Perspectives on the Transformation of Breslau into Wrocław, 1945-1948

Abstract

Breslau, which is now known as Wrocław, is a city in Western Poland that was annexed after the end of the Second World War. The final goal regarding Poland was to create an ethnically homogenous nation state, and this was achieved through forced expulsions, killings, and the mass migration of Poles from what is now Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. This paper will explore both civilian and administrative perspectives of these events in the city of Wrocław while this was taking place in Poland from 1945 to 1948. It will also examine the relationships that developed between the two through the use of statistics, propaganda posters, pictures, firsthand accounts, diaries from the period, newspaper and magazine articles, a novel by Olga Tokarczuk, and three other nonfiction books on the topic.