The occupation went far beyond the constraints of international law and the German military administration Generalgouvernment constrained daily life with travel limits and collective punishment by exploiting Belgian industry for the German war economy and by levying indemnities on the Belgian provinces Before the War Belgium was the sixth largest economy in the world but the Germans plundered the economy and transported equipment and machinery to Germany More than workers were deported to Germany and northern France Larry Zuckerman The Rape of Belgium The Untold Story of World War I NYU Press 2004 pg