Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Larson, Kevin Marc URN etd-04262006-071805 Title Germans as Victims? The Discourse on the Vertriebene Diaspora, 1945-2005 Degree Master of Arts Department History Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Dr. Joseph Perry Committee Chair Dr. Jared Poley Committee Member Keywords
- Bund der Vertriebenen
- Commemoration
- Diaspora
- East Prussia
Date of Defense 2006-04-26 Availability unrestricted Abstract This thesis examines German memories of the Vertriebene, the twelve millionGermans who fled their homeland in the face of Russian invasion in the closing days of
World War II. I explore the acceptable limits of victim discourse and consider the
validity of arguments about German victimization in light of the atrocities committed by
Germans during the war. Three chapters discuss diaspora, discourse and
commemoration. I relate diaspora historiography to the Vertriebene and then dissect the
discourse of the Bund der Vertriebenen and its construction of a German "victim mythos"
that undermined more acceptable claims for the recognition of Germans victimhood. I
then analyze debates over the suitable commemoration of German victims in academic
discourse, fiction, and efforts to build a memorial to the Vertriebene. I conclude that
some Germans can be considered legitimate victims of the war, but only when one also
remembers the victims of Germans.
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