Expulsion Summary
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You are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “Expulsion Summary”.
Dec 13, 2010 @ 17:25:16
Dear Sir/ Madam,
When assesing blame for the suffering of the expelled Germans you forget to mention the primary cause – which is Nazi Germany takover of Czechoslovakia and later (joint with Soviet Union) attack on Poland.
There would be no athrocities against German population without previous behaviour of Germans in occupied territories. Holocaust was most extreme and is best known but other facts are also important when discussing postwar history of expulsions.
Germany pioneered ethnic cleansing policy on Polish population during their 5 year rule. Polish nationals were expelled from territories incorporated to Reich and forced to flee to General Gouvernment (Central Poland). At the same time Russians expelled hundreds of thousands of Poles from eastern Poland into Sybiria.
Apart from 3 million Polish Jews killed in Holocaust additional 3 million of Polish nationals were killed by occupants (most by Germans, few hundred thousands by Russians or died in Sybiria or during ethnic cleansing done by Ukrainians supported by Germans)
German territories granted by Allies to Poland (Silesia, Prussia, Danzig/Gdansk, Pomerania) were given “in exchange” for bigger in size Polish territories seized by Soviet Union (along the lines drawn by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union during their partition of Poland in 1939). Those so called “recovered” from Germany territories were populated by Poles returning from Siberia or expelled from the east after the war ended,
Most of civil German victims of end war/post war athrocities were totaly innocent – and nothing can justify rapes or killings.
But regarding expulsion itself – it is hard to imagine Poles and Germans living side by side immediately after the war or to imagine East Prussia left in Germany populated by Germans longing to rejoin rest of Germany. Especially that East Prussia and Silesia were most pro-Nazi parts of Germany, with Nazi party getting there over 50% of popular vote in last prewar free elections.
I understand that this blog (or this part of blog) is dedicated to German suffering – it is a must to remember about innocent victims on all sides of WWII and all other wars – still this suffering has to be put in context of Nazi Germany guilt for starting a vicious circle of war and terror.
Best regards
Jaroslaw Swiecicki
Dec 14, 2010 @ 06:31:28
Hello Jaroslaw
Generally I agree with your message. Although I believe your historical span is too narrow. I would point to the following on ManyRoads:
Flucht und Vertreibung (Gallery) (Please note my comments at the opening)
Expulsions and holocausts did not start nor did they end with the Germans. In the “ancient” past, you may recall the pillage of Carthage by Rome, the systematic killings and expulsions of Native American populations in the New World among others. Ethnic cleansing, expulsions continue today and have been conducted with vigor for millennium. In World War 2 alone there were at least four major holocausts against each of the Jews, Chinese, German, and Soviet peoples. Since World War 2, there have been numerous as well including against the Cambodians, Bosnians, Rwandans, Congans, Sudanese…
The extreme sadness is that each is inexcusable and few are remembered.
And as for blame, I believe every group that allows, supports or takes part in an atrocity is responsible for their actions. When innocents are made to suffer, neither a heinous action nor reaction is pardonable. Just as the German government has accepted responsibility for the horrors of their WW2 acts, others need accept and acknowledge responsibility for their actions as well.
Thank you for you thoughtful comments.