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The Berlin Dome

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Chapter 137. The Great Population Transfers (Part I)
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    • Chapter 137. The Great Population Transfers (Part I)



    For context, you may review Chapter 131. Treaty of Reykjavik. Alternatively, you may just browse the Ceasefire Treaty which I inserted into the spoiler below.

    Note: All provisions regarding population transfers are formatted with italics.

    The Soviet Union recognized:
    • the European Community of Nations under the leadership of the German Reich;
    • all treaties signed in Europe since 17 January 1945;
    • the borders of Germany and of the other European countries;
    • the Independence of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia;
    • the dissolution / annexation of Belgium, Flanders, Wallonia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Switzerland, Romandy, Outer France, Czechoslovakia, Czechia, Slovenia;
    • the internal political structure of the European countries, etc.

    The borders of Finland remained unchanged (the post Winter War borders, as the Petsamo Province had been returned to Finland in November 1945).

    The military neutrality of Finland was recognized. The Porkkala Lease was dissolved and the Soviet Porkkala Naval Base was closed. The Åland Islands remained demilitarized.

    Finland was allowed to join the ECN economical and political structures but not its military alliance.

    All ethnic Finns from the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Finland.

    The borders of the Karelian SSR were reverted to those of 1940, thus reincorporating the Karelian Isthmus and North-Eastern Salla into its territory. Karelia remained de jure part of the Soviet Union.

    All ethnic Karelians (including Ingrians, Veps, Votes, etc) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Karelia. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Karelia after 1940 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Karelia or colonization of foreign people in Karelia were allowed.

    Obviously, the large Russian population who had lived in Karelia for generations was not going to be removed. Former Finnish Karelia (and Salla) would remain almost empty, except for the Soviet military forces stationed there. Viipuri (Vyborg) was expected to become a ghost city. However, Karelians and Russians from the rest of Karelia were expected to start moving to those empty areas.

    The Independence of Estonia and the Estonian Government in Kuressaare were recognized. The Estonian SSR was dissolved.

    From the two areas annexed to the Russian SFSR in 1944/1945, the southern one¹ was returned to Estonia while the northern one² remained part of the Russian SFSR.

    The West Estonian Archipelago was under the control of the Estonian Government. Mainland Estonia remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure part of Estonia. The western coast of Estonia, facing the West Estonian Archipelago and the Gulf of Riga, was demilitarized.

    All ethnic Estonians (including Võros, Setos, Livonians, etc) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Soviet controlled Estonia. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Estonia after 1940 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Estonia or colonization of foreign people in Estonia were allowed. A significant number of Russians would remain in Estonia.

    1. Petseri County / Pechory District -- strategically less important.
    2. Jaanilinn Area / Ivangorod District -- the Soviet Union insisted that Russia keep that territory in order to have the border farther away from Leningrad and on a more defensible position on the Narva River.

    The Independence of Latvia and the Latvian Government in Liepāja were recognized. The Latvian SSR was dissolved.

    The area annexed to the Russian SFSR in 1944 was returned to Latvia.³

    Inner Latvia and the Outer Courland Peninsula were under the control of the Latvian Government. The rest of Latvia remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure part of Latvia. The Soviet portion of the Latvian coast and the Soviet side of the demarcation line in Outer Latvia were demilitarized.

    All ethnic Latvians from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Soviet controlled Latvia. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Latvia after 1940 would be sent back home.No more deportations from Latvia or colonization of foreign people in Latvia were allowed. A significant number of Russians would remain in Latvia.

    3. Abrene County / Pytalovo District -- strategically unimportant.

    The Independence of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Government in Kaunas were recognized. The Lithuanian SSR was dissolved.

    The borders of Lithuania remained unchanged.

    Inner Lithuania was under the control of the Lithuanian Government. Outer Lithuania remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure part of Lithuania.

    All ethnic Lithuanians from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Soviet controlled Lithuania. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Lithuania after 1940 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Lithuania or colonization of foreign people in Lithuania were allowed.

    The Soviet-Polish border was NOT settled. The Polish Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR (situated inside the enlarged Dome and already annexed to Poland) was dissolved.

    All ethnic Poles from the Soviet controlled territory⁴ would be sent to (Inner) Poland. Large numbers of Ukrainians and Byelorussians would remain in Poland.

    4. Byelorussia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, Central Asia, etc.

    The dissolution of Czechoslovakia was recognized. The Independence of Slovakia was recognized. The Slovak ASSR was dissolved.

    Inner Carpathian Ukraine remained under Slovak administration.

    All ethnic Slovaks from the Soviet controlled territory would be sent to Slovakia. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Outer Slovakia after 1945 would be sent back home.

    The Independence of Hungary and the Hungarian Government in Budapest were recognized. The Hungarian SSR was dissolved.

    The borders of Hungary remained unchanged.

    Inner Hungary and Outer Transdanubia were under the control of the Hungarian Government. The rest of Hungary remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure part of Hungary. The Soviet side of the demarcation line in Outer Hungary was demilitarized.

    All ethnic Hungarians (including Szeklers, etc) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory⁵ would be sent to Soviet controlled Hungary. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Outer Hungary after 1945 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Hungary or colonization of foreign people in Hungary were allowed.

    5. Most Hungarians from Romanian Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, Maramureș, Ukrainian Felvidék and Serbian Bačka were excluded. They were in no direct danger of assimilation and there was no room for all them in Hungary.

    The Independence of Romania and the Romanian Government in Exile were recognized. The Romanian SSR was dissolved.

    From the two areas annexed to the Ukrainian SSR in 1940/1944, the southern one⁶ was returned to Romania while the northern one⁷ remained part of the Ukrainian SSR. Western Transnistria remained part of Romania. Southern Dobruja remained part of Bulgaria.

    Romania remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure independent.

