Albert Forster - Your Art History Reference Guide!

ArtHistoryClub Information Site on Albert Forster Art History Art History Search        Art History Browse             News        Gallery        Forums        Articles        Weblinks        welcome to our free resource site for all art history lovers!

Albert Forster

Albert Forster (German:Albert Förster ) (born July 26, 1902) was a German politician.

Forster attended the Humanistische Gymnasium in Fürth from 1912 to 1920. He became a member of the SA in Fürth in 1923, and observed the high treason process against Ludendorff, Hitler and further eight accused, which took place from 26 February to 1 April 1924 in the court of Munich.

He became Gauleiter (governor) of the province Danzig-West Prussia from 1939 to 1945. He persued a policy of assimilation of the Poles in his area of responsibility, in which all Poles proficient in the German language were reclassified as Germans. This policy was in direct contrast to what was going on in the Warthegau by Gauliter Arthur Greiser. Greiser zealously persued a policy of ethnic cleansing and had complained to SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler that Forster's assimilation policy was against Nazi racial theory. When Himmler threatened Forster over this issue, Forster simply ignored him, realizing that Hitler allowed each Gauleiter to run his area as he saw fit.

Despite his relatively mild administration of occupied Polish Territory, Forster was responsible of expulsion of several hundred thousands Poles to the General Governement and Stutthof concentration camp. He was also one of the responsibles for mass murder at Piaśnica, where approximately 60 000 Polish and Kashub inteligentsia were killed.

After the war he was condemed by Polish court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was hanged in 1947.

Last updated: 01-04-2007 01:18:57
The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the
GNU Free Documentation License. See original document.
Art History Search | Art History Browse | Contact | Legal info