Tweet
The Expulsion
As Red Army approached, most Germans fled from the east, especially since the fate of the first german village in Prussia taken by USSR and later recaptured by Germans was discovered. Many were evacuated by german authorities. During the escape, many have died, especially that it took place in wartime conditions.
The remaining population was often closed by Soviets in camps. Polish communist authorities, very weak at this point, tried to convince some polish-speaking german citizens to declare polish nationality. They were successful sometimes, sometimes not. After relocation of Germans was ordered by Potsdam treaty, those german citizens that didn't declare polish nationality were to leave, apart from some that were kept - with or against their will - by authorities as needed for administering the land.
The camps some german citizens were kept in former german concentration camps. Some atrocities were commited by Soviet, and communist polish citizens during the process, Poland prosecuted some of them as early as the 50s, but with little success, and again in the 90s, when there was a reknown case of Salomon Morel, whose extradition was denied by Israel.
The post-ww2 conditions in polish lands were really bad, and especially on halfly deserted and utterly destroyed post-german ones. I've read documents concerning Eastern Prussia: polish authorities were hardly existing, they weren't obeyed or respected by soviet military, the place was full of soviet deserters and regular army pillaging everyone, as well as pillaging bands from nearby polish Masovia region. Both were pillaging all:
actual Germans, polish-speaking Masurians and Warmiak, polish settlers, polish compulsory workers. They were stronger than polish ad hoc organised militia. As the transport system was destroyed, and people taken away from their fields by soviet military, fled, evacuated or killed, there was lack of nurriture, while winter was approaching. Rats, pestilence, more death, robberies etc. This affected all prople in these regions.
The territories were re-populated by polish (czech and russian in other cases) citizens, in polish case often the ones expelled by USSR from Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania etc. That is the case of my grandparents.
After that, there were a couples of deals between Poland and Germany that allowed "uniting families" - people descending from german citizens, or married to such, could leave for Germany. Many did, mostly for economic reasons. That includes members of my family, living until today in Berlin.
They were called "late expelees", but in truth, they were not expelled, they left on their free will, except for that these that wanted to return were mostly denied such possibility. I must add, however, that though the main reasons were economical, in some cases it was also about bad attitude towards former german citizens.
During Cold War, Poles were often threatened by its authorities, that Germans will come back and drive them away from Silesia and Pommerania, and the german Expelees organisations were treated as pure evil, especially since they were far-right, headed by ex-nazis, and openly revisionist.
CDU has a long tradition of using Expelees for its purpouses, but even SPD supported them. I am not very suprised that Germans minded that, I understand that. But they should be well aware that it ment Poles had reasons to fear. For many years all people borned in german pre-ww2, and even pre-ww1 borders were officially german citizens. Germany claimed that Silesia, Pommerania etc are merely polish occupation zone; Eastern Germany was called "Central Germany", as Eastern Germany was western Poland etc.
German full acceptance of the post-ww2 border was only done in 1990, and even today NPD questions that.
THE CENTRE
As I've already mentioned, Germany wishes to create the Centre Against Expulsions, dealing mostly with the history of expulsion of Germans from Central/Eastern Europe after ww2.
Poland and Czech Republic were against the idea; Poland and some german politicians wanted to neutralise the Centre by placing it in Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland.
The idea of the Centrum was promoted mostly by Erika Steinbach, leader of League of Expelees. She is highly controversial in Poland, as well as the organisations. It comes from a couple of facts:
- while Steinbach has a status of an expelee according to german law, she isn't really an expelee. Her father was a german officer from inner Germany (Hessen I think) who stationed in Poland during the war, and so she was borned there, in a house owned by Poles, expelled from it.
- she voted (as CDU parliamentarist) and campaigned against recognition of polish-german border in 1990
- she campaigned against letting Poland into NATO and EU
- it was that activity that gained her popularity and only then, in the 90s, the joined BdV (League of Expelees).
- it was discovered that on the meetings of BdV, neo-nazi pamphlets are being quite openly distributed
- vice-leader of BdV engaged in an action to reclaim property of expelled Germans.
I must add that Steinbach indeed tried to make some gestures towards Poland, but she never commented over her former anti-polish actions.
Eventually, the Centre is to be created in Germany, however it was promised that it will be done in the spirit of conciliation with Poland etc etd, and Steinbach was supposed to disappear.
BdV was offered places in the council of the Centre, however, and while it is natural, they nominated Steinbach to it, which brought much anger from Poland, as well as not-right-wing german parties: SPD, post-communists, Green and even Liberals. CDU supported Steinbach, while Merkel hesitated for a long time.
Eventually, under the pressure, Steinbach resigned from the place in the council, however, BdV left the place free, and Steinbach commented about it as a "sword of Damokles", perhaps hinting she would take it, but later on.
W. Bartoszewski, former polish MFA, as well as concentration camp prisoneer, who was sent by Poland to talk about the matter of Steinbach to Merkel, commented that sending Steinbach to an organisation which is supposed, according to the declarations, act towards polish-german concilliation would be like sending a reknown antisemite for a diplomatic mission to Jerusalem (he ment Tell Aviv), which caused an anger in Germany, and a condemnation by leader of Bundestag.
Steinbach got support not only from CDU, but also from german catholic hierarchy.
I must add, that Poles were often told by german part that Steinbach is an unimportant politician, so Poland shouldn't care about her. Yet her ideas are being realised, and her person stubbornly defended by CDU.
Oh, NPD (neo-fascists) in Saxony recently called expulsion of Germans "Holocaust", but the rest of Saxony apologised Poland for that.
Again, the expulsions ment a tragedy for people living there - most supported nazis, but there were innocent people there as well. They've lost their homeland, they encountered tragic events during the travel, before and after it etc. So I understand that they want to commemorate their history and I find Kaczynskis' claims about that Poland should have done more to stop it
not quite moral. But it must be assured that the vision of expulsions often present in the far right-wing people around BdV would not be presented there, and that the sensibility of the other side would not be hurt. That the Centre would be a step towards conciliation, not against it. The presence of Steinbach is a slap in the face of Poland, for the isn't a real expelee, and was a stubborn enemy of Poland in her parliamentary career. I believe that Bartoszewski made a good comparison.
As Red Army approached, most Germans fled from the east, especially since the fate of the first german village in Prussia taken by USSR and later recaptured by Germans was discovered. Many were evacuated by german authorities. During the escape, many have died, especially that it took place in wartime conditions.
The remaining population was often closed by Soviets in camps. Polish communist authorities, very weak at this point, tried to convince some polish-speaking german citizens to declare polish nationality. They were successful sometimes, sometimes not. After relocation of Germans was ordered by Potsdam treaty, those german citizens that didn't declare polish nationality were to leave, apart from some that were kept - with or against their will - by authorities as needed for administering the land.
The camps some german citizens were kept in former german concentration camps. Some atrocities were commited by Soviet, and communist polish citizens during the process, Poland prosecuted some of them as early as the 50s, but with little success, and again in the 90s, when there was a reknown case of Salomon Morel, whose extradition was denied by Israel.
The post-ww2 conditions in polish lands were really bad, and especially on halfly deserted and utterly destroyed post-german ones. I've read documents concerning Eastern Prussia: polish authorities were hardly existing, they weren't obeyed or respected by soviet military, the place was full of soviet deserters and regular army pillaging everyone, as well as pillaging bands from nearby polish Masovia region. Both were pillaging all:
actual Germans, polish-speaking Masurians and Warmiak, polish settlers, polish compulsory workers. They were stronger than polish ad hoc organised militia. As the transport system was destroyed, and people taken away from their fields by soviet military, fled, evacuated or killed, there was lack of nurriture, while winter was approaching. Rats, pestilence, more death, robberies etc. This affected all prople in these regions.
The territories were re-populated by polish (czech and russian in other cases) citizens, in polish case often the ones expelled by USSR from Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania etc. That is the case of my grandparents.
After that, there were a couples of deals between Poland and Germany that allowed "uniting families" - people descending from german citizens, or married to such, could leave for Germany. Many did, mostly for economic reasons. That includes members of my family, living until today in Berlin.
They were called "late expelees", but in truth, they were not expelled, they left on their free will, except for that these that wanted to return were mostly denied such possibility. I must add, however, that though the main reasons were economical, in some cases it was also about bad attitude towards former german citizens.
