The Status of Ethnic Germans in Slovakia in the Period Between the End of the World War II and Commencement of Their Transfer out of Slovakia
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The status of ethnic Germans in Slovakia in the period between the end of the World War II and commencement of their transfer out of Slovakia Milan Olejník, Spoločenskovedný ústav SAV, Košice, [email protected] OLEJNÍK, Milan. The status of ethnic Germans in Slovakia in the period between the end of the World War II and commencement of their transfer out of Slovakia. Individual and Society, 2002, Vol. 5, No. 1. Decision of Czechoslovakian political representatives to transform renewed republic to state without “non-Slavonic minorities” had dramatic impact on position of German minority in Slovakia. Germans were exposed to range of precautions which led to political, economic and civil relocation of this ethnic community and resulted in transfer of majority Germans out of Slovakian territory. This paper is devoted to individual aspects of this process and its overall impact on situation of German minority in Slovakia in the years 1945-1946. German minority. Non-Slavonic minorities. Slovakia. The defeat of Nazi Germany had dramatic repercussions upon the status of ethnic Germans in Slovakia. The nazification of majority of Slovak Germans and their exploitation for Hitler´s aims for world domination placed members of German minority in position of perpetrator of Nazi crimes. On the basis of thesis of so called collective guilt the Germans living in Czechoslovakia were deemed to be responsible for a whole array of crimes and a decision was made to transfer1 this ethnic community out of country. In the second part of year 1944 it was clear that the Red Army will enter the territory of Slovakia. This fact prompted the decision of Nazi authorities to evacuate German population out of Slovakia.2 In the summer months o 1945, after the military operation subdued, sizeable part of the German evacuees were returning to their homes.3 However, the hopes of returnees that they will be able to reassume continuity of their previous existence shown to be futile. The German minority group as a whole became a target of broadly based discriminatory measures, imbedded in government programme, which according to place where it was adopted, got name Košice Government Programme (KGP).4 Already before enactment of KGP there were adopted measures which a discriminatory impact upon the members of German minority. On 27th February 1945 Slovak national Council (SNC) adopted Decree no. 4 "In regard to confiscation and accelerated distribution of land property of Germans, Hungarians and traitors of Slovak nation." The mode of confiscation and distribution of confiscated land was concretized in Circular no. 24 issued by Commission for Real Estate and Land Reform (CRELR) on 10 of march 1945. According to the cited Circular, the National Committees were obliged to prepare o lists of persons whose real estate was to be confiscated. The lists had to contain also description of persons whose property was confiscated and in case of ethnic Germans the language used in family circle, membership in Deutsche Partei (German Party - GP)5, positions in GP and nationality reported during the last census.6 The National Committees were also obliged to describe measures enacted in reason to secure an orderly course of exploitation of confiscated real estates. The first territory in Slovakia, liberated by Red Army where Germans lived in high concentration, was region of Spiš. The Spiš was also the first region where confiscation of German real estates occurred. The 1 majority of German homesteads was at that time deserted. The representatives of newly-created public authorities (Local National Committees - LNC and District National Committees - DNC) from districts of Spišská Nová Ves, Kežmarok, Poprad and Levoča, met on 17th march 1945 and adopted "Principles of Settlement of Villages Deserted by Germans". The representative of CRELR, who was also presented at the meeting, informed that these measures are not yet definite in regard to the land distribution.7 An important measure, which significantly impacted the status of ethnic Germans, was the Decree of SNC no. 33 "In regard to punishment of fascist criminals, occupants, traitors and collaborators" issued on 15th May 1945. The Decree no. 33 constituted a legal base for discriminatory measures against all who associated themselves in any form with the Slovak State and its organizations, German Nazi organizations and German minority organizations in Slovakia. According to the cited Decree, anybody who participated on destruction of Czechoslovakian republic (CSR), took part on any form of suppression of Slovak Nation, fought in ranks of German Army, committed hostile acts against Slovak National Uprising (SNU) and collaborated in any