A polish archeologist supervising the exhumation, said, we are dealing with a mass grave of civilians, probably of german origin. And though he does not say so, a lesson of this book is surely that the. Hundreds of germans had been herded together on the parade ground in the czech town of postoloprty known in german as postelberg on june 6, 1945, just a month after the end of world war ii in europe. Ethnic german refugees converged on wartorn germany by the millions after the end of ww2. What is the name for the expulsion of ethnic germans after. Polish authorities suspected that they were german civilians that were killed by advancing soviet forces. This is an important book, deserving of the widest readership. Douglas examines the catastrophic effects of expelling ethnic germans from the countries of czechoslovakia, poland, hungary and other nations after world war ii. The forgotten story of when the germans were the refugees. According to this treaty czechoslovakia pledged to pay 1,000,000,000 ats to cover the property demands of austrian citizens. The expulsion of the germans from eastern europe after world war ii provides scholarly account that analyzes the expulsion of germans across eastern europe after the second world war, and is a fine pick for any studying the aftermath of and its wideranging implications. Reviewed in the united states on january 31, 2004 this book is about the expulsion of the germans after the second world war, whose impacts still last in the present of the 21st century. Jul 05, 2017 the news agency reuters reported in 2009 that a mass grave containing 1,800 bodies was found in malbork, poland.
Up to 14 millions people displaced, half a million dying in the process. Expulsion of germans from czechoslovakia wikipedia. Germany, the mass expulsion of ethnic germans from places such as poland, czechoslovakia and the soviet union has often been overlooked in history books. In this book, the effects of the decisions of the allies at the potsdam conference are described in a detailed way as well as the tragedy of these decisions. Morality, i assume what youre asking for is if this fact was wrong, or bad. See more ideas about world war two, german and world war.
The later stages of world war ii, and the period after the end of that war, saw the flight and forced migration of millions of german nationals reichsdeutsche and ethnic germans volksdeutsche from various european states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become postwar germany and postwar austria. Yale university press, 2012 after reading a book or two and watching a few hours of tv documentaries on the couch, most smugly imagine that they know something of world war ii. After the nazi defeat, the volksdeutsche fled or were expelled to the west, and were stripped of their citizenship, homes and property in what r. He works as a legal consultant in new york and geneva, switzerland, and is the author of several books dealing with the subject of the expulsion of germans. They were mostly concentrated in the sudetenland there were 3 million germans, representing 93% of the population. I think both can be acceptable though, as you can say. Documents on the expulsion of the sudeten germans survivors speak out. At the end of world war ii, between twelve and fourteen million people, ethnic germans, were forcibly expelled from eastern europe, or, if they had al. The rape of japan after world war ii revisited veterans.
Germany after ww2 a defeated people documentary on. Before world war ii, eastcentral europe generally lacked clearly. Its important to keep in mind that a large minority of the americ. In postwar germany, especially in west germany, the wartime rape stories became an essential part of political discourse and that the rape of german women along with the expulsion of germans from the east and allied occupation had been universalized in an attempt to situate the german population on the whole as victims.
This books brings to light the brutal story of german expulsion from eastern. Sep 03, 2015 the forgotten story of when the germans were the refugees. The expulsion of germans from czechoslovakia after world war ii was part of a series of evacuations and deportations of germans from central and eastern europe during and after world war ii. In particular, the generation of 1968 claimed that their fathers should not be permitted to complain about their own misery during and after the war. The book outlines as to the inhumane treatment of citizens and many easter european countires of german decent during the latter part of wwii, and for 2 or more. More than nine million germans died as a result of deliberate allied starvation and expulsion policies after the second world war one quarter of the country was annexed, and about fifteen million people expelled in the largest act of ethnic cleansing the world has ever known. The expulsion of germans at the end of the second world war. In prewar czechoslovakia, germans made up a quarter of the population. The forced expulsion of ethnic germans from czechoslovakia after world war ii. Mar 30, 1999 this is a readable but depressing book on the expulsion of german speaking citizens from poland and czechoslovakia just after the the second world war. The news agency reuters reported in 2009 that a mass grave containing 1,800 bodies was found in malbork, poland. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war draws on this recent work and incorporates archival research. Mar 02, 2015 the biggest forced movement of populations in human history occurred in the final months of the second world war and long into the post war era. The merciless revenge perpetrated on the entire german civilian population of eastern europe during the closing stages of the war, and for many months after.