During Cold War, Poles were often threatened by its authorities, that Germans will come back and drive them away from Silesia and Pommerania, and the german Expelees organisations were treated as pure evil, especially since they were far-right, headed by ex-nazis, and openly revisionist.
CDU has a long tradition of using Expelees for its purpouses, but even SPD supported them. I am not very suprised that Germans minded that, I understand that. But they should be well aware that it ment Poles had reasons to fear. For many years all people borned in german pre-ww2, and even pre-ww1 borders were officially german citizens. Germany claimed that Silesia, Pommerania etc are merely polish occupation zone; Eastern Germany was called "Central Germany", as Eastern Germany was western Poland etc.
German full acceptance of the post-ww2 border was only done in 1990, and even today NPD questions that.
THE CENTRE
As I've already mentioned, Germany wishes to create the Centre Against Expulsions, dealing mostly with the history of expulsion of Germans from Central/Eastern Europe after ww2.
Poland and Czech Republic were against the idea; Poland and some german politicians wanted to neutralise the Centre by placing it in Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland.
The idea of the Centrum was promoted mostly by Erika Steinbach, leader of League of Expelees. She is highly controversial in Poland, as well as the organisations. It comes from a couple of facts:
- while Steinbach has a status of an expelee according to german law, she isn't really an expelee. Her father was a german officer from inner Germany (Hessen I think) who stationed in Poland during the war, and so she was borned there, in a house owned by Poles, expelled from it.
- she voted (as CDU parliamentarist) and campaigned against recognition of polish-german border in 1990
- she campaigned against letting Poland into NATO and EU
- it was that activity that gained her popularity and only then, in the 90s, the joined BdV (League of Expelees).
- it was discovered that on the meetings of BdV, neo-nazi pamphlets are being quite openly distributed
- vice-leader of BdV engaged in an action to reclaim property of expelled Germans.
I must add that Steinbach indeed tried to make some gestures towards Poland, but she never commented over her former anti-polish actions.
Eventually, the Centre is to be created in Germany, however it was promised that it will be done in the spirit of conciliation with Poland etc etd, and Steinbach was supposed to disappear.
BdV was offered places in the council of the Centre, however, and while it is natural, they nominated Steinbach to it, which brought much anger from Poland, as well as not-right-wing german parties: SPD, post-communists, Green and even Liberals. CDU supported Steinbach, while Merkel hesitated for a long time.
Eventually, under the pressure, Steinbach resigned from the place in the council, however, BdV left the place free, and Steinbach commented about it as a "sword of Damokles", perhaps hinting she would take it, but later on.
W. Bartoszewski, former polish MFA, as well as concentration camp prisoneer, who was sent by Poland to talk about the matter of Steinbach to Merkel, commented that sending Steinbach to an organisation which is supposed, according to the declarations, act towards polish-german concilliation would be like sending a reknown antisemite for a diplomatic mission to Jerusalem (he ment Tell Aviv), which caused an anger in Germany, and a condemnation by leader of Bundestag.
Steinbach got support not only from CDU, but also from german catholic hierarchy.
I must add, that Poles were often told by german part that Steinbach is an unimportant politician, so Poland shouldn't care about her. Yet her ideas are being realised, and her person stubbornly defended by CDU.
Oh, NPD (neo-fascists) in Saxony recently called expulsion of Germans "Holocaust", but the rest of Saxony apologised Poland for that.
Again, the expulsions ment a tragedy for people living there - most supported nazis, but there were innocent people there as well. They've lost their homeland, they encountered tragic events during the travel, before and after it etc. So I understand that they want to commemorate their history and I find Kaczynskis' claims about that Poland should have done more to stop it
not quite moral. But it must be assured that the vision of expulsions often present in the far right-wing people around BdV would not be presented there, and that the sensibility of the other side would not be hurt. That the Centre would be a step towards conciliation, not against it. The presence of Steinbach is a slap in the face of Poland, for the isn't a real expelee, and was a stubborn enemy of Poland in her parliamentary career. I believe that Bartoszewski made a good comparison.
her presence in the board of the Centre about expulsions.
Comment