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| '''''Drang nach Osten''''' ("Striving towards the East") is a term used in ]'s history that means the expansion of Germany, German states and German settlement, that led to the |
'''''Drang nach Osten''''' ("Striving towards the East") is a term used in ]'s history that means the expansion of Germany, German states and German settlement, back toward their ancient settlements. The policy, equivelent in aspects to that of ] led to the reconquest and settlement of ] and ] areas by Germany. Commencing during the early ] with the Bradenburg marches and Tuetonic crusade until the end of ] in ] when the ] were defeated by the ] of the ] and over 15,000,000 Germans were ethnically cleansed from Eastern and Central Europe by Soviet forces, Germans managed to recover much of their former homelands. | ||
| Germanic histories, sagas and cultural traditions maintained the origin of the Germanic peoples far to the east of present Germany. Additionally, the written records show that the Germanic peoples originated at least as far as Northwestern Central Asia and the Black Sea. Verified historical records also show the Germanic nations as the prime bulwark against Roman imperialsim and ] expansion fighting against them and settling in areas from the Rhine to the Dneiper. It was the Goths who led the final assaults which overthrew the Roman imperium. However, the repeated wars, the large scale settlement of Roman imperial territory during the collapse of the Imperium and the Hunnic invasions left much of the German hinterland depopulated. Despite their victory over Rome, by 6th century AD, the various ] invasions had pushed the Germans out of present day Central Asia, Southern Russia, Ukrain and Poland, leaving much of Germany itself the conquest and settlement of the Slavs. | |||
| Under the Vikings and early Saxon kings, the Germans began a resettlement of the Baltics and central Germany. Charlamagne's conquest of Saxony didn't dim this resettlement as the Carolognian Empire took up the Viking and Saxon push with Catholic sanction and led campaigns against the Slavs and vanquished the Avars who were the last of the great Hunnic Empire in Europe. By the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany in the 10th Century AD, the Germanic peoples had recovered much of Central Europe. | |||
| Population growth during the ] stimulated movement of peoples from the Rhenish, Flemish and Saxon territories of the ] eastwards into the less-settled Baltic region and what is now ]. These movements were supported by the German nobility and the medieval Church, and took place largely at the expense of non-Christian Baltic ethnic groups (see ]). | Population growth during the ] stimulated movement of peoples from the Rhenish, Flemish and Saxon territories of the ] eastwards into the less-settled Baltic region and what is now ]. These movements were supported by the German nobility and the medieval Church, and took place largely at the expense of non-Christian Baltic ethnic groups (see ]). | ||
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| The future German state of ], named for one of the conquered peoples, had its roots largely in these movements. As the Middle Ages came to a close, the ] had assimilated (and forcibly converted) much of the southern Baltic coastlands, and a more or less stable frontier had formed between Prussia and the Catholic Polish kingdom, up until the partition of Poland by Prussia, ] and ] in ]. Russia and ] eventually conquered the lands taken by the Teutonic Knights in ] and ]. | The future German state of ], named for one of the conquered peoples, had its roots largely in these movements. As the Middle Ages came to a close, the ] had assimilated (and forcibly converted) much of the southern Baltic coastlands, and a more or less stable frontier had formed between Prussia and the Catholic Polish kingdom, up until the partition of Poland by Prussia, ] and ] in ]. Russia and ] eventually conquered the lands taken by the Teutonic Knights in ] and ]. | ||
| This was the situation until the upheavals of the ] and ], when ]s pointed to the movement towards the ] as a proof of German "vitality". |
This was the situation until the upheavals of the ] and ], when ]s pointed to the movement towards the ] as a proof of German "vitality". This was later manipulated by the Nazi Party who cited it in their demands for "living space" in the East. Joined to the secular humanism and racism of Nazism, a definitive halt to the idea of the ''Drang nach Osten'' came during ], after ] invaded the ] in ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Nazi officials used it as grounds for the expulsion of 800,000 ]s and ]s from ] to concentration camps after the defeat of the ] in ], which caused 200,000 deaths. The city of Warsaw with millions of inhabitants was ordered to be completely demolished on ]'s personal orders. ] stated that the Poles had been an obstacle to German Eastern expansion for the last 700 years, and that the aim was to remove that obstacle permanently. | ||
| ⚫ | However, in turn, Allied and particularly Jewish Bolshevik leaders were determined to punish Germany. Decisions made at the ] in ], especially as relating to the ], in effect rolled back the practical results of the later part of the ''Drang nach Osten'' and redesignated German territories within the approximate Germanic borders of the year ] AD. | ||
| ⚫ | Nazi officials used it as grounds for the expulsion of 800,000 ]s from ] to concentration camps after the defeat of the ] in ], which caused 200,000 deaths. The city of Warsaw with millions of inhabitants was ordered to be completely demolished on ]'s personal orders. ] stated that the Poles had been an obstacle to German Eastern expansion for the last 700 years, and that the aim was to remove that obstacle permanently. | ||
| Additionally, on the advice of his Soviet infiltrated staff, Roosevelt made no effort to back Churchill in resisting Jewish and Soviet demands for exterminating Germans in the East and reshaping the borders of WWII. Nonetheless, Stalin agreed to recognize the borders of Europe as they existed in 1939. Despite agreements to treat German civilians fairly Soviet troops raped, pillaged, destroyed and annihialated Germans living east of the Oder river. By 1946, millions of German civilians, men, women, and children were murdered and over 15,000,000 Germans were ethnically cleansed from their ancient homelands. | |||
| ⚫ | Decisions made at the ] in ], especially as relating to the ], rolled back the practical results of the later part of the ''Drang nach Osten'' and redesignated German territories within the approximate Germanic borders of the year ] AD. |
||
| United Nations treaties and international agreements between Germany and other powers has legally sanctioned the right of return of Germans to their lands, properties, and towns which existed before the beginning of WWII. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | *] | ||
Revision as of 04:03, 22 November 2005
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Drang nach Osten ("Striving towards the East") is a term used in Germany's history that means the expansion of Germany, German states and German settlement, back toward their ancient settlements. The policy, equivelent in aspects to that of Manifest Destiny led to the reconquest and settlement of Slavic and Baltic areas by Germany. Commencing during the early Middle Ages with the Bradenburg marches and Tuetonic crusade until the end of World War II in 1945 when the Wehrmacht were defeated by the Red Army of the Soviet Union and over 15,000,000 Germans were ethnically cleansed from Eastern and Central Europe by Soviet forces, Germans managed to recover much of their former homelands.