form with Nazi Germany or Horthys Hungary was deemed guilty of criminal activities and could be punished. The punishment ranged from incarceration (of various duration) to death penalty.8 The punishment could be alleviated in case when a perpetrator by his (her) later activities significantly contributed to the anti-fascist resistance (especially in SNU) or participated on rescue of racially persecuted persons. In extraordinary circumstances the accused could be granted an absolution.9 According to Decree no. 33, persons who were condemned to imprisonment should be imprisoned in special concentration camps.10 The criminal acts cited in the Decree no. 33 belonged to the jurisdiction of special courts, so called "Peoples Courts". The decisions of these courts were final. The Peoples Courts had a following structure - National Court, District Courts and Local Courts.11 In summer 1945 Slovak National Council enacted further decrees, which regulated status of German minority members in Slovakia. On 3rd July 945 SNC issued Decree no. 69 "In regard to employment termination of state unreliable persons". On the basis of this decree, employers, with consent of the Local National Committee, were empowered "without regard to any other legal and contracted clauses immediately terminate employment with state unreliable person".12 On August 23rd 1945 SNC issued Decree no. 99 "In regard to employment of state and public employees", which excluded members of German minority from public employment.13 The attitudes of Czechoslovak representatives toward the members of German minority were influenced by two motives - to punish those ethnic Germans who in any form associated themselves with Nazis, or committed acts deemed hostile to CSR and transfer Germans out of Czechoslovakia (with exception of active anti-fascists). The intention to transfer ethnic Germans out of Czechoslovakia, however, depended on the consent of USA, GB and Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia was awarded this consent during the conference of these states in German city of Potsdam on beginning of August 1945. Czechoslovak president E. Beneš reacted on this positive development immediately. On 2nd August 1945 E. Beneš issued Decree of Pesident of Republic (DPR) no. 33 "In regard to Amendment of Czechoslovakian State Citizenship of German and Hungarian Nationals".14 DPR, in its philosophy and justification, transformed the thesis of "collective guilt" into a concrete legal norm, which deprived a decisive majority of ethnic Germans of their citizenship and constituted the basis for their transfer out of Czechoslovakia. The persons, who were deprived of Czechoslovak citizenship were entitled to request the return of citizenship. The Ministry of Interior (MI) and in Slovakia the Commission for the Interior (CI), were entitled to decide the merit of submitted requests individually. The cases of ethnic Germans and Hungarians who were married to persons of "Slavic" origin should have been evaluated with "good graces" and till final decision was made these persons should be treated as a Czechoslovak citizens.15 As a whole, the situation of ethnic Germans in Slovakia during the summer months of 1945 was very confused. As it was mentioned, a sizeable part of German population evacuated before arrival of Red Army. Some localities with high concentration of German inhabitants were almost utterly deserted.16 These people were coming back. In majority cases the Local National Committees and National Militia17 prevented return of evacuees to heir homes. The Germans were concentrated in various places according to local conditions. The creation of concentration camps and process of emplacement of Germans into these camps was beset by a number of difficulties. Confusion, improvisation and insufficient material support from public authorities plagued the whole process. The CI endeavored to insert into concentration of Germans a degree of unity and issued several circulars with instructions. On 18th July 1945 the III. Department of CI issued a "House Order for the Concentration Camps in Slovakia". According to these instructions the management of concentration camps had establish a detailed evidence about each inmate, inmates should undergo a health inspection and upon entry into concentration camp they should be deprived of "all things which they could get by without". The inmates should be provided with the same type of fare as regular prisoners. The inmates were banned of any kind of contact with the outside world. Exceptionally, twice per month at most, the camp management could 2 , The status of ethnic Germans in Slovakia in the period between the end of the World War II and commencement of their transfer out of Slovakia permit to inmates to send a message to closest relative (husband or wife) after inspection of its content.18 Further instructions for establishment