Impossible Border

H. Sammartino Annemarie

Description

Between 1914 and 1922, millions of Europeans left their homes as a result of war, postwar settlements, and revolution. After 1918, the immense movement of people across Germany's eastern border posed a sharp challenge to the new Weimar Republic. Ethnic Germans flooded over the border from the new Polish state, Russian emigres poured into the German capital, and East European Jews sought protection in Germany from the upheaval in their homelands. Nor was the movement in one direction only: German Freikorps sought to found a soldiers' colony in Latvia, and a group of German socialists planned to settle in a Soviet factory town.In The Impossible Border, Annemarie H. Sammartino explores these waves of migration and their consequences for Germany. Migration became a flashpoint for such controversies as the relative importance of ethnic and cultural belonging, the interaction of nationalism and political ideologies, and whether or not Germany could serve as a place of refuge for those seeking asylum. Sammartino shows the significance of migration for understanding the difficulties confronting the Weimar Republic and the growing appeal of political extremism.Sammartino demonstrates that the moderation of the state in confronting migration was not merely by default, but also by design. However, the ability of a republican nation-state to control its borders became a barometer for its overall success or failure. Meanwhile, debates about migration were a forum for political extremists to develop increasingly radical understandings of the relationship between the state, its citizens, and its frontiers. The widespread conviction that the democratic republic could not control its "impossible" Eastern borders fostered the ideologies of those on the radical right who sought to resolve the issue by force and for all time.

Sujets

• Histoire
• World War I
• History of Europe
• Germany
• Migration

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 03 décembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801471193
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THEIMPOSSIBLEBORDER

Corne University Press Ithaca and London

ANNEMARIE H. SAMMARTINO

THE IMPOSSIBLE BORDER

G A N D E R M A N Y T H E E A S T , 1914 –1922

Frontispiece.The image depicts the 1915 GermanRussian border in what is now Lithuania. The fence that is gradually sinking into the swampy earth gives physical form to the impossible frontier that is the subject of this book. Yet, even as the barbed wire sinks into the mire, it is dangerous to try to cross it. Reproduced with permission Ullstein Bild—Haekel, The Granger Collection, New York.

Copyright © 2010 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2010 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2014

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Sammartino, Annemarie.  The impossible border : Germany and the east, 1914–1922 / Annemarie H. Sammartino.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 9780801448638 (cloth : alk. paper)  ISBN 9780801479465 (paper : alk. paper)  1. Germany—Boundaries. 2. Germany—Emigration and immigration—History—20th century. 3. Citizenship—Germany— History—20th century. 4. World War, 1914–1918—Territorial questions— Germany. 5. Germany—History—1871–1918. 6. Germany—History —1918–1933. I. Title.  DD117.S26 2010  940.3'1—dc22 2010021889

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Cloth printing Paperback printing

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Ryan

Acknowedgments Abbrevîatîons

Introductîon: The Crîsîs of Sovereîgnty 1.“German Brothers”: War and Mîgratîon

2.“Now We Were the Border”: The Freîkorps Batîc Campaîgn 3.Socîaîst Pîoneers on the Sovîet Frontîer: Ansîedung Ost 4.“We Who Suffered Most”: The Immîgratîon of Germans from Poand 5.“A Foodîng of the Reîch wîth Foreîgners”: The Frustratîons of Border Contro 6.Antî-Boshevîsm and the Boshevîk Prîsoners of War 7.“A Fîrm Inner Connectîon to Germany”: Naturaîzatîon Poîcy 8.Toerance and Its Lîmîts: Russîans, Jews, and Asyum Concusîon: The Legacy of Crîsîs

Contents

îx xîîî

1 18 45 71

9

6

120 138 156 171 195

viii

|

CONTENTS

Appendîx: Maps German Gaîns în the Treaty of Brest-Lîtovsk March 1918 Prospectîve German Settements în the Former Russîan Empîre German Terrîtorîa Losses after Word War I Bîbîography Index

207

211 227

Acknowledgments

t îs a peasure to begîn thîs book by thankîng the peope and înstîtutîons who I made ît possîbe. Research and wrîtîng for thîs book was funded by grants from the Internatîona Instîtute at the Unîversîty of Mîchîgan, the Councî for European Studîes, the Quadrîe Ba Commîttee of the Germanîstîc Socîety of Amerîca, the Fubrîght Commîssîon, the Berîn Program for Advanced German and European Studîes, the Rackham Schoo of Graduate Studîes at the Unîver- sîty of Mîchîgan, the Deutscher Akademîscher Austauschdîenst, and Oberîn Coege. I am, quîte îteray, îndebted to a of these înstîtutîons. Archîva re- search for thîs book was conducted at the Bundesarchîv în both Kobenz and Lîchterfede, the Geheîmes Staatsarchîv Preußîscher Kuturbesîtz, the Landes- archîv—Berîn, the Sächsîsches Hauptstaatsarchîv, the Frîedrîch Ebert Stîftung, and the Poîtîsches Archîv des Auswärtîgen Amts. In each ocatîon, archîvîsts provîded guîdance and answered my lummoxed querîes. I am gratefu for theîr generosîty, patîence, and assîstance. Chapter 7 was adapted from my chapter în Cîtîzenshîp and Natîona Identîty în Twentîeth-Century Germany,ed. Jan Pa- mowskî and Geoff Eey, 57–72 (Stanford, CA: Stanford Unîversîty Press, 2008), and îs used here wîth the permîssîon of the pubîshers. Katheen Cannîng, Geoff Eey, and Scott Spector at the Unîversîty of Mîchî- gan taught me how to thînk îke a hîstorîan. I have earned much from theîr ex- ampes, advîce, and frîendshîp, and I hope that thîs book îves up to the promîse they saw în the project and pushed me to fui. At dîfferent stages, the Berîn Program at the Freîe Unîversîtät, Hagen Schuze, Af Lüdtke, and Stefan-Lud- wîg Hoffmann gave me the opportunîty to present drafts of varîous chapters to