Timelines

The term “Displaced Persons” (DP) refers to the about 12 million non-Germans who survived the Nazi work camps, concentration camps, and extermination camps and reside in Germany at the end of the war. Most of these people are being repatriated to their home countries. Nonetheless, by 1945 about 1.7 million DPs are still living within the territory of the three Western occupied zones. In July 1947 the International Refugee Organisation (IRO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, begins its work on behalf of people rendered stateless during the Second World War. The IRO organizes repatriations of those affected to their countries of origin or the emigration to other countries. By 1950 only about 150,000 were living within the borders of the Federal Republic of Germany. On April 25, 1951 the “Gesetz über die Rechtstellung heimatloser Ausländer“ (Law Regarding the Legal Status of Stateless Foreigners) is passed in order to improve the legal status of DPs. It does, however, not lead to complete equality with German refugees and expellees, because the law does not regulate compensation rights. Many of the DPs affected do not receive any compensation for the crimes they suffered. Moreover, the relationship between German citizens and DPs is strained by resentment, prejudice, envy, and a defensive attitude. This situation is aggravated by the uneven distribution of refugees and expelless across Germany's occupied zones.