Deutsche Minderheiten in Europa und Landsmannschaften in Deutschland: Ein Vergleich (I)

Abstract

70 years have passed since Hitler has entered into separate agreements with Stalin and Mussolini which – inter alia – formed the basis for mass resettlements of peoples (Baltic Germans and South Tyroleans) from their respective homelands. After World War II, these mass resettlements were succeeded by the mass expulsions and escape of Germans from almost all parts of eastern Europe. This article deals with the question of the current cultural identity of the formerly displaced Germans now living in Germany and compares their identity with those who stayed behind in their respective homelands. The article also poses the question what is the relationship between the Landsmannschaften (welfare and cultural associations) founded by the German refugees in Germany and the German minorities in Europe. The author tries to answer these questions by initially defining the various historical starting positions of both groups (part I). Part II of this article (that will be published in no. 4-2009) will then reveal the existing conflicts between these groups, propose solutions and at the same time – using the example of the Sudeten Germans – open up new perspectives in future (German-Czech) crossborder cooperations.