The expulsion of the germans after the second world war kindle edition by douglas, r. Flight and expulsion of germans from poland during and. The expulsion of the germans from eastern europe after world war ii as want to read. This book is the first in any language to tell the full story of this immense manmade catastrophe. Douglas discusses why this hidden history of postwwii europe, must be unearthed. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war, by r. First person accounts for decades after the second world war ended german soldiers from the heer, luftwaffe, and the kriegsmarine have maintained that during the war they acted in the best traditions of a soldier and that they did not have anything to do with the horrors that the nazis committed.
Memory, identity, and history an honors thesis presented by erin wilson to the department of history in partial fulfillment of the requirements for honors in the major field connecticut college new. The flight and expulsion of germans from poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of germans in europe during and after world war ii. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war draws on this recent work and incorporates archival research in germany, poland, and the czech republic as. The second country after poland where the germans question was dealt with was czechoslovakia. The forgotten story of when the germans were the refugees the. These german kids have just arrived with a transport from the polish territories in a small town in west germany. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. After wwi, much of the political map of europe had been redesigned with that idea in mind, even.
The expulsion of the germans after the second world war ebook stay safe and healthy. Flight and expulsion of germans from poland during and after. Douglas yale university press in his book orderly and humane. Sudeten germans being expelled from czechoslovakia, 1945 1. Was the flight and expulsion of germans after ww2 moral. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war. Germans fled and were expelled from all regions which are currently within the. The expulsion of germans at the end of the second world. The unspoken victims german expulsion from prussia.
Hidden history, the expulsion of the germans after wwii. In june 2018, german chancellor angela merkel said that there had been no moral or political justification for the postwar expulsion of ethnic germans. However, when it was taken there was violence, discrimination, and expulsion of the germans there in order to convert the land to polishrussian. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war, by rm douglas. Whats moral given the definition of morality you can read in wikipedia. What do i think from my very ignorant point of view, the expulsion of someone which c. Expulsion of germans after world war ii refers to the expulsion policy, by some seen as ethnic cleansing, of all ethnic germans from the eastern parts of germany lost after world war ii, agreed to at the potsdam conference and undertaken by the soviet union and its satellite governments in central europe. However, there were times where it deviated from its focus. Kicking the germans out of the east by paul wilson the. It ended close to 1,000 years of german presence in areas now considered to be parts of poland, the czech republic, russia and other eastern european states, forever changing the ethnic face of europe. Nov 11, 2016 over 70 years after ethnic germans were forced to leave czechoslovakia following the second world war, we meet those attempting a reconciliation. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war, r. The biggest forced movement of populations in human history occurred in the final months of the second world war and long into the post war era.
The genocide of the ethnic german population of yugoslavia at the end of world war ii and during the period of 19441948 has been, however, largely suppressed or ignored and needs to be recognized. According to this treaty czechoslovakia pledged to satisfy all demands of hungary and. This books brings to light the brutal story of german expulsion from. Expulsion of germans after world war ii abuse wiki fandom. The germans and czechs trying to deal with ghosts of the past.
This is a readable but depressing book on the expulsion of german speaking citizens from poland and czechoslovakia just after the the second world war. I wanted to like this book by giles macdonogh more than i actually did. Ethnic german refugees, forcibly evicted from lotz, poland, huddle at berlin rail yard, survivors of a death march that claimed their 9 compatriots originally belonging to the evicted group. Flight and expulsion of germans from poland during and after world war ii the flight and expulsion of germans from poland after world war ii was part of a series of flights and expulsions of germans from europe during and after world war ii. At the end of world war ii, between twelve and fourteen million people. But since the fall of communism and the opening of the archives in these. Here we are specifically talking about what happened to the japanese after world war ii was over. But naimarks book is significant because it contains the most easily accessible detailed account of the worst instance of ethnic cleansing in postwar europe. Expulsion of germans,genocide against germans,world war ii. The idea to expel the ethnic germans was supported by winston churchill and by the polish and czechoslovak exile governments in london at least since 1942. Finally, the allies murdered millions of additional germans through starvation after the end of world war ii. Mass starvation of germans, 19451950 eisenhowers death camps back genocide food as a weapon of war allied war crimes more than nine million germans died as a result of deliberate allied starvation and expulsion policies after the second world war, including 1. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war 1st edition by douglas, r.
