Volksdeutsche

Volksdeutsche (literally "members of the German people"; no English translation, adj. volksdeutsch) is a historical term which arose in the early 20th century to apply for Germans living outside of the German Empire. This is in contrast to Imperial Germans (Reichsdeutsche), German citizens living within Germany. In that sense, it is the equivalent of today's legal definition of the term Auslandsdeutsche. This is the most loose meaning of the term, which was used mainly during the Weimar Republic. In a stricter sense, volksdeutsch became to mean (ethnic) Germans living abroad but without German citizenship, i.e., the juxtaposition with reichsdeutsch was sharpened to denote difference in citizenship as well as residence.

Table of contents

1 During Nazi Times 2 See also 3 External link

During Nazi Times

During Nazi times, Volksdeutche were used for foreign-born Germans, who applied for German citizenship, living in country of origins now occupied by Germany. Prior to World War II, well above ten million ethnic Germans lived in Central and Eastern Europe. They constituted an important minority far into Russia. During WW2 Volksdeutsche were used by Nazi regime for espionage, sabotage and other services against countries of their origins. Most of Volksdeutsche left their countries in the course of German exodus from Eastern Europe. Tiny remnants of the ethnic German community remain in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. There is also a small surviving German community in Siebenbürgen (Transylvania) in Romania. The Nazis popularized the terms Volksdeutsche and also exploited this group for their own purposes. As a result, the term is not much used today - often one uses either Auslandsdeutsche or names that more closely associate them with their earlier place of abode (such as Wolgadeutsche, the ethnic Germans living in the Volga basin in Russia; and Baltic Germans, those ethnic Germans who generally called themselves Balts and were removed to German-occupied Poland during WW2 by an agreement between Hitler and Stalin). In Poland during World War II Polish citizens of German ancestry, often identifing themselves with the Polish nation, were confronted with the dilemma of whether to sign the Volksliste, the list of Germans living in Poland. This included ethnic Germans whose families had lived in Poland proper for centuries and Germans (who after 1920 were citizens of Poland) from the part of Germany that had been given to Poland after World War I. Often the choice was either to sign and be regarded as a traitor by the Polish, or not to sign and be treated by the Nazi occupation as a traitor of the Germanic race. After the collapse of Nazi Germany these people were tried by the Polish authorities for high treason. Even now, in Poland, the word Volksdeutsch is regarded as an insult, synonymous with the word "traitor". In some cases, individuals consulted Polish resistance first, before signing the Volksliste. Volksdeutsche played important role in intelligence of the Polish resistance, at times primary source of information for the Allies. Having helped the Polish non-communist resistance didn't give anybody any benefits in the eyes of new communist government after 1945. Some of the double side Volksdeutsche were also persecuted. In occupied Poland the status of Volksdeutsche giving many privileges but one big disadvantage: Volksdeutsche were conscripted to the German army. Volksliste had 4 categories. No 1 and No 2 are considered ethnic Germans, while No 3 and No 4 are ethnic Poles, that signed the Volksliste from different reasons. No 1 and No 2 on the Polish areas annexed by Germany counted 1,000,000 and No 3 and No 4 1,700,000. In General Government there were 120,000 Volksdeutsche. Especially, Volksdeutsche of Polish origins were treated by Poles with contempt, but also it constituted high treason according to Polish law. Both groups, Volksdeutsche by signing the list, and Reichsdeutsche retained German citizenship during the 50 years of allied military occupation and the establishment of East Germany and West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany) in 1949, later the reunified Germany.

See also

\n* the article for Imperial Germans for a discussion of the different concepts and the shift of meaning between them.\n*Heimatvertriebene\n*Expulsion of Germans after World War II\n*World War II evacuation and expulsion\n*Persecutions of Nazi collaborators

External link

\n* [1] Immigration of German People to Germany, statistics on refugee Ethnic Germans arriving in remaining part of Germany after WW II. \n\nCategory:Ethnic groups