Germanic histories, sagas and cultural traditions maintained the origin of the Germanic peoples far to the east of present Germany. Additionally, the written records show that the Germanic peoples originated at least as far as Northwestern Central Asia and the Black Sea. Verified historical records also show the Germanic nations as the prime bulwark against Roman imperialsim and Mongol-Turkic expansion fighting against them and settling in areas from the Rhine to the Dneiper. It was the Goths who led the final assaults which overthrew the Roman imperium. However, the repeated wars, the large scale settlement of Roman imperial territory during the collapse of the Imperium and the Hunnic invasions left much of the German hinterland depopulated. Despite their victory over Rome, by 6th century AD, the various Mongol-Turkic invasions had pushed the Germans out of present day Central Asia, Southern Russia, Ukrain and Poland, leaving much of Germany itself the conquest and settlement of the Slavs.
Under the Vikings and early Saxon kings, the Germans began a resettlement of the Baltics and central Germany. Charlamagne's conquest of Saxony didn't dim this resettlement as the Carolognian Empire took up the Viking and Saxon push with Catholic sanction and led campaigns against the Slavs and vanquished the Avars who were the last of the great Hunnic Empire in Europe. By the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany in the 10th Century AD, the Germanic peoples had recovered much of Central Europe.
Population growth during the High Middle Ages stimulated movement of peoples from the Rhenish, Flemish and Saxon territories of the Holy Roman Empire eastwards into the less-settled Baltic region and what is now Poland. These movements were supported by the German nobility and the medieval Church, and took place largely at the expense of non-Christian Baltic ethnic groups (see Northern Crusades).
The future German state of Prussia, named for one of the conquered peoples, had its roots largely in these movements. As the Middle Ages came to a close, the Teutonic Knights had assimilated (and forcibly converted) much of the southern Baltic coastlands, and a more or less stable frontier had formed between Prussia and the Catholic Polish kingdom, up until the partition of Poland by Prussia, Austria and Russia in 1772. Russia and Sweden eventually conquered the lands taken by the Teutonic Knights in Estonia and Livonia.
This was the situation until the upheavals of the 19th and 20th, when German nationalists pointed to the movement towards the East as a proof of German "vitality". This was later manipulated by the Nazi Party who cited it in their demands for "living space" in the East. Joined to the secular humanism and racism of Nazism, a definitive halt to the idea of the Drang nach Osten came during World War II, after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
Nazi officials used it as grounds for the expulsion of 800,000 Poles and Jews from Warsaw to concentration camps after the defeat of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, which caused 200,000 deaths. The city of Warsaw with millions of inhabitants was ordered to be completely demolished on Hitler's personal orders. Himmler stated that the Poles had been an obstacle to German Eastern expansion for the last 700 years, and that the aim was to remove that obstacle permanently.
However, in turn, Allied and particularly Jewish Bolshevik leaders were determined to punish Germany. Decisions made at the Potsdam conference in 1945, especially as relating to the Oder-Neisse line, in effect rolled back the practical results of the later part of the Drang nach Osten and redesignated German territories within the approximate Germanic borders of the year 1200 AD.
Additionally, on the advice of his Soviet infiltrated staff, Roosevelt made no effort to back Churchill in resisting Jewish and Soviet demands for exterminating Germans in the East and reshaping the borders of WWII. Nonetheless, Stalin agreed to recognize the borders of Europe as they existed in 1939. Despite agreements to treat German civilians fairly Soviet troops raped, pillaged, destroyed and annihialated Germans living east of the Oder river. By 1946, millions of German civilians, men, women, and children were murdered and over 15,000,000 Germans were ethnically cleansed from their ancient homelands.
United Nations treaties and international agreements between Germany and other powers has legally sanctioned the right of return of Germans to their lands, properties, and towns which existed before the beginning of WWII.