Forced mass migration of Germans, Poles and Hungarians in Europe

after WWII – Collective guilt, Hitler-Stalin pact, Benes Decrees

3rd Slide: The Hitler-Stalin pact
What is it about?
It was a non-agression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It
was signed in Moscow on the 23rd of August 1939. It was signed by German
Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Foreign Minister,
Vyacheslav Molotov.
Secret Protocol
The Hitler-Stalin pact – also known as Molotov-Ribbentrop pact – had a secret
part, a secret protocol, which defined borders of Soviet and German spheres of
influence across eastern europe. The countries included: Poland, Lithuania and
Bessarabia. It’s existence was made public after the Nurmnberg Trials after the
war had ended.
The aftermath
Both Germany (1st of September 1939) and the Soviet Union (17th of
September 1939) invaded Poland. The German-Soviet Frontier Treaty
confirmed the new borders in Poland’s territory which basically lost all its
independence (it did no longer exist as an independent country).
The Supreme Soviet Union countinuously annexed more territories such as
Karelia and Salla regions (regions of Finland), Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and
even certain parts of Romania (Bessarabia, Northen Bukovina and Hertsa
region)
Violation and termiantion
Stalin’s invasion of Bukovina violated the pact, as that territory was not the
part of the Soviet sphere of influence – as it was discussed previously with
Germany.
The pact was terminated on the 22nd of June 1941 as Nazi Germany launched
Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union because of the
Lebensraum ideology.
Changes in borders
The territories annexed by the Soviet Union after 1939 (east of the Curzon line)
remained parts of the Soviet Union after WWII had ended (nowadays parts of
Ukraine and Blearus). Vilnius was given back to Lithuania but Poland still
remained parts of foreign countries, and only a small region, Poldaskie (part of
Galicia) got back its independence.
After WWII ended, some regions still remained parts of Russia (the successor
state of the Soviet Union), after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
These parts are:
 Western Karelia and Petsamo (parts of Finland)
 Estonian Ingria and Petseri County (parts of Estonia)
 Abrene (part o Latvia)

4th Slide: Postdam Conferance

When did it happen and who were there?

It was in August of 1945. The three most prominent leaders in the world – the
„big three” – met in Postdam to discuss they should do about the changed
borders’ situation.
The „big three” was Winston Churchill (Prime Minister of UK), Joseph Stalin
(leader of the Soviet Union) and Harry Truman (president of US). The three of
them agreed on that it was necessary to transfer german populations from
Poland, Chezchoslovakia and Hungary back to Germany as a solution to
changed borders in Eastern Europe.
The only problem was the people they wanted to transfer back to Germany had
little to do with the country as they were only ethnically german, meaning that
they had no roots in Germany. In fact, these people’s ancestors were living in
the Holy Roman and/or Austro-Hungarian Empires so even though they spoke
German, they had nothing to do with Germany.
5th Slide: Transfer
During the Postdam Conferance, the leaders said that they would transfer
germans in an „orderly humane manner”. This was not the case…as it turned
out later.
Benes Decrees
They were ratified on the 6th of March 1946 (after WWII ended). These were a
series of laws drafted by the Chezchoslovak government-in-exile (in the
absence of the Chezchoslovak parliament) and they were named after the
president, Edvard Benes. The decrees were concerned with the restoration of
Chezchoslovakia, denazification and reconstruction of the country. It basically
made legal the expulsion of ethic Germans, Hungarians and others from post-
war Chezchoslovakia (it was based on the Postdam Conferance).
During the months after the collapse of the Nazi regime 700 000 sudeten
germans were expelled from Chezchoslovakia and approximately 30 000
german bohemians (sudeten germans) died in disease-filled concentration
camps, summary executions and massacers. We call this type of expulsions
„ethnic cleansing”.
Ethnic cleansing is politically inspired design to engineer homogenious national
states.
Poland’s expulsion of germans
Germans were not only expelled from Chezchoslovakia but also from Poland. It
was not only a revenge on the nazis but Poland also tried to achieve ethnic
purity.
6th Slide: Collective Guilt
Collective guilt is a term referring to the effect that after WWII germans were
percieved as *guilty*, all nations – even countries who previously allied with
Germany – collectively blamed Germany and german people.
After WWII came to an end, german people were discriminated and Germany
became a target of hostility.