Apr 02, 20 the ethnic germans, who were expelled from czechoslovakia and poland, after world war ii, are called expellees but what is the name for everything that happened to them during the expulsion. It was tantamount to ethic cleansing and was very similar to the ethnic cleansing practised by the german nazis during world war 2. Flight and expulsion of germans 19441950 wikipedia. A defeated people 1946 germany after ww2 a defeated people documentary on germany in the immediate aftermath of ww2 note. Translated by gerda johannsen, victor diodon and arnim johannis. After ww2 between 1945 and 1951 somewhere between 11 million to 14 million germans were forced to leave their homes in east germany and migrate west. The expulsion of the german communities from eastern. Western governments continue to conceal and deny these deaths. The germans and czechs trying to deal with ghosts of the. Killing and expulsion of germans in czechoslovakia in 1945. German lands lost and expulsion after wwii history when learning about wwii in america, its hard not to notice that germany east and west is conspicuously missing a big chunk in the east that went to the ussr russia and poland, but this topic is never learned about. There are two ways to look at the answer to this question.
The expulsion of germans after world war ii was the forced migration and ethnic cleansing of german nationals reichsdeutsche and ethnic germans volksdeutsche from the former eastern territories of germany, former sudetenland and other areas across europe in the first five years after world war ii. For a complete picture of ww2, this is an indispensable book on a tragedy too often overlooked because it happened to the germans. Allied soldiers also raped an estimated 2 million german women during and after world war ii. After searching i found this post from a few years ago asking how the germans felt about this land, which mostly got an apathetic response. Orderly and humane is not, as it boasts, the first book in any language to tell the full story of the expulsions, nor is it. The german population fled or was expelled from all regions which are currently within the territorial boundaries of poland, including the former eastern territories of germany and parts of prewar poland.
Nazi propaganda pictures produced during the heim ins reich and pictures of expelled poles are sometimes published to show the flight and expulsion of germans. At the beginning of world war ii about 540,000 people whose mothertongue was german lived within the national boundaries of the then yugoslav kingdom. The tragedy of the postworld war ii ethnic german refugees and expellees has been told before but no account is based on so many original. Jul 12, 2012 in this exclusive extract from his book orderly and humane. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading orderly and humane. Documenting the expulsion, forced labour, and commemoration of over 10,000,000 german civilians and other minorities after world war ii.
Even the daily mail, of all places, is beginning to tear apart the allied narrative by stating. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war is an authoritative and objective account. While some other world war ii armies had military brothels, japan is the only country accused of such widespread, organized sexual slavery. The expulsion of ethnic germans from former german. This book tells the story of the biggest population displacement in the history. The forced expulsion of ethnic germans from czechoslovakia. The expulsion of the germans from eastern europe after world war ii by. Based mainly on archival records of the countries that carried out the forced migrations and of the international humanitarian organizations that tried but failed to prevent the disastrous results, orderly and humane.
During the german occupation of czechoslovakia, the czech resistance groups demanded the deportation of ethnic germans from czechoslovakia. After the reich had its moments of great interest as it recounted the chaotic, brutal, and bloody aftermath of world war 2 in germany. If you have ever thought that the black hole of horrors that was world war ii must by now have surrendered all of its ghastly secrets, perhaps its time to think again. The expulsion of eastern european germans resulted in the largest exchange of population in european history. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war new haven and london. This is a readable but depressing book on the expulsion of german speaking. More than 12 million germans were displaced 70 years ago. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war by douglas, r. Prauser and rees eds, the expulsion of the german communities from eastern europe 2 seizure of power, the outbreak of the second world war, and all kinds of crimes during this war. M download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Institute for research of expelled germans 10,000,000. Repatriation of german children from poland in august 1948, one of the series of the flight and expulsion of germans after world war ii. They were among more than 3 million german speakers expelled from czechoslovakia in 1945 following germanys defeat in the second world war, in an officially ordered act of ethnic cleansing supposedly justified by hitlers aggression and permitted by.
Why did the allies order the expulsion of germans after ww. Coming at the tail end of world war ii and following the horrific crimes of nazi germany, the mass expulsion of ethnic germans from places such. Imho, i think it should be expulsion for the title, because it all happened in one time period more or less, and the way i read it is as the act of expulsion. The expulsion of the german communities from eastern europe. The institute for research of expelled germans institut fur vertriebenenforschung is an academic research organisation documenting the largely unknown story of more than 10,000,000 ethnic german civilians who were subjected to deportation, compulsory labour, and in many cases starvation and ethnic violence after world war ii. They could clearly see the fatigue party heading off. The expulsion of the germans from eastern europe after world war ii provides scholarly account that analyzes the expulsion of germans across eastern europe after the second world war, and is a fine pick for any studying. Modern germans dont really seem to care about the land. The expulsion of germans formed also part of stalin s plan, citation needed in concert with other communist subordinates. The expulsion of the germans after the second world war by r. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
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