Military occupations were a crucial part of the collective experience of Western European societies during the mid-20th century. Occupations conducted by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Western Allies varied in terms of their goals, methods, and most significantly in their use of violence. In many respects, however, these ideologically different regimes of occupation also shared a range of common features. In contrast to the ruthless occupation policies in the East, these regimes sought to find a viable mode of interaction with both local social intermediaries and the broader population, and thus generally attempted to stabilize their rule by pacifying occupied societies. Many of the quotidian ruling techniques and practices deployed for this purpose produced a set of related socio-political legacies across Western European societies which found their distinctive expression during the subsequent decades.
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