated into the existing social and professional structures. Furthermore, Bessonov based his analysis on popular reactions, essentially ignoring motivations and deeds of those among the local population who collaborated with the Germans. By the same token, Bessonov emphasized positive stereotypes of Roma, paying only scarce attention to plethora of negative anti-Roma stereotypes and prejudices.

As regards the social aspect of interethnic relations in wartime Ukraine, the two major forces that come under consideration are the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and, later, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), on the one hand, and the Soviet partisan movement, on the other.

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