    All ethnic Romanians (including Moldavians, Vlachs, etc) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory⁸ would be sent to Soviet controlled Romania. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Romania after 1940 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Romania or colonization of foreign people in Romania were allowed. Large numbers of Hungarians (including the Szeklers), Ukrainians and Russians would remain in Romania.

    6. Southern Bessarabia / the Budjak -- Germany insisted to keep the mouths of the Danube in Romania as much as Russia wanted to keep Ivangorod. Moreover, the area had a mixed population with a rather low percentage of Ukrainians.
    7. Northern Bukovina and Northern Bessarabia (already reduced in area since 1945 with Herța and other areas with Romanian majority or plurality rejoined to Romania) -- strategically less important and with more ethnic Ukrainians.
    8. Ukraine, Russia, Central Asia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, etc.

    The Independence of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Government in Exile were recognized. The Bulgarian SSR was dissolved.

    Southern Dobruja, Macedonia and North-Eastern Thrace remained part of Bulgaria.

    Bulgaria remained under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure independent.

    All ethnic Bulgarians (including Macedonians, etc) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory⁹ would be sent to Soviet controlled Bulgaria. All foreign people settled by the Soviet Union in Bulgaria after 1945 would be sent back home. No more deportations from Bulgaria or colonization of foreign people in Bulgaria were allowed. A small number of Turks remained in Bulgaria after their deportations from the previous years.

    9. Serbia (Macedonia), Albania (Macedonia), Romania (Banat, Bessarabia), Ukraine, etc.

    The borders of Greece remained unchanged.

    The military neutrality of Greece was recognized. The Soviet Union removed its military from Eastern Thrace and the Greek Straits Area. The freedom of navigation in the Straits and the Aegean was recognized.

    All ethnic Greeks from the Soviet controlled territory¹⁰ would be sent to Greece. Small numbers of Turks and Albanians remained in Greece after their deportations from the previous years.

    10. Romania (Dobruja), Bulgaria, Albania, Ukraine (South), Russia (Crimea), Turkey (Black Sea Coast), Georgia, etc.

    Yugoslavia was dissolved. The annexation of Slovenia to Germany was recognized. The Independence of Croatia, Serbia and Albania were recognized. All the Yugoslav Republics and Provinces were dissolved.

    The Independence of Croatia and the Croatian Government in Zagreb were recognized.

    Croatia included Inner Croatia, Krk, Zara, the former Yugoslav Republics of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and parts of the Croat Autonomous Region of Italy. Eastern Syrmia and the Kotor Bay area remained part of Serbia.

    All Croat territory was placed under the control of the Croat Government. Croatia had to establish Serbian and Muslim Autonomous Regions on its territory.

    All ethnic Croats (defined as speakers of Serbo-Croatian of Catholic or Muslim faith) from the Soviet controlled territory¹¹ would be sent to Croatia. All foreign people settled by Yugoslavia in Croatia after 1944 would be sent back home. Large numbers of Serbs and Muslims and smaller numbers of Hungarians and Italians would remain in Croatia.

    11. Serbia, Hungary, Romania, etc.

    The Independence of Serbia was recognized.

    Serbia included the former Yugoslav Republics of Serbia and Montenegro and portions of the former Yugoslav Republic of Albania (Kosovo and parts of Macedonia).

    Serbia was placed under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure independent. The Soviet side of the border with Croatia and the Montenegrin coast were demilitarized.

    All ethnic Serbs (including Montenegrins, etc, defined as speakers of Serbo-Croatian of Orthodox faith) from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory¹² would be sent to Serbia. All foreign people settled by Yugoslavia in Serbia after 1945 would be sent back home. No deportations from Serbia or colonization of foreign people in Serbia were allowed. A large number of Albanians and a smaller number of Hungarians would remain in Serbia.

    12. Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, etc.

    The Independence of Albania was recognized.

    Albania included parts of the former Yugoslav Republic of Albania. Kosovo and parts of Macedonia were transferred to Serbia. Northern Epirus remained part of Greece.

    Albania was placed under Soviet occupation and administration while de jure independent. The Albanian coast and a portion of the border with Greece near Vlorë were demilitarized.

    All ethnic Albanians from the rest of the Soviet controlled territory¹³ would be sent to Albania. All foreign people settled by Yugoslavia in Albania after 1946 would be sent back home. No deportations from Albania or colonization of foreign people in Albania were allowed.

    13. Most Albanians from Serbia were excluded. They were in no direct danger of assimilation and there was no room for all of them in Albania.

    All ethnic Norwegians from Soviet controlled territory¹⁴ would be sent to Norway.

    The prior annulment of the Spitzbergen Treaty was accepted by the Soviet Union. Svalbard remained demilitarized. All Soviet citizens from Svalbard were removed.

    14. Mostly Murmansk Oblast.

    Besides its borders recognized in the Bern Armistice Treaty and the Peace Treaty with Germany, the German Reich also included former Outer Slovenia and the Slovene Autonomous Region of Italy as integral parts of the Autonomous State of Slovenia.

    All ethnic Germans from the Soviet controlled territory¹⁵ would be sent to Germany. All ethnic Slovenes from the Soviet controlled territory¹⁶ would be sent to German Slovenia. All foreign people settled by Yugoslavia in Slovenia after 1945 would be sent back home.

    15. Estonia, Latvia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Russia, Central Asia, Romania, Serbia, etc.
    16. Mostly Serbia.

    The Soviet citizens trapped behind the new Berlin Dome limit¹⁷ were allowed to return to the Soviet Union. The citizens of the ECN countries who wanted to emigrate to the Soviet Union or to the Soviet occupied territories¹⁸ were allowed to do so.

    All remaining prisoners of war would be exchanged. The ECN countries were not responsible for the Soviet prisoners of war who had been released or had escaped and had moved to various Western countries.

