Federal Ministry for Displaced Persons, Refugees and War Victims
Encyclopedia
The Federal Ministry for Displaced Persons, Refugees and War Victims was part of the West German
federal government from 1949 till 1969.
Before the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany on the territory of the three western (American, British and French) allied zones, the individual state
governments were in charge of the care for displaced person
s. Initially the Office for Displaced Persons was formed for the social policy
task of coordinating the integration of displaced persons and refugees, caring for war victims and providing compensation and initial aid. When the new ministry was formed in September 1949 after the parliamentary elections, it took over this office.
The first minister was Hans Lukaschek, member of the Bundestag
for the Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) and former president of the Zentralverband vertriebener Deutscher, an organisation of displaced Germans. He had eight successors, until in 1969 the ministry was dissolved and its competences were distributed among other federal ministries.
The ministry initially drafted the Lastenausgleichsgesetz and the Bundesvertriebenengesetz (passed in 1952 and 1953, respectively). These laws became the basis of its further activities.
The ministry also mandated a multi-volume documentation of the expulsion of Germans after World War II
(Dokumentation der Vertreibung der Deutschen aus Ost-Mitteleuropa), which was prepared by a large scientific commission led by Theodor Schieder
. The research project took roughly ten years to complete. A crucial role in this commission was played by the Königsberger Kreis led by Theodor Schieder
, Werner Conze
and Hans Rothfels
; it had previously provided ideological justifications for the Third Reich's aggressive eastbound Volkstum politics.
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
federal government from 1949 till 1969.
Before the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany on the territory of the three western (American, British and French) allied zones, the individual state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
governments were in charge of the care for displaced person
Displaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
s. Initially the Office for Displaced Persons was formed for the social policy
Social policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
task of coordinating the integration of displaced persons and refugees, caring for war victims and providing compensation and initial aid. When the new ministry was formed in September 1949 after the parliamentary elections, it took over this office.
The first minister was Hans Lukaschek, member of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
for the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
(CDU) and former president of the Zentralverband vertriebener Deutscher, an organisation of displaced Germans. He had eight successors, until in 1969 the ministry was dissolved and its competences were distributed among other federal ministries.
The ministry initially drafted the Lastenausgleichsgesetz and the Bundesvertriebenengesetz (passed in 1952 and 1953, respectively). These laws became the basis of its further activities.
The ministry also mandated a multi-volume documentation of the expulsion of Germans after World War II
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
(Dokumentation der Vertreibung der Deutschen aus Ost-Mitteleuropa), which was prepared by a large scientific commission led by Theodor Schieder
Schieder commission
Documents on the Expulsion of the Germans from Eastern-Central Europe is the abridged English translation of a multi-volume publication that was created by a commission of West German historians between 1951 and 1961...
. The research project took roughly ten years to complete. A crucial role in this commission was played by the Königsberger Kreis led by Theodor Schieder
Theodor Schieder
Theodor Schieder was one of the most influential German historians of the 20th century.Schieder was born in Oettingen and lived in Königsberg in East Prussia since 1934. In the interwar period Schieder became a part of a group of German conservative historians antagonistic towards the Weimar...
, Werner Conze
Werner Conze
Werner Conze was a German historian in Nazi Germany and in post-World War II Germany. He was one of the notable members of the Schieder commission. He came from a family of academics and lawyers...
and Hans Rothfels
Hans Rothfels
Hans Rothfels was a nationalist conservative German historian. He supported an idea of authoritarian German state, dominance of Germany over Europe and was hostile to Germany's eastern neighbours...
; it had previously provided ideological justifications for the Third Reich's aggressive eastbound Volkstum politics.
Ministers
- Hans Lukaschek (CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
), 1949–1953 - Theodor OberländerTheodor OberländerTheodor Oberländer was an Ostforschung scientist, Nazi officer and German politician. Before Second World War he devised plans aimed against Jewish and Polish population in territories that were to be conquered by Nazi Germany...
(GB/BHEAll-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of RightsThe All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights was a right-wing political party in West Germany, which acted as an advocacy group of the Germans fled and expelled in and after World War II.-History:...
, later CDU), 1953–1960 - Hans-Joachim von MerkatzHans-Joachim von MerkatzHans-Joachim von Merkatz was a German politician. He was Federal Minister of Justice from 1956 to 1957. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1949 to 1961...
(CDU), 1960–1961 - Wolfgang Mischnick (FDP), 1961–1963
- Hans Krüger (CDU), 1963–1964
- Ernst Lemmer (CDU), 1964–1965
- Johann Baptist GradlJohann Baptist GradlJohann Baptist Gradl was a German politician and member of the German party Christian Democratic Union....
(CDU), 1965–1966 - Kai-Uwe von HasselKai-Uwe von HasselKai-Uwe von Hassel was a German politician from Schleswig-Holstein associated with the CDU party.Von Hassel was born in Gare, German East Africa ....
(CDU), 1966–1969 - Heinrich Windelen (CDU), 1969