The Ethnic Cleansing of the Germans After the Second World War | DOCUMENTARY скачать в хорошем качестве

The Ethnic Cleansing of the Germans After the Second World War | DOCUMENTARY

The Allied victory in 1945 brought an end to Nazi Germany and a sense of hope to a continent devastated by six years of war. However, for millions of German civilians, that triumph marked the beginning of a new tragedy. While Europe celebrated Hitler's downfall and the end of the Jewish genocide, another process of persecution and mass expulsion quietly began: the ethnic cleansing of more than twelve million Germans living outside Germany's borders, especially in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and the territories that would later be controlled by the Soviet Union. These people, many of them peasant families who had lived in these regions for centuries, were transformed overnight into "enemies" and "collective culprits." The idea of ​​expelling German minorities did not arise spontaneously at the end of the war. Since the 1930s, the rise of Nazism and Hitler's invasions had fueled deep resentment. For many European states, the presence of German communities outside Germany had served as a pretext for Nazi expansion, as was the case with the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Therefore, once the Third Reich was defeated, Allied leaders such as Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt agreed to redraw the map of Europe and relocate these populations to prevent future conflicts. It was justified as a preventative measure, a “political necessity,” but in practice, it meant the forced expulsion of innocent civilians. The process began even before the war ended. As the Red Army advanced westward, millions of Germans fled desperately in the dead of winter, crossing snow-covered fields, bombed-out roads, and devastated landscapes. Thousands died of hunger, cold, or exhaustion. Those who could not escape were arrested by the new authorities and sent to concentration camps and forced labor camps. In Czechoslovakia, Germans were forced to wear armbands that identified them; their citizenship, property, and rights were confiscated. In Poland, many were imprisoned in former Nazi camps, now repurposed to detain and exploit them as forced labor. Physical and psychological violence was commonplace: torture, assault, humiliation, and murder occurred in broad daylight. Conditions in the camps and during the expulsion marches were extremely harsh. Diseases such as typhus and dysentery spread rapidly among the prisoners due to overcrowding and lack of food. In places like the Zgoda camp, administered by Solomon Morel in Poland, thousands of civilians—including women and children—died in brutal conditions. In Yugoslavia, many Germans were slowly sent to extermination camps, while children were separated and re-educated to erase their cultural identity. There was no international protection for them: the world did not want to hear about German suffering at a time when the crimes of Nazism had only just come to light. Welcome to The Kommandant, where you'll delve into exclusive documentaries on the Second World War. Explore firsthand accounts, impactful imagery, and in-depth analysis of the events that shaped the course of world history. #worldwar2 #ww2 #nazis #history @worldhistoryvideos @historyatwar @HistoryInsideWW2 @WorldWarTwo @waracademy128 🎵Music Played on this video & Channel: 'Catalyst' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Goliath' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Discovery' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Emergent' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Rise Above' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'This Too Shall Pass' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Chasing Daylight' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Vanguard' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Ignis' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'The Vision' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'The Spaces Between' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Ascension' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'The Call' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Terminus' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au