The Unwanted: European Refugees in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

There have always been homeless people, but only in this century have refugees become an important part of international politics, seriously affecting relations between states. This book traces the growth of this 20th-century phenomenon, and takes a stern view of the international community's apathy towards the vast homeless population. While a considerable portion of the book is devoted to the dislocations of the Nazi era, Professor Marrus also looks at the whole period from the late nineteenth century to the present, depicting the astounding dimensions of the problem. He also examines the impact of refugee movements on Great Power diplomacy, and considers the evolution of agencies designed to assist refugees, noting outstanding successes and failures. The book's thesis is that the huge refugee inundations of the twentieth century in Europe represented a terrible new page in human history, presaging what we see today in parts of the Third World. Readership: students and teachers of modern history and politics, especially European.