German exodus from Central and Eastern Europe

The dawn of German East refers to the process of eradication of the German populations remaining outside of Germany's post-WWII borders.

The phases of the process started with

Nazi-Soviet population transfers

Nazi-Soviet population transfers refers to population transfer of Germans from territories occupied by Soviet Union due to Nazi-Soviet pact, notably Bessarabia and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia which traditionally had a large German minority. Volksdeutsche were then resettled in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, but also in Zamosc County as decided by Generalplan Ost. In most cases they were given farms that were taken away from Poles who were deported from the area.

Evacuation

Late towards the end of the war German authorities ordered the evacuation of areas close to the advancing front. Not only people who had been citizens of Nazi Germany (Reichsdeutsche) but also ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) were successfully evacuated (around 5 milion people) before the rest were overrun by the Red Army.

Expulsion

The remaining German citizens were expulsed from present-day Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Kaliningrad Oblast, and other East European countries, some of whom had become German citizens during the world war. Some fled in fear of the Red Army, and some were persecuted because of their activites during the war or for other reasons. Expulsed were around 5 milion people.

Emigration of Germans from Eastern Europe

(to be written) (5 milion people)

Between 1950 and 1990, 1.4 milion people emigrated from Poland to Germany claiming German ancestry (770 000 out of them in 1980-ties).

(to be written)