The article proposes Raphael Lemkin’s historical concept of genocide as a model for analysing German occupation policy during the Second World War. It also explains the doubts that may arise when applying this concept, such as the danger of determinism and politicisation, and the importance of intentionality. It is also emphasised that the main goal of German policy was not to destroy social structures in Polish territories (first those incorporated into the Reich, and later also in the General Government), but to replace them with their own.
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