Flight and Expulsion during and after WWII

Refugees and Expellees – Integration in Germany

They came from former German regions

Overview

Refugees and Expellees Historical Introduction Potsdam Agreement Their way to Germany Integration Were they integrated?

Germany in 1944

11 million people living in former regions

Regions including: East Prussia, West Prussia, Poznan, Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia, parts of Pomerania and Brandenburg

Germany in 1944

11 million people living in former regions

Regions including: East Prussia, West Prussia, Poznan, Lower Silesia, Upper Silesia, parts of Pomerania and Brandenburg

Introducing in History

During Second World War

East Areas safe until 1944

Front came closer People were scared

and left home [temporarily]

Germany evacuated people

People kept thinking, they'd come back later

People stayed / left too late

Soviet Violence

Those who stayed too long: Soviets came to villages

Destroyed, attacked, shot, abused, raped, robbed

Potsdam Agreement

UK + US + USSR decided on..

Former easter territories of Germany

Also other aspects like: reparations, demilitarization

Aim: find a place for Polish people

Moving Germans from east to west

The Flight/Expulsion

Plan: Send 3,5 Million people to Germany

→ very cold winter Long ways (by

foot or on trains) Overcrowded

trains

People didn't survive → death from cold, too weak to go on, died from bombings

Wanting to fight for their home

In Germany

Camps with 1200 – 2000 people

Not enough food, water & hygiene

1946/47 → 5000 trains arrived with 40-55 wagons

Often with sick and dead people

Hospitals overcrowded

Everyone in Germany → gave things to survive houses /apartments/ rooms

Problems of integration

22% of Germany were destroyed (rails, streets, etc.)

Difficult to transport important goods (food, etc.)

People shared rooms, no privacy

Not enough space: earlier prisoner of wars camps turned into refugees and expellees homes

People living in Germany didn't want to understand

Cultural differences, no work

Solutions

They could get money from banks

Building up new life Started their own

political party Supported eachother

in groups and organizations

1950's economic miracle brought more jobs for everyone

Different laws tried to help integrate

Integrated?

This is home Home is where I am from

Mostly contact to local Germans

71,7% 6,7%

Mostly contact to refugees & expellees

9,5% 57,1%

Note: 21,6% in the first line & 33,4% in the second line answered with„Home is here and where I am from“

A small task

Think: Were the following people integrated well? / Did they integrate

themselves well?

Example 1: Ruth B.

Left home in East Prussia when she was 11 years old

Fled with her mother and siblings Went to school in her new hometown Lives in Lower Saxony today Has five grandchildren

Example 1: Ruth B.

Left home in East Prussia when she was 11 years old

Fled with her mother and siblings Went to school in her new hometown Lives in Lower Saxony today Has five grandchildren

„It was easy to find friends at school,Because children don't care about your rootsAnd we just wanted to play“

Example 2: Franz H.

Left home in Lower Silesia when he was 76 years old

Fled with his wife Lost his wife on the flight Lived in Bavaria Died at the age of 85

Example 2: Franz H.

Left home in Lower Silesia when he was 76 years old

Fled with his wife Lost his wife on the flight Lived in Bavaria Died at the age of 85

„Why would I want to stay in a countryWhich is not my home? They didn't want Us and we didn't want them.“

Example 3: Else F.

Left home in East Prussia when she was 42 years old

Fled with her three children Lost her husband in war Started working as a nurse Lived in Hamburg until she died at the

age of 78

Example 3: Else F.

Left home in East Prussia when she was 42 years old

Fled with her three children Lost her husband in war Started working as a nurse Lived in Hamburg until she died at the

age of 78

„I had to go through a lot. Losing my husband, Going to Hamburg. New situations, not easy to find friends. Still, the job helped me.“

Conclusions

Most of the people were integrated well Laws, organizations, parties and groups

helped to integrate Big help: Economic miracle → bringing

jobs

Thanks for listening!I hope you learned a few things!

Bibliography

„Die Vertreibung der deutschen Bevölkerung aus den Gebieten östlich der Oder-Neiße“ by Bundesministerium für Vertriebene, Flüchtlinge und Kriegsgeschädigte

„Flucht und Vertreibung – Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts aus der Perspektive von drei Nachbarn“ by Ingo Eser, Jerzy Kochanowski and Ondrêj Matêjka

„Vier Phasen von Flucht und Vertreibung – zur Vorgeschichte der Ankunft in der SBZ“ by Bärbel Gafert

„Flucht und Vertreibung – Deutschland zwischen 1944 und 1947“ by Frank Grube and Gerhard Richter

„Die Vertreibung im deutschen Erinnern“ by Eva Hahn and Hans Henning Hahn

Staatliche Archive Bayerns „Integration von Flüchtlingen und Vertriebenen in Bayern nach 1945“