    The Soviet Union was not allowed to set up a Fleet in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The Soviet Baltic Sea Fleet was limited. The Soviet Union was not allowed to locate weapons of mass destruction, nuclear reactors and missiles in the territories situated west of its 1938 borders, in the Karelian SSR, in the Murmansk Oblast, in the Leningrad Oblast and in the Baltic Sea.

    The Soviet Union was a full member of the World Forum. As a Great Power, it was a Permanent Member with Veto Power of the World Forum Security Council.

    17. Mostly Byelorussians and Ukrainians.
    18. A few Byelorussians and Ukrainians from Poland, a few Serbs from Croatia and some Communists from different countries.

    The Soviet Union on one side and Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on the other side entered a Ceasefire with a duration of five years. The Ceasefire could be repeatedly extended every five years with the accord of both sides if a Peace Treaty was not signed in the meantime.

    The State of War between the Soviet Union and Croatia was ended in a white peace. No reparations were paid by either side.

    The Berlin Dome remained closed on the portion situated between the intersection with the demarcation line in Latvia and the intersection with the demarcation line in Hungary.

    Germany pledged to refrain from further enlarging the Berlin Dome.

    The ECN countries and the Soviet Union pledged to refrain from using weapons of mass destruction against civilian targets.



    Disclaimer: I do NOT condone involuntary population transfers / ethnic cleansing.

    Involuntary population transfers may be good for the state but they are almost never good for the people involved. Those people lose their immovable property and often most of their movable property as well. They lose their homes, their neighbours, their friends, their jobs, their livelihoods and the graves of their families. Their uprooting is often sudden and violent and they may suffer all kind of hardships before, during and after their relocation. Some of them may even lose their lives to random or organized violence, malnutrition, disease, neglect or accidents. The survivors will almost always receive inadequate compensation for their losses, may be treated with suspicion by the host population, may find it difficult to integrate into their new society, find employment, schooling for their children, etc.

    Yes, I know all that from my father's family who were deported in 1940 from Southern Dobruja after it was ceded to Bulgaria.

    Yes, the overall picture often seems rosy. The conflict between the different ethnicities is extinguished and internal and external peace is preserved and strengthened. But the individual suffering is often forgotten or brushed aside for the greater good, for the sake of the Nation or of the State. Human rights be damned!

    Today, involuntary population transfers are considered ethnic cleansing and are thus illegal. Less than one century ago, they were praised and their initiators were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace (Fridtjof Nansen).




    Note: Some of the population figures provided in this chapter may be wrong. Please correct me if you have access to better data than I did. Thank you.




    Preamble

    The Treaty of Reykjavik suspended the state of war in Eastern Europe (ceasefire) for a duration of five years (until 25 September 1953), renewable with the accord of both sides (if not superseded by a formal peace treaty).

    Some portions of the treaty, such as the official recognition of the facts on the ground in Europe and the change in status of the eastern lands (from SSRs to Soviet occupied territory), took effect immediately upon the signing of the document, others shortly afterwards.

    The release of the millions of prisoners of war started immediately after the end of the Reykjavik Conference but it took almost five months to complete.

    The population transfers, the greatest in history, proved to be extremely complex, logistically difficult, lengthy and contentious. Started in the summer of 1949, the population transfers called by the treaty were not completed until the autumn of 1952 (with interruptions during the winters for humanitarian reasons).



    The Exchange of the Prisoners of War
    October 1948 - February 1949

    Between the start of Operation Barbarossa (22 June 1941) and the activation of the Berlin Dome (17 January 1945), the Soviet Union took almost one million German prisoners of war. About one third of those died in captivity. The prisoners of war from the other Axis powers had been already released by that time.

    Between June 1941 and September 1948, the German Reich and its Eastern European allies (Hungary and Slovakia) and co-belligerents (the Baltic States and Poland after 1945) took 7.9 million Soviet prisoners of war. Almost 3.3 million of those died in captivity and 1.7 million (mainly ethnic minorities and anti-communists) were released, some of them even fighting against the Soviet Union (ex. Andrey Vlasov's Russian Liberation Army). Most of those freed emigrated to North America or Australasia and a few settled in Europe (mostly in Poland, Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia).

    Therefore, in October 1948, the German Reich held 2.9 million Soviet prisoners of war and the Soviet Union 645,000 German prisoners of war. The Soviet prisoners taken by Germany's eastern allies and co-belligerents (most of them by Poland in 1945) had been previously transferred to Germany and are included in the above figure.

    The prisoners of war were transported to both sides of the Dome Limit using special purpose trains and transferred to the other side through temporary openings in the Dome.


    The liberated German soldiers received immediate medical attention and copious meals. Most of them were quickly released to their homes and slow reintegration into society. About 80,000 necessitated long periods of hospitalization. Most of those received free nanobot packages which significantly sped up their recovery. Sadly, only the physical ailments could be thus easily cured as the mental issues which plagued many former prisoners were more difficult to address.

    Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus was immediately arrested and tried for high treason because of his war-time collaboration with the enemy. The trial caught the attention of the media and ended in a controversial acquittal. Although not convicted, Paulus was nonetheless disgraced and dishonourably discharged from the Wehrmacht. He died eight years later of a degenerative neurological disorder.


    All liberated Soviet soldiers were detained and interviewed by the NKVD. Those found ideologically tainted by Fascism (about 410,000) were sent to the Gulag where at least one quarter of them perished.



    The Controversy
    January - February 1949

    An ugly controversy arose regarding the former Soviet prisoners who had been released from captivity during the previous years and had settled all over the World, especially in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kindgom, Poland and Germany itself.

    When Stalin asked Germany and its allies to forcefully repatriate the unwilling former soldiers, the European allies refused, stating that those men (i) had deserted from the Red Army, (ii) had renounced their Soviet citizenship, (iii) did not want to live under a Communist dictatorship and (iv) would be imprisoned, tortured or killed if returned to the Soviet Union.

    Stalin countered by saying that many of the millions of people who, according to the Reykjavik Treaty, would be sent to Europe did not want to emigrate either and, as the situation of the two groups was similar, he would refuse to force them out of the Soviet Union to live in a Capitalist society against their will.



    The Escalation
    March 1949

    The situation reached an impasse as neither side was willing to concede ground. The German Reich accused the Soviet Union of violating the ceasefire and threatened to resume the war.

    The Soviets detonated their first nuclear device, a 21 kilotonne plutonium implosion bomb, in the Pripet Marshes, a mere 13 kilometres from the Dome Limit (which marked the de facto international border with Poland in that region). The explosion was clearly visible from nearby Polish territory and created panic with many residents fleeing the areas close to the Dome Limit.

    We will obliterate with nuclear fire any armies which would dare invade our Motherland.


    A couple of days later, the Wehrmacht launched a ballistic missile from East Prussia on a trajectory towards Moscow. It did not arrive there as it hit the Dome at an altitude of 111 kilometres, producing a nuclear explosion with an estimated yield of 650 kilotonnes.

    Next time there will be an opening in the Dome and the missile will reach its destination.


    Thus, in 1949, the number of nuclear powers increased from one to three: the United States of America, the Soviet Union and the German Reich (or Lithuania as a very transparent cover-up). The United Kingdom (with Australian and Canadian help) trailed behind and France had completely aborted its nuclear programme. China and India had yet to start their nuclear programmes.

    With nuclear war looming over Europe, the World Forum intervened and brokered a compromise. For its role in preserving a delicate peace in an unstable World, the World Forum was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.



    The Compromise
    March - April 1949

    In fact, the only issue was that of trust or, better said, the lack thereof. Neither part trusted the other when it said that those groups of people (former Red Army soldiers in Europe / various European ethnicities in the Soviet Union) did not want to relocate (return home in the Soviet Union / emigrate to the European countries matching their ethnicity).

    The Germans claimed that the Soviet Union was in violation of the treaty which mandated involuntary population movements but the German Reich was not because those former soldiers were no longer prisoners of war but free people given political asylum and not mentioned in the treaty in any way.

    Correctly but hypocritically, the Soviets claimed that involuntary population transfers were a crime and they could not force Soviet citizens to leave their country. Obviously, the Germans mentioned the numerous internal deportations of entire ethnic groups performed by the Soviet regime which the Soviets blatantly denied. Moreover, the Germans claimed that those people actually wanted to leave the Soviet Union but were trapped by closed borders in a totalitarian inferno. Naturally, the Soviets denied that as well.


    The intervention of the World Forum was simple and obvious. It offered to send observers from neutral countries to find out whether those people really wanted to relocate or not.

    Thus, the formerly involuntary population transfers would become a voluntary migration and both parts would have to trust the avowedly neutral World Forum instead of each other.

    Germany eagerly approved the initiative but the Soviet Union, while in principle agreeing as well, did not grant the World Forum inspectors free access to its territory. After more bellicose posturing from both sides, a mutually acceptable but very convoluted solution was devised.

    Because the Soviet Union did not want to grant the inspectors access to its territory, the populations mentioned in the Reykjavik Treaty would be involuntary transferred to Special Areas created along the Soviet borders under the temporary direct authority of the World Forum. There, free from fear of Soviet oppression, the refugees would sign a form in front of two World Forum witnesses, freely choosing whether to continue their journey and leave the Soviet Union or return to their homes.

    Faced with pressure from the Western Powers and under the threat of atomic bombing from Germany, the Soviet Union finally acquiesced to the World Forum's compromise plan.



    Population Transfers Estimates
    April - May 1949

    The populations scheduled to be relocated by the Reykjavik Treaty are summarized below.

    The deported category includes persons removed from their homelands by the Soviet authorities, whether imprisoned in a gulag or normal prison, deported (obligatory residence) or simply relocated (theoretically free to leave). The indigenous category includes historical ethnic minorities (from before the Soviet occupation). The colonized category includes the Soviet citizens relocated by the Soviet regime to the occupied (annexed) territories.

    The deported and the colonized persons would be returned home no questions asked. The relocation of the indigenous minorities would be voluntary (according to the World Forum's compromise plan).


    "Foreign ethnicities" from the Soviet Union to other countries:
    • Finns to Finland and the Karelian SSR
      • indigenous -- more than 100,000 (north-western Russia)
    • Karelians (including Ingrians, Veps, Votes, etc) to the Karelian SSR
      • deported -- less than 10,000
      • indigenous -- more than 10,000 (Leningrad Oblast, north-western Russia)
    • Estonians (including Võros, Setos, Livonians, etc) to the part of Estonia under Soviet occupation
      • deported -- more than 100,000
      • indigenous -- less than 10,000 (neighbouring areas)
    • Latvians to the part of Latvia under Soviet occupation
      • deported -- almost 100,000
      • indigenous -- less than 5,000 (neighbouring areas)
    • Lithuanians to the part of Lithuania under Soviet occupation
      • deported -- less than 50,000
      • indigenous -- about 30,000 (Byelorussia, etc)
    • Poles to Poland
      • indigenous -- more than 2,000,000 (Outer Kresy, Eastern Byelorussia, Central Ukraine, Lithuania, etc)
    • Slovaks to Slovakia
      • deported -- less than 5,000
      • indigenous -- less than 10,000 (neighbouring areas)
    • Hungarians to the part of Hungary under Soviet occupation
      • deported -- about 20,000
      • indigenous -- about 100,000 (Soviet Carpatho-Ukraine)¹
    • Romanians (including "Moldavians") to Soviet occupied Romania
      • deported -- about 2,000,000
      • indigenous -- about 300,000 (Ukraine, Kuban, etc)¹
    • Bulgarians to Soviet occupied Bulgaria
      • deported -- less than 20,000
      • indigenous -- more than 100,000 (Southern Ukraine, etc)¹
    • Greeks to Greece
      • indigenous -- less than 300,000 (Southern Ukraine, Crimea, Turkey, Caucasus, etc)¹
    • Norwegians to Norway
      • indigenous -- less than 1,000 (Kola Peninsula)
    • Other Europeans to the respective European countries
      • indigenous -- very small numbers from each nationality
    • Germans to the German Reich
      • indigenous -- more than 1,000,000 (Byelorussia, Ukraine, Russia, Caucasus, Central Asia)²
    1. See also below: Population transfers in the Balkans.
    2. See also below: The Germans from the Soviet controlled territories.


    "Soviet ethnicities" (Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, etc) from other countries to the Soviet Union:
    • Karelian SSR
      • colonized -- about 150,000
      • indigenous -- more than 300,000 (mostly Russians)
    • Estonia
      • colonized -- more than 100,000
      • indigenous -- about 70,000 (mostly Russians)
    • Latvia
      • colonized -- less than 300,000
      • indigenous -- about 200,000 (mostly Russians)
    • Lithuania
      • colonized -- more than 50,000
      • indigenous -- about 30,000 (mostly Byelorussians)
    • Hungary
      • colonized -- less than 50,000
      • indigenous -- less than 10,000 (Rusyns, Ukrainians)
    • Romania
      • colonized -- less than 2,000,000
      • indigenous -- about 1,000,000 (Ukrainians, Russians)
    • Bulgaria
      • colonized -- less than 100,000
      • indigenous -- less than 5,000
    • Serbia
      • colonized -- less than 10,000
      • indigenous -- less than 20,000 (Rusyns)
    • Albania
      • colonized -- less than 1,000
      • indigenous -- almost none
    • ECN Countries
      • indigenous -- less than 10,000 in total

    In total, the Soviet Union could lose more than six million people, a massive loss which would be only partially offset by the certain return of less than three million Soviet colonizers and the possible immigration of up to two million people (indigenous "Soviet minorities", Communists, etc).


    Population Transfers in the Balkans
    • Romania - Hungary
      • less than 1,500,000 Hungarians (including Szeklers) in Romania (Transylvania, Crișana, Maramureș, Banat) -- at most 300,000 to Hungary³, voluntary transfer for the rest
      • less than 30,000 Romanians in Hungary (Tissa Plain) -- all to Romania
    • Romania - Bulgaria
      • less than 300,000 Bulgarians in Romania (Bugeac, Banat)⁴ -- all to Bulgaria
      • more than 50,000 Romanians (including Aromanians) in Bulgaria (Vidin, Macedonia)⁴ -- all to Romania
    • Romania - Serbia
      • about 50,000 Serbs in Romania (Banat) -- all to Serbia
      • about 200,000 Romanians (including Aromanians) in Serbia (Banat, Timoc, Macedonia) -- all to Romania
    • Romania - Albania
      • about 5,000 Albanians in Romania -- all to Albania
      • up to 100,000 Romanians (Aromanians) in Albania -- all to Romania⁵
    • Hungary - Serbia
      • about 10,000 Serbs in Hungary -- all to Serbia
      • more than 500,000 Hungarians in Serbia (Vojvodina) -- at most 100,000 to Hungary³, voluntary transfer for the rest
    • Bulgaria - Serbia
      • less than 20,000 Serbs in Bulgaria⁶ -- all to Serbia
      • less than 20,000 Bulgarians in Serbia⁶ -- all to Bulgaria
    • Bulgaria - Albania
      • less than 30,000 Albanians in Bulgaria (Macedonia) -- all to Albania
      • more than 50,000 Bulgarians in Albania (Macedonia) -- all to Bulgaria
    • Serbia - Albania
      • more than 500,000 Albanians in Serbia (Kosovo, Southern Serbia, Southern Montenegro) -- at most 100,000 to Albania³, voluntary transfer for the rest
      • about 10,000 Serbs (including Montenegrins) in Albania -- all to Serbia
    • Greece - Albania
      • up to 400,000 Albanians in Greece (Epirus, Athens) -- voluntary transfer to Albania⁷
      • less than 10,000 Greeks in Albania -- voluntary transfer to Greece⁷
    • Greece - Bulgaria
      • up to 300,000 Bulgarians in Greece (Macedonia, Thrace) -- voluntary transfer to Bulgaria⁷
      • about 10,000 Greeks in Bulgaria (Macedonia, Thrace) -- voluntary transfer to Greece⁷
    • Greece - Romania
      • up to 500,000 Romanians (Aromanians) in Greece (Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus) -- voluntary transfer to Romania⁷
      • more than 20,000 Greeks in Romania -- voluntary transfer to Greece⁷
    • Serbia - Croatia
      • about 50,000 Croats in Serbia (Vojvodina) -- all to Croatia
      • about 2,000,000 Serbs (including Montenegrins, etc) in Croatia -- voluntary transfer to Serbia⁸
    • Serbia - Slovenia (Autonomous State of the German Reich)
      • less than 10,000 Slovenes in Serbia -- all to Slovenia
      • less than 10,000 Serbs (including Montenegrins, etc) in Slovenia -- voluntary transfer to Serbia⁸
    3. The ratio of the two groups being transferred could not exceed 1:10 when the larger minority was not threatened with imminent assimilation (the Hungarians from Romania and Serbia and the Albanians from Serbia).
    4. Romania and Bulgaria had already performed a partial population exchange in 1940 (the Romanians from Southern Dobruja with the Bulgarians from Northern Dobruja).
    5. The Aromanians from Albania were considered to be in imminent danger of assimilation thus the 1:10 ratio was not respected in that case.
    6. Most of Serbian Macedonia and the Bulgarian parts of Serbia Proper are part of Bulgaria.
    7. All population exchanges with Greece were voluntary mainly because Greece considered most or all members of its ethnic minorities to be Greeks. Southern Epirus is part of Greece.
    8. Although Croatia would have preferred to get rid of part of its large Serb minority, sending them to live under Soviet occupation against their will was out of the question.


    The Germans from the Soviet Controlled Territories
    • Soviet Union Proper (Byelorussia, Ukraine, Russia, Caucasus, Central Asia) -- more than 1,000,000 (see above)
    • Romania (Transylvania, Banat, Crișana, Bukovina, Bessarabia, Dobruja) -- about 700,000
    • Outer Estonia -- about 10,000⁹
    • Outer Latvia -- about 10,000⁹
    • Outer Lithuania -- less than 2,000
    • Outer Hungary -- about 150,000
    • Serbia (Vojvodina) -- more than 300,000
    • Bulgaria -- less than 2,000
    • Albania -- negligible
    9. About 65,000 Baltic Germans had immigrated to the Reich in 1940.

    Germany could thus gain more than two million Volksdeutsche from the Soviet controlled areas in Eastern Europe.

    During the previous years, almost one million Volksdeutsche had immigrated to Germany (some of them involuntarily):
    • Estonia -- about 15,000 (of about 65,000)
    • Latvia -- about 60,000 (of about 70,000)
    • Lithuania -- less than 1,000 (of about 4,000)
    • Italy (Trentino, Istria) -- about 40,000 (almost all)
    • Croatia -- more than 120,000 (almost all)
    • Inner Hungary -- almost 300,000 (of about 400,000)
    • Slovakia -- about 70,000 (of more than 120,000)
    • Poland -- almost 300,000 (almost all)
    • Western Europe -- about 15,000


    The World Forum inspectors were deployed to their posts in the ECN countries, in selected areas of the Eastern European countries under Soviet occupation and in the Special Areas organized in selected parts of the western Soviet borders. With everything neatly in place, the actual population transfers began in earnest in June 1949 (one month after Adolphine's wedding).


    The second part of this chapter will present the results of the population transfers and some of their consequences.




    Just a reminder: Some of the population figures provided in this chapter may be wrong. Please correct me if you have access to better data than I did. Thank you.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 138. The Great Population Transfers (Part II)
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 138. The Great Population Transfers (Part II)



    June 1949 - November 1952

    The greatest population transfers in history started in June 1949 (or in October 1948 if we include the earlier exchange of more than 3.5 million prisoners of war) with the Germans from the Soviet Union and the Soviet occupied territories in Eastern Europe.

    The Germans had priority for two obvious reasons: (i) it had been the Berlin Dome and the military might of the Wehrmacht which had made the whole deal possible in the first place and (ii) it was the German Reich which was actually paying the bill for the relocations (transport, food, water, heating, medicine, etc, plus the costs for the integration of the refugees into their new environment).

    Indeed, the Soviet Union had complained that it did not have the economic capacity for an endevour of that scale so soon after the enormous destruction caused by the German War Machine in World War Two. Therefore, the German Reich agreed to pay all the costs for the relocations of both the Germans to the Reich and the Soviet citizens back to the Soviet Union. Moreover, while the cost for the relocation of the other ethnicities was in theory supported by their homelands, the countries of Eastern Europe did not have that amount of money readily available and the German Reich had to lend them most of it with little or no interest.

    Even with the good economic situation in Germany and the promise for further economic growth, some people questioned the soundness of spending such an enormous amount of money, a good part of which ended in the hated Soviet Union. However, most economists understood that people were the most important commodity and the injection of millions of workers into the hungry and fast growing German economy would soon repay the wisely spent money with significant interest.



    To the German Reich

    The relocation of the more than two million Germans from Eastern Europe to the Reich was completed before the end of the year.

    Despite the high cost of the operation and the important logistical help offered by the World Forum and the Red Cross, the relocation was nonetheless very harsh for the poor people involved in it. They had to endure all kinds of physical and verbal abuse both from the local Soviet authorities and the vengeful Soviet population, they lost almost all their possessions and spent weeks or even months in horrid conditions, waiting to board the trains heading westwards, towards freedom.

    The living conditions in the crowded trains were between bad and abyssmal, with inadequate heating, ventilation and sanitation being the main complaints. As most Soviet Germans had been deported to Central Asia and Siberia after 1941, the journey to the Dome Limit took between two and four weeks of agonizingly slow crawl westwards through the endless Eurasian Steppe.

    Sadly, reaching the Dome Limit did not mark the end of their tribulations. The overworked World Forum personnel was overwhelmed by the massive influx of refugees and struggled to cope with it but, despite their efforts, the Special Areas quickly became overcrowded. The lack of basic amenities and hygiene, the unhealthy environment of the Pripet Marshes, overcrowding and poor immunity caused by years of hardships, abuse and starvation created the perfect environment for deadly outbreaks of disease.

    Thus, despite the best intentions of those who planned the population transfers and despite the efforts of the Red Cross, more than 60,000 Germans, mostly old people and small children, lost their lives before reaching the safety and relative comfort of the Reich. Although significantly less than the two million deaths from the uptime history, the loss of 60,000 lives was nonetheless a huge tragedy.


    The World Forum inspectors processed 2,301,468 persons (1,119,027 from the Soviet Union, 669,603 from Romania, 161,213 from Outer Hungary, 323,845 from Serbia, 11,230 from Estonia, 12,098 from Outer Latvia, 2347 from Outer Lithuania, 2012 from Bulgaria, 93 from Albania).

    From those, 21,528 died during their stay in the Special Areas (0.93%) and 49,894 opted to return to their homes (2.17%), mostly in Romania. The rest, 2,230,046 people, opted to continue their journey to Germany (96.90%). The German Government was vindicated. Their claim that the ethnic Germans wanted to escape the Soviet hell had been proven right beyond most expectations.


    The decision of the Reich Government to immediately grant full German Citizenship to all German refugees was well received by most of the Reich population and political parties with one conspicuous exceptions -- the Nazis. Blinded by their ideological racism, the Nazis claimed that most of the refugees were only partly Aryans, their blood having been poluted over generations of miscegenation with the lower races. They called for the quarantine of the refugees until proper scientific racial profiling could be conducted with only those deemed at least 50% Aryan to be accepted as fellow Germans.

    Obvoiusly, such lunacy was very poorly received and the National Socialist Party lost even more of its already plummeting support, not to mention the fact that both the returning prisoners of war and the refugees were unlikely to vote with the Nazis in the first place.


    Besides the refugees from the Soviet controlled areas, almost one million Germans had immigrated to the Reich from the ECN countries during the previous years. Adding the former prisoners of war and the expected natural growth, the population of the Reich was estimated to have surpassed the one hundred million mark (thus gaining one more vote in the World Forum General Assembly and joining China, India, the United States and the Soviet Union in the 4 vote tier).

    Most of the refugees were settled in the relatively sparsely populated north-eastern States (East Prussia, West Prussia, Posen, Pomerania and Mecklenburg) and in Bohemia-Moravia, Slovenia and Adriatic Littoral, due to the undeclared but rather transparent reason of diluting the Czech and Slovene population.

    The Slovene People's Party lodged an official protest but, otherwise, the situation in Slovenia was calm. In Bohemia-Moravia, the anger was more visible. There were demonstrations and riots in several Czech cities and even a few attacks against the destitute and exhausted refugees who had hoped to be welcomed by their Fatherland. Several houses were set aflame and about thirty people were beaten. Luckily, the attacks claimed no fatalities but they were just enough for an ugly climate of mistrust to linger for many years. The police dealt harshly with the trouble-makers and the Reich Government issued a laconic communiqué scolding the State Governments and asking for solidarity with the plight of the refugees.


    Most of the four million new German citizens and freed prisoners of war supported Adenauer's Christian Democratic Union because of the role of the Reich Chancellor in negotiating the Reykjavik Treaty which paved the road for their release from the Soviet hell. The effect of those new voters in the electoral year which was just starting would remain to be evaluated.

    The addition of the former soldiers and adult refugees to the workforce was like a giant gulp of fresh air for the expanding German economy, the need for ever more Gastarbeiter being temporarily halted. The presence of the refugees initiated a boom in the construction and services industry, with houses, schools, hospitals, churches, roads and even whole new towns and villages being quickly built from scratch all over the Reich.


    Besides those ethnic Germans, the German Reich was also the destination of 9,444 Slovenes and 121 Czechs from Serbia, Carpatho-Ukraine and other areas. Obviously, such a small number of people posed no significant additional problems. Besides, the German Reich was not only the homeland of the German people but also of the Czechs and of the Slovenes and it needed to cater for their needs and wishes as well.

    A new Reich-wide population census was schedulled for the following spring, to be completed before the June 1950 Local Elections (more information in a future chapter).

    The German authorities were well aware that among the genuine refugees there must have been numerous Soviet spies and other NKVD operatives. However, it was considered that the benefit of rescuing millions of Germans from Soviet oppression greatly outweighed the risk of increased Soviet espionage.


    Thus, in a matter of years, eight centuries of German presence in Eastern Europe came to an abrupt end. In 1950, less than 200,000 Germans lived east of the Reich, most of them in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. It is estimated that less than 20,000 Germans remained in the Soviet Union Proper.



    To the Soviet Union

    All people colonized by the Soviet authorities since 1940 in the conquered countries (mostly Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians and Soviet Jews) were returned to their places of origin during the first two years of the great population transfers.

    Because the former Soviet archives are not yet available for research, the following numbers are approximative: 130,000 from the Karelian SSR, 118,000 from Estonia, 276,000 from Outer Latvia, 61,000 from Outer Lithuania, 38,000 from Outer Hungary, 1,730,000 from Romania, 77,000 from Bulgaria, 6,500 from Serbia and 500 from Albania for a total of a little less than 2.5 million.


    Besides the returning colonists, Stalin decided to remove all or most of the remaining East Slavic population from the occupied countries in order to counterbalance the parallel loss of more than six million Soviet citizens to the West. Apparently, Stalin had already given up all hopes of ever reintegrating the Eastern European countries back into the Soviet Union and wanted to add the presumably loyal East Slavic populations from those countries to the Soviet Union.

    It is estimated that about 1,100,000 people were uprooted from the Eastern European occupied countries and deported to the Soviet Union Proper to increase its Slavic population: 60,000 Russians from Estonia, 210,000 Russians from Latvia, 27,000 Russians and Byelorussians from Lithuania, 8,000 Ukrainians (Rusyns) from Hungary, 780,000 Ukrainians and Russians from Romania, and less than 5,000 in total from Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania.

    About 140,000 Ukrainians and 80,000 Russians were left behind in the Bugeac Autonomous Region of Romania which Stalin hoped to have returned to Soviet Ukraine in the final peace treaty. Together, the East Slavs constituted about half of the Bugeac population, with the rest being Romanians, Bulgarians, Găgăuzes, Jews, Armenians and Greeks. However, most of the Bulgarians and some of the Greeks left during the subsequent Balkan population exchanges, further changing the demographic balance of the mixed region.


    About two million Turks had been expelled from Bulgaria and Greece after the Soviet conquest of Turkey. The expulsions had been halted but most of the Turkish population from those countries had already been expelled.


    About one third of the Soviet citizens trapped behind the expanding Dome (283,216 people) chose to return to the Soviet Union and were immediately allowed to leave.

    Moreover, 90,191 citizens of the ECN countries (mostly Byelorussians and Ukrainians from Poland but also convinced Communists) chose to emigrate to the Soviet Union and had their applications approved. It can be safely assumed that most of those ended up regretting their choice.


    Although the Soviet authorities were more careful with their own people than with the Germans, the relocation of more than four million people still created a logistical nightmare and a great deal of suffering for those involved. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people lost their lives during or shortly after their relocation to the Soviet Union. Obviously, Stalin didn't care.


    Worried about a possible future complete disintegration of the Soviet Union (like that from the Uptime history), Stalin decided to pursue an even more aggressive policy of russification, especially of the kindred East Slavic peoples, the Ukrainians and the Byelorussians, as well as an increased Russian colonization in the northern part of Kazakhstan, Baku and other strategically important areas (more information in future chapters).



    To Norway, Finland and the Karelian SSR

    1,103 Kola Norwegians from the Soviet Union were sent to Norway by ship. 48 chose to return to the Soviet Union.


    61,896 Finns from the Soviet Union and 183 from Estonia were sent to Finland by ship. 733 chose to return to the Soviet Union.


    14,440 Karelians, Ingrians, Veps, Votes and 42,500 Finns from the rest of the Soviet Union were moved to the Karelian SSR, most of them being settled in Viipuri and the rest of the Karelian Isthmus.


    The transfers took place without major incidents. Less than one hundred fatalities were recorded.



    To the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)

    About 118,000 deported Estonians (including Võros, Setos, Livonians) were sent back to Occupied Estonia and 7,712 to Free Estonia (the West Estonian Archipelago). 321 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 6,200 Estonians from the Soviet Union (mostly Russia) emigrated to Occupied Estonia.


    About 89,000 deported Latvians were sent back to Occupied Latvia and 8,815 to Free Latvia (Outer Courland Peninsula and the Dome expansion area). 209 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 2,300 Latvians from the Soviet Union (mostly Russia) emigrated to Occupied Latvia.


    About 37,000 deported Lithuanians were sent back to Occupied Lithuania and 5,508 to Free Lithuania (the Dome expansion area). 111 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 22,000 Lithuanians from the Soviet Union (mostly Byelorussia) emigrated to Occupied Lithuania.


    At least 2,000 Baltic people perished during the population transfers. No population exchanges were performed between the three Baltic countries.



    To Poland

    2,182,790 Poles who were former Polish citizens from the Eastern Polish territories (the Kresy) annexed in 1939 by the Soviet Union (most of them deported to Siberia and Central Asia) were sent to Poland. 1565 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 263,081 Poles from the rest of the Soviet Union (mostly Eastern Byelorussia and Central Ukraine) emigrated to Poland.

    About 35,000 Poles lost their lives during their relocation.


    In the 1945 population exchange with Germany about one million Poles had emigrated from West Prussia, Posen and Silesia. No population exchange was performed with Slovakia.


    The Polish Authorities could not cope with the rapid immigration of more than two million people and chaos ensued. Germany and other western ECN members sent large amounts of emergency help to Poland which barely kept the Polish economy afloat and the state institutions functioning.

    Frustrated by the deteriorating standard of living and still angry at the percieved betrayal (Poland was the only Eastern European country which did not have its eastern borders recognized in the Reykjavik Treaty), many Poles took to the streets, demonstrating against the Government and shouting anti-German, anti-Soviet and anti-ECN slogans.

    The Government resigned under street pressure and an eclectic Nationalist coalition was swept into power. Soon afterwards, Poland recalled its Ambassador from Berlin, ceased most contacts with Germany, suspended its participation in the ECN organizations and promoted isolationism, irredentism and autarky while bracing up for an expected German invasion which never materialized. Instead, Germany simply shrugged and waited for the Poles to regain their senses which indeed happened 16 months later amid generalized economic and societal collapse.

    With massive help from the wealthier ECN members (mostly Germany) and low interest loans, Poland was eventually put back on its feet. The Polish debacle acted like a dire warning for the other ECN members against attempting a similar stunt.



    To Slovakia

    3,837 Slovaks deported from the former Slovak ASSR were sent back to Slovakia. 8 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 6,028 Slovaks from the Soviet Union (mostly Outer Carpatho-Ukraine) emigrated to Slovakia.

    Less than fifty Slovaks lost their lives during their relocation.


    In the 1946 population exchange with Hungary, about 100,000 Slovaks had emigrated from Hungary.



    To Western Europe

    About 4,000 Western Europeans (mostly disillusioned Italians, Frenchmen and Spaniards) from the Soviet controlled areas returned to their countries.



    To Hungary

    13,000 deported Hungarians were sent back to Occupied Hungary and 4,348 to Free Hungary (Outer Transdanubia and the Dome expansion area). 19 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 22,000 Hungarians from the Soviet Union (mostly Outer Carpatho-Ukraine) emigrated to Occupied Hungary (out of about 110,000).

    In the population exchange with Romania, 313,000 Hungarians emigrated to Occupied Hungary (out of about 1,450,000, including Szeklers from the Szekler Autonomous Region).

    In the population exchange with Serbia, 105,000 Hungarians emigrated to Occupied Hungary (out of about 550,000).

    An estimated 3,000 Hungarians perished during the population transfers.


    In the 1946 population exchange with Slovakia, about 150,000 Hungarians had emigrated from Slovakia.



    To Romania

    2,120,000 deported Romanians (the Soviet term Moldavians was no longer used) were sent back to Romania. 33,700 chose to return to the Soviet Union (1.6%).

    A further 180,000 Romanians from the Soviet Union (mostly Ukraine) emigrated to Romania.

    In the population exchange with Hungary, 29,000 Romanians emigrated to Romania.

    In the population exchange with Bulgaria, 59,000 Romanians and Aromanians emigrated to Romania.

    In the population exchange with Serbia, 216,000 Romanians and Aromanians emigrated to Romania.

    In the population exchange with Albania, 78,000