Anton Mussert: Dutch Fascist Leader and Hitler Collaborator

Anton Mussert was the most prominent Dutch Nazi collaborator during the Second World War and the founder of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB). Born in 1894 in Werkendam, Mussert trained as a civil engineer before turning to politics in the early 1930s. Inspired by Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazi Germany, he founded the NSB in 1931, creating a Dutch fascist movement modeled on the German Nazi Party. When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, Mussert positioned himself as the loyal representative of Dutch National Socialism. Although he hoped to become prime minister under German occupation, real power remained in the hands of Reich Commissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart and the SS. Nevertheless, Mussert and the NSB actively collaborated with the occupiers. Under German rule, Dutch Jews faced systematic persecution. Registration, exclusion from public life, forced labor, and deportations followed. Between 1942 and 1944, more than 107,000 Jews were deported from the Netherlands to Auschwitz and Sobibor, where most were murdered. Mussert publicly supported these measures and benefited personally from the confiscation of Jewish property. He also oversaw the formation of Dutch Waffen-SS units that fought on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union. While many Dutch citizens joined the resistance, Mussert remained loyal to Hitler until the very end of the war.After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, Mussert was arrested, tried for treason and collaboration, and sentenced to death. On 7 May 1946, he was executed by firing squad. His legacy remains one of betrayal, collaboration, and moral failure during one of the darkest chapters in Dutch history.This episode is part of the series High Ranking Fascist Collaborators: Politicians.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv