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			{{Short description\|German organization for expelled ethnic Germans}}
	{{cleanup-date\|December 2005}}
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=March 2020}}
	The '''Bund der Vertriebenen''' ''(BdV)'' (] for "Federation of Expellees") is a ] formed to represent the interests of Germans displaced from their homes in ] and other parts of Eastern Europe by the ]. (''"Heimatvertriebene": "Homeland expellees"'').
			{{More citations needed \|date=January 2012}}
			The '''Federation of Expellees''' ({{langx\|de\|link=no\|Bund der Vertriebenen}}; '''BdV''') is a non-profit organization formed in ] on 27 October 1957 to represent the interests of German nationals of all ethnicities and foreign ]s and their families (usually naturalised as German nationals after 1949) who either fled their homes in parts of ], or were forcibly ].

			Since 2014 the president of the Federation has been ], who arrived in West Germany in 1984 as a ] refugee from ], ], and who has since been elected as a ] Member of the ].
	It represents the ] of, today, approximately 15 million German citizens, that after World War II were transferred from ] and the ] and former German territories, ]s who were ] from ], ], ], ] and other countries, it also includes people who were part of colonisation effort by German Reich or who migrated into Nazi occupied territories during the war..The federation's first president was a former ] official accused of ], called ], while the current president is ] politician ].

			==History==
	== German laws concerning the Expellees ==
			{{Main article\|Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950)}}
	Between ] and ] the ] government passed several laws dealing with expelled civilians. Most notable of these laws is the "]" which granted West German ] to any ]. Several additions were made to these laws.

			It is estimated that in the aftermath of World War II between 13 and 16 million ] fled or were ] from parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including the ] (parts of present-day ]), the ], ], ], ], ], ] (mostly from the ] region), the ] of (now) Russia, hitherto ] (in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War) and prior to this, the northern part of ], ], ] and other East European countries.
	The centerpiece of the ethnic German expellee law is the inheritability of the refugee status. According to Bundesvertriebenengesetz Par. 7/2, "the spouse and the descendants" of an expellee are to be treated as if they were expellees themselves, regardless whether they have been personally displaced. Although there never were refugee camps set up in Germany, this legal status is only paralleled by the situation of Palestinian refugees in ] camps.

			===Charter of the German Expellees===
	The Federation of Expellees has however steadily lobbied to preserve the inheritability clause, as a change might deeply effect its ability to recruit from the post-WWII generations. Expellee status also includes Germans settled in Nazi occupied territories as well as those who moved with the military occupation.
			The Charter of the German Expellees ({{langx\|de\|link=no\|Charta der deutschen Heimatvertriebenen}}) of 5 August 1950, announced their belief in requiring that "the right to the homeland is recognized and carried out as one of the fundamental rights of mankind given by God", while renouncing revenge and retaliation in the face of the "unending suffering" (''unendliche Leid'') of the previous decade, and supporting the unified effort to rebuild Germany and Europe.

			The charter has been criticised for avoiding mentioning Nazi atrocities of ] and Germans who were forced to emigrate due to Nazi repressions.<ref>{{in lang\|pl}} Beata Ociepka, "Związek Wypędzonych w systemie politycznym RFN i jego wpływ na stosunki polsko-niemieckie 1982–1992", page 235, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, 1997</ref> Critics argue that the Charter presents the history of German people as starting from the expulsions, while ignoring events like the ].
	== Recent developments ==
	Under previous governments, especially those led by the ], the West German government had shown more rhetorical support for the refugeed and expelled Germans. ] governments have traditionally been less supportive — and it was under ] that ] recognized the ] as part of his ].

			Professor ] pointed out that one third of signatories were former devoted Nazis and many actively helped in realisation of Hitler's goals.
	In the early 1990s the German political establishment realised that they had an opportunity to remove the division between West Germany and East Germany. However it was believed that if this historic opportunity was to be realised it had to be done quickly. One of the potential complications were the lands of historical eastern Germany, because unless these were renounced, some foreign powers might not agree to German unification. The German political establishment agreed to the ] (Two Plus Four Agreement) which officially reestablished the sovereignty of both German states, one condition of which, was that Germany accept the post World War II frontiers. In 1991 to facilitate ] and to reassure other countries, the FRG made some changes to the "]" (German constitution). Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. Then once the five "reestablished federal states" in East Germany had joined, the Basic Law was amended again to indicate that ''there were no other parts of Germany, which existed outside of the unified territory'', that had not acceded.

			] wrote in '']'' "the Charter doesn't contain a word about ], ] and ]. Not to mention any sign of apologies for the suffering of the murdered people", "avoids mentioning the reasons for expulsions" and called the document "example of German art of crowding out the truth (...) The fact that the charter completely ignores the reasons for the expulsions deprives it of any value".<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.dw.com/pl/karta-wyp%C4%99dzonych-pojednanie-czy-relatywizacja/a-5870536\|title=Karta Wypędzonych: pojednanie czy relatywizacja? \| DW \| 05.08.2010\|website=DW.COM}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|title = Streit über Vertriebenen-Charta zum 60. Jahrestag\|url = http://www.abendblatt.de/politik/article107832654/Streit-ueber-Vertriebenen-Charta-zum-60-Jahrestag.html\|website = abendblatt.de\|date = 5 August 2010\|access-date = 19 November 2015\|language = de-DE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|title = Erika Steinbach ist keine Revanchistin\|url = http://www.abendblatt.de/politik/deutschland/article106755899/Erika-Steinbach-ist-keine-Revanchistin.html\|website = abendblatt.de\|date = 27 February 2009\|access-date = 19 November 2015\|language = de-DE}}</ref>
	Support for the aims of the Federation of Expellees within the German electorate remains low, and when in charge of government, both CDU and SPD have tended to favor improved relations with ] and ] even when this conflicts with the interests of the displaced. The issue of the Eastern border of Germany, and of return of the ''Heimatvertriebene'' to their ancestral homes is an issue which the current German government, German constitutional arrangements, and German treaty obligations have closed.

			===German laws concerning the expellees===
	However, with the enlargement of the European Union, the organisations of expellees have gained new hopes of recognition of private German property rights in the former German territories in present-day of Poland and the Czech Republic. They have insisted that Poland and the ] must respect ] and also compensate German victims before being allowed to become members of the European Union. Also the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in ] in the European Parliament that the Czech Republic and ] should repeal the ] before being allowed into the European Union. The claim was supported by the ]n government and Prime Minister ], as well as the Austrian Chancellor ]. In ], ] refused to sign the enlargement of the Common European Economic Space, because the Czech Republic did not withdraw the Benes decrees and compensate the royal family of Liectenstein for their property in Bohemia, which was confiscated after the war. None of these efforts led to any significant result. In ] the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia became members of the European Union and European institutions generally choose future-oriented approach.
			Between 1953, when the ] was passed, and 1991, the ] government passed several laws dealing with German expellees. The most notable of these is the "]" which granted ] to any ethnic German. Several additions were later made to these laws.

			The German Law of Return declared refugee status to be inheritable. According to the ],<ref> Par. 7/2. Retrieved 29 October 2017</ref> "the spouse and the descendants" of an expellee are to be treated as if they were expellees themselves, regardless of whether they had been personally displaced. The Federation of Expellees has steadily lobbied to preserve the inheritability clause.
	Claims were unanimously rejected by the affected countries and became a source of mistrust between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republics. While ''Expellees'' recall their property and speak of human rights, Poles remind that they were never compensated for damages caused by German government during World War II(In Poland alone the war reperations could reach as high as $640 billion, according to the latest estimates). They further argue that the Polish government didn't enact the German expulsion and border shift, but it was instead ordered by the ].Furthermore nationalisation of private property by communist governmnent wasn't in regard to Germans only but enforced on all people, regardless of ethnic background. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the majority of the current Polish population in historical eastern Germany are expellees (or descendants of expellees) themselves'. They were moved from territories annexed by the ] and left their homes and property behind. However, if German expellees have only a tiny chance of regaining their property, Polish ones have no such prospect whatsoever.
	The fact that colonists settled after 1939 in Poland or those that moved there after 1939 are treated as expellees under German law also adds to controversy.

			===Formation of the Federation===
	While the organisation pursues claims towards both Poland and Czech Republic, it remains silent towards Russia and the region of ].
			The Federation of Expellees was formed on 27 October 1957 in West Germany. Before its founding, the '']'' (League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights), formed in 1950, represented the interests of displaced German expellees. Intriguingly, in its first few years, the league was more successful in West Germany than in ].

			===German reunification===
	The Federation of Expellees have also, in 2000, initiated the formation of the Center Against Forced Migration ''(]),''. The representatives of the center are Erika Steinbach and Prof. Dr. Peter Glotz.
			Previous West German governments, especially those led by the Christian Democratic Union, had shown more rhetorical support for the territorial claims made on behalf of German refugees and expellees. Although the ] showed strong support for the expellees, especially under ] and ], Social Democrats in more recent decades have generally been less supportive – and it was under ] that ] recognized the ] as the eastern German border with Poland under his policy of ]. In reality, accepting the internationally recognized boundary made it more possible for eastern Germans to visit their lost homelands.

			In 1989–1990 the West German government realized they had an opportunity to reunify the Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet created German Democratic Republic. But they believed that if this were to be achieved, it had to be done quickly. One of the potential complications was the claim to the historical eastern territories of Germany; unless this was renounced, some foreign governments might not agree to ]. The West German government under the CDU accepted the 1990 ] (Two Plus Four Agreement), which officially re-established the sovereignty of both German states. A condition of this agreement was that Germany accept the post-World War II frontiers. Upon reunification in 1990, the ] was amended to state that Germany's territory had reached its full extent. Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. Once the five "reestablished federal states" in the east had been united with the west, the Basic Law was amended again to show that ''there were no other parts of Germany, which existed outside of the unified territory'', that had not acceded.
	Recently, the federation sued the German journalist ] for alleged defamations. The questioned article was published ], ], in the daily ''Kieler Nachrichten''.

	== ~~Organization~~ ==		===2000s===
	The expellees are organized in 21 regional associations ''(Landsmannschaften)'' according to the areas of origin of its members, 16 state organizations ''(Landesverbände)'' according to their current residence, and 5 associate member organizations. It is the single representative federation for the approximately 15 million Germans which after fleeing, being expelled, evacuated or emigrated, found refuge in the Federal Republic of Germany. The organizations have approximately 2 million members, and is a political force of some influence in Germany.

			In 2000 the Federation of Expellees also initiated the formation of the ] ({{langx\|de\|link=no\|Zentrum gegen Vertreibungen}}). Chairwoman of this Center is Erika Steinbach, who headed it together with former ] politician Prof. Dr. ] (died 2005).
	The current president of the federation is the German politician Erika Steinbach (CDU), who also is a member of the ].

			Recently Erika Steinbach, the chair of the Federation of Expellees, has rejected any compensation claims.{{Citation needed\|date=May 2007}} The vice president of the Federation Rudi Pawelka is however a chairman of the supervisory board of the ].
	The Federation helps members to integrate into German society. Many of the members assist the societies of their place of birth.

			A European organisation for expellees has been formed: EUFV. Headquarters is Trieste, Italy. {{Citation needed\|date=July 2010}}
	=== Charter of the Ethnic German Expellees ===
	The ''Charta der deutschen Heimatvertriebenen'' (Charter of the Ethnic German Expellees) of ], ] announced their belief in requiring that "the right to the homeland is recognized and carried out as one of the fundamental rights of mankind given by God", while renouncing revenge and retaliation in the face of the "infinite wrong" (''"unendliche Leid"'') of the previous decade, and supporting the unified effort to rebuild Germany and Europe.

	==~~= Presidents =~~==		==Organization==

	*] (1959–1963)
			The expellees are organized in 21 regional associations ''(Landsmannschaften)'', according to the areas of origin of its members, 16 state organizations ''(Landesverbände)'' according to their current residence, and 5 associate member organizations. It is the single representative federation for the approximately 15 million Germans who after fleeing, being expelled, evacuated or emigrating, found refuge in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Federation claims to have 1.3 million members (including non-displaced persons),<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.bund-der-vertriebenen.de/strukturen-organisation-aufgaben/rechtsform.html\|title=Bund der Vertriebenen: Rechtsform\|language=de}}</ref> and to be a political force of some influence in Germany. This figure was disputed in January 2010 by the German news service DDP, which reported an actual membership of 550,000.<ref>Reported by ARD News service in January 2010. The figure of 550,000 does not include the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The news report mentioned that an expert in the area of Expellees Prof. ] of the University Würzburg as saying that a decline in BdV membership is understandable because it "mirrors the death of the generation of that era"</ref> According to Erika Steinbach only 100,000 of the members contribute financially.<ref>{{in lang\|de}} Otto Langels, , deutschlandfunk (05.01.2010). Retrieved 29 October 2017</ref>
	*] (1964–1966)

	*] (1967–1970)
			The federation helps its members to integrate into German society. Many of the members assist the societies of their place of birth.
	*] (1970–1994)

	*] (1994–1998)
			===Presidents===
	*] (1998—)

	**Vice president (since 1992): ]
			From 1959 to 1964, the first president of the Federation was ], a former ] judge and activist.<ref name=DW.14.08.2006>, Deutsche Welle (14 August 2006). Retrieved 29 October 2017</ref> After the war Krüger was a ] politician of the ] (CDU), was a member of parliament from 1957 to 1965, served as ] for 4 months in 1963–64 in the First Cabinet of ]. He stepped down from cabinet and other positions in 1964 amid controversy about his war-time background. Krüger was succeeded as president by ] in 1964 who held the position until his untimely death in 1966.<ref name=SPD>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.spd-wiesbaden.de/presse/index.php?seitenID=PR-02-00-0150&archivverzeichnis=Archiv_2006&PHPSESSID=276c4c22beef653702311954dff93627\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719084439/http://www.spd-wiesbaden.de/presse/index.php?seitenID=PR-02-00-0150&archivverzeichnis=Archiv_2006&PHPSESSID=276c4c22beef653702311954dff93627\|url-status=dead\|title=Biography at spd-wiesbaden.de\|archivedate=19 July 2011}}</ref>

			*] (1959–1963) (resigned from his post due to his Nazi past<ref name=DW.14.08.2006/>)
			*] (1964–1966)
			*] (1967–1970)
			*] (1970–1994)
			*] (1994–1998)
			*] (1998–2014)
			*] (2014–)

			===Member organizations===

			====Regional====

	=== Member organizations ===
	==== Landsmannschaften ====
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
	* ]		* ]
	* Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben e.V.		* ]
	* Landsmannschaft Berlin-Mark Brandenburg		* Landsmannschaft Berlin-Mark Brandenburg
	* Landsmannschaft der Bessarabiendeutschen e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Buchenlanddeutschen (Bukowina) e.V.		* ] (Bukowina) e.V.
	* Bund der Danziger e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha- und Bulgariendeutschen		* Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha und Bulgariendeutschen
	* Landsmannschaft der Donauschwaben, Bundesverband e.V.		* Landsmannschaft der Donauschwaben, Bundesverband e.V.
	* Karpatendeutsche Landsmannschaft Slowakei e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* ] e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Oberschlesier e.V. - Bundesverband -		* Landsmannschaft der Oberschlesier e.V. – Bundesverband –
	* Pommersche Landsmannschaft - Zentralverband - e.V.		* ] – Zentralverband – e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Sathmarer Schwaben in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V.		* ] in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V.
	* Landsmannschaft der Siebenbürger Sachsen in Deutschland e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* ] e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* ]		* ]
	* Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe Bundesverband e.V.		* ] e.V.
	* ] e.V.		* ] e.V.

	==== ~~Landesverbände~~ ====		====State====

	* Landesverband Baden-Württemberg
			* Landesverband Baden-Württemberg
	* Landesverband Bayern		* Landesverband Bayern
	* Landesverband Berlin		* Landesverband Berlin
	* Landesverband Brandenburg		* Landesverband Brandenburg
	* Landesverband Bremen		* Landesverband Bremen
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	* Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein		* Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein
	* Landesverband Thüringen		* Landesverband Thüringen

			==Criticism==
			{{unreferenced section\|date=August 2021}}
			When in government, both CDU and SPD have tended to favor improved relations with ] and Eastern Europe, even when this conflicts with the interests of the displaced people. The issue of the eastern border and the return of the '']'' to their ancestral homes are matters which the current German government, German constitutional arrangements and German treaty obligations have virtually closed.

			The refugees' claims were unanimously rejected by the affected countries and became a source of mistrust between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. These governments argue that the expulsion of Germans and related border changes were not enacted by the Polish or Czech governments, but rather were ordered by the ]. Furthermore, the nationalization of private property by Poland's former communist government did not apply only to Germans but was enforced on all people, regardless of ethnic background. A further complication is that many of the current Polish population in historical eastern Germany are themselves expellees (or descendants of expellees) who, totaling 1.6 million, were driven from ] and were forced to leave their homes and property behind as well.

			Some German-speakers had been settled in occupied Poland after 1939 by the Nazis. Treating these ex-colonists as expellees under German law, Erika Steinbach included, adds to the controversy. However, the vast majority of expelled Germans were descended from families who had lived in Eastern Europe for many centuries, while the majority of German colonists in Nazi-occupied Poland were ] and other East European Germans themselves displaced by the ].

			===Alleged Nazi background===

			During the ], the Federation was accused by the GDR and Poland of continuing ]. A recent study confirmed that 13 members of the first council of the Federation had Nazi pasts.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/vertriebenestudie100.html\|title=Aktuelle Nachrichten – Inland Ausland Wirtschaft Kultur Sport – ARD Tagesschau\|last=tagesschau.de}}</ref>

			The Polish daily newspaper ] reported that during BdV meetings in 2003, publications expressing ] and accusing Poles of ] towards ethnic Germans were available for sale, as were recordings of ] marches on ]s, including songs glorifying the ]. Also, ] organizations openly distributed their materials at BdV meetings. While the BdV officially denied involvement in this, no steps were taken to address the concerns raised.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://rzeczpospolita.pl/dodatki/plus_minus_030920/plus_minus_a_6.html \|title=Odwetowcy czy ofiary historii? \|access-date=29 June 2007}}</ref>

			In February 2009, the Polish newspaper ''Polska'' alleged that over one third of the Federation top officials were former Nazi activists, and based this on a 2006 article published by the German magazine '']''.<ref name=FAZ/> The German paper ], later revealed that ''Der Spiegel'' had written this not in respect to the Federation of Expellees, but instead about a previous organization that was dissolved in 1957.<ref name=FAZ>{{in lang\|de}} Stefan Dietrich, , ], (16 March 2009).</ref><ref>, ''Der Spiegel'', 14 August 2006</ref>

			==Notable people==
			<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Misplaced Pages ♦♦♦--->
			<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
			*], German amateur historian

	==See also==		==See also==
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	*]		*]
	*]		*]
			*]
	*]
			*]
	*]
			*]

			*]
	==Further reading==
			*]
	* ''Casualty of War: A Childhood Remembered (Eastern European Studies, 18)'' Luisa Lang Owen and Charles M. Barber, , January, 2003, hardcover, 288 pages, ISBN 1585442127
			*]
			*]
			*]
			*]

	==References==		==References==
	{{~~unreferenced~~}}		{{Reflist}}

	==External links==		==External links==
	* - Official homepage		* {{in lang\|de}} – Official homepage
			* {{in lang\|de}} For latest developments:
	* - Official homepage
			* ] '''' 6 August 2005 Lasso was the first ] (1994–1997)
	*

	* For latest developments: http://cdu.de/politik-a-z/vertriebenen/inhalt.htm (in German)
			{{Authority control}}
	*] '''' ] ] Lasso was the first ] (1994-1997)

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of Expellees}}
	]
	]		]
			]
	]
			]
			]
			]

Latest revision as of 21:49, 23 October 2024

German organization for expelled ethnic Germans

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The Federation of Expellees (German: Bund der Vertriebenen; BdV) is a non-profit organization formed in West Germany on 27 October 1957 to represent the interests of German nationals of all ethnicities and foreign ethnic Germans and their families (usually naturalised as German nationals after 1949) who either fled their homes in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, or were forcibly expelled following World War II.

Since 2014 the president of the Federation has been Bernd Fabritius, who arrived in West Germany in 1984 as a Transylvanian Saxon refugee from Agnita, Socialist Republic of Romania, and who has since been elected as a Christian Social Union in Bavaria Member of the Bundestag.

History

Main article: Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950)

It is estimated that in the aftermath of World War II between 13 and 16 million ethnic Germans fled or were expelled from parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including the former eastern territories of Germany (parts of present-day Poland), the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia (mostly from the Vojvodina region), the Kaliningrad Oblast of (now) Russia, hitherto USSR (in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War) and prior to this, the northern part of East Prussia, Lithuania, Romania and other East European countries.

Charter of the German Expellees

The Charter of the German Expellees (German: Charta der deutschen Heimatvertriebenen) of 5 August 1950, announced their belief in requiring that "the right to the homeland is recognized and carried out as one of the fundamental rights of mankind given by God", while renouncing revenge and retaliation in the face of the "unending suffering" (unendliche Leid) of the previous decade, and supporting the unified effort to rebuild Germany and Europe.

The charter has been criticised for avoiding mentioning Nazi atrocities of Second World War and Germans who were forced to emigrate due to Nazi repressions. Critics argue that the Charter presents the history of German people as starting from the expulsions, while ignoring events like the Holocaust.

Professor Micha Brumlik pointed out that one third of signatories were former devoted Nazis and many actively helped in realisation of Hitler's goals.

Ralph Giordano wrote in Hamburger Abendblatt "the Charter doesn't contain a word about Hitler, Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Not to mention any sign of apologies for the suffering of the murdered people", "avoids mentioning the reasons for expulsions" and called the document "example of German art of crowding out the truth (...) The fact that the charter completely ignores the reasons for the expulsions deprives it of any value".

German laws concerning the expellees

Between 1953, when the Federal Expellee Law was passed, and 1991, the West German government passed several laws dealing with German expellees. The most notable of these is the "Law of Return" which granted German citizenship to any ethnic German. Several additions were later made to these laws.

The German Law of Return declared refugee status to be inheritable. According to the Federal Expellee Law, "the spouse and the descendants" of an expellee are to be treated as if they were expellees themselves, regardless of whether they had been personally displaced. The Federation of Expellees has steadily lobbied to preserve the inheritability clause.

Formation of the Federation

The Federation of Expellees was formed on 27 October 1957 in West Germany. Before its founding, the Bund der Heimatvertriebenen (League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights), formed in 1950, represented the interests of displaced German expellees. Intriguingly, in its first few years, the league was more successful in West Germany than in East Germany.

German reunification

Previous West German governments, especially those led by the Christian Democratic Union, had shown more rhetorical support for the territorial claims made on behalf of German refugees and expellees. Although the Social Democrats showed strong support for the expellees, especially under Kurt Schumacher and Erich Ollenhauer, Social Democrats in more recent decades have generally been less supportive – and it was under Willy Brandt that West Germany recognized the Oder-Neisse line as the eastern German border with Poland under his policy of Ostpolitik. In reality, accepting the internationally recognized boundary made it more possible for eastern Germans to visit their lost homelands.

In 1989–1990 the West German government realized they had an opportunity to reunify the Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet created German Democratic Republic. But they believed that if this were to be achieved, it had to be done quickly. One of the potential complications was the claim to the historical eastern territories of Germany; unless this was renounced, some foreign governments might not agree to German reunification. The West German government under the CDU accepted the 1990 Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany (Two Plus Four Agreement), which officially re-established the sovereignty of both German states. A condition of this agreement was that Germany accept the post-World War II frontiers. Upon reunification in 1990, the constitution was amended to state that Germany's territory had reached its full extent. Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. Once the five "reestablished federal states" in the east had been united with the west, the Basic Law was amended again to show that there were no other parts of Germany, which existed outside of the unified territory, that had not acceded.

2000s

In 2000 the Federation of Expellees also initiated the formation of the Center Against Expulsions (German: Zentrum gegen Vertreibungen). Chairwoman of this Center is Erika Steinbach, who headed it together with former SPD politician Prof. Dr. Peter Glotz (died 2005).

Recently Erika Steinbach, the chair of the Federation of Expellees, has rejected any compensation claims. The vice president of the Federation Rudi Pawelka is however a chairman of the supervisory board of the Prussian Trust.

A European organisation for expellees has been formed: EUFV. Headquarters is Trieste, Italy.

Organization

The expellees are organized in 21 regional associations (Landsmannschaften), according to the areas of origin of its members, 16 state organizations (Landesverbände) according to their current residence, and 5 associate member organizations. It is the single representative federation for the approximately 15 million Germans who after fleeing, being expelled, evacuated or emigrating, found refuge in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Federation claims to have 1.3 million members (including non-displaced persons), and to be a political force of some influence in Germany. This figure was disputed in January 2010 by the German news service DDP, which reported an actual membership of 550,000. According to Erika Steinbach only 100,000 of the members contribute financially.

The federation helps its members to integrate into German society. Many of the members assist the societies of their place of birth.

Presidents

From 1959 to 1964, the first president of the Federation was Hans Krüger, a former Nazi judge and activist. After the war Krüger was a West German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was a member of parliament from 1957 to 1965, served as Federal Minister for Displaced Persons, Refugees and War Victims for 4 months in 1963–64 in the First Cabinet of Ludwig Erhard. He stepped down from cabinet and other positions in 1964 amid controversy about his war-time background. Krüger was succeeded as president by Wenzel Jaksch in 1964 who held the position until his untimely death in 1966.

Hans Krüger (1959–1963)BdV - Der BdV - Geschichte des BdV (resigned from his post due to his Nazi past)
Wenzel Jaksch (1964–1966)
Reinhold Rehs (1967–1970)
Herbert Czaja (1970–1994)
Fritz Wittmann (1994–1998)
Erika Steinbach (1998–2014)
Bernd Fabritius (2014–)

Member organizations

Regional

Landsmannschaft Ostpreußen
Landsmannschaft Schlesien
Deutsch-Baltische Gesellschaft
Landsmannschaft der Banater Schwaben e.V.
Landsmannschaft Berlin-Mark Brandenburg
Landsmannschaft der Bessarabiendeutschen e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Buchenlanddeutschen (Bukowina) e.V.
Bund der Danziger e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Dobrudscha und Bulgariendeutschen
Landsmannschaft der Donauschwaben, Bundesverband e.V.
Karpatendeutsche Landsmannschaft Slowakei e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Litauen e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Oberschlesier e.V. – Bundesverband –
Pommersche Landsmannschaft – Zentralverband – e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Sathmarer Schwaben in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Siebenbürger Sachsen in Deutschland e.V.
Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft Bundesverband e.V.
Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Ungarn
Landsmannschaft Weichsel-Warthe Bundesverband e.V.
Landsmannschaft Westpreußen e.V.

State

Landesverband Baden-Württemberg
Landesverband Bayern
Landesverband Berlin
Landesverband Brandenburg
Landesverband Bremen
Landesverband Hamburg
Landesverband Hessen
Landesverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Landesverband Niedersachsen
Landesverband Nordrhein-Westfalen
Landesverband Rheinland-Pfalz
Landesverband Saar
Landesverband Sachsen / Schlesische Lausitz
Landesverband Sachsen-Anhalt
Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein
Landesverband Thüringen

Criticism

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When in government, both CDU and SPD have tended to favor improved relations with Central and Eastern Europe, even when this conflicts with the interests of the displaced people. The issue of the eastern border and the return of the Heimatvertriebene to their ancestral homes are matters which the current German government, German constitutional arrangements and German treaty obligations have virtually closed.

The refugees' claims were unanimously rejected by the affected countries and became a source of mistrust between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. These governments argue that the expulsion of Germans and related border changes were not enacted by the Polish or Czech governments, but rather were ordered by the Potsdam Conference. Furthermore, the nationalization of private property by Poland's former communist government did not apply only to Germans but was enforced on all people, regardless of ethnic background. A further complication is that many of the current Polish population in historical eastern Germany are themselves expellees (or descendants of expellees) who, totaling 1.6 million, were driven from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union and were forced to leave their homes and property behind as well.

Some German-speakers had been settled in occupied Poland after 1939 by the Nazis. Treating these ex-colonists as expellees under German law, Erika Steinbach included, adds to the controversy. However, the vast majority of expelled Germans were descended from families who had lived in Eastern Europe for many centuries, while the majority of German colonists in Nazi-occupied Poland were Baltic and other East European Germans themselves displaced by the Nazi-Soviet population transfers.

Alleged Nazi background

During the Cold War, the Federation was accused by the GDR and Poland of continuing Nazi ideology. A recent study confirmed that 13 members of the first council of the Federation had Nazi pasts.

The Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that during BdV meetings in 2003, publications expressing anti-Polish sentiment and accusing Poles of ethnic cleansing towards ethnic Germans were available for sale, as were recordings of Waffen SS marches on compact discs, including songs glorifying the Invasion of Poland. Also, far right organizations openly distributed their materials at BdV meetings. While the BdV officially denied involvement in this, no steps were taken to address the concerns raised.

In February 2009, the Polish newspaper Polska alleged that over one third of the Federation top officials were former Nazi activists, and based this on a 2006 article published by the German magazine Der Spiegel. The German paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, later revealed that Der Spiegel had written this not in respect to the Federation of Expellees, but instead about a previous organization that was dissolved in 1957.

Notable people

Heinz Neumeyer, German amateur historian

References

(in Polish) Beata Ociepka, "Związek Wypędzonych w systemie politycznym RFN i jego wpływ na stosunki polsko-niemieckie 1982–1992", page 235, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, 1997
"Karta Wypędzonych: pojednanie czy relatywizacja? | DW | 05.08.2010". DW.COM.
"Streit über Vertriebenen-Charta zum 60. Jahrestag". abendblatt.de (in German). 5 August 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
"Erika Steinbach ist keine Revanchistin". abendblatt.de (in German). 27 February 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
"Gesetz über die Angelegenheiten der Vertriebenen und Flüchtlinge" Par. 7/2. Retrieved 29 October 2017
"Bund der Vertriebenen: Rechtsform" (in German).
Reported by ARD News service in January 2010. The figure of 550,000 does not include the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The news report mentioned that an expert in the area of Expellees Prof. Matthias Stickler of the University Würzburg as saying that a decline in BdV membership is understandable because it "mirrors the death of the generation of that era"
(in German) Otto Langels, "Der lange Weg der Versöhnung", deutschlandfunk (05.01.2010). Retrieved 29 October 2017
^ "League of German Expellees Unwilling to Investigate Own Past", Deutsche Welle (14 August 2006). Retrieved 29 October 2017
"Biography at spd-wiesbaden.de". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
tagesschau.de. "Aktuelle Nachrichten – Inland Ausland Wirtschaft Kultur Sport – ARD Tagesschau".
"Odwetowcy czy ofiary historii?". Retrieved 29 June 2007.
^ (in German) Stefan Dietrich, Erika Steinbach, Polnisches Feindbild, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, (16 March 2009).
"Dafür fehlen uns die Mittel", Der Spiegel, 14 August 2006

External links

(in German) Bund der Vertriebenen – Official homepage
(in German) For latest developments: Spätaussiedler und Heimatvertriebene
Jose Ayala Lasso Speech to the German expellees, Day of the Homeland, Berlin 6 August 2005 Lasso was the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1994–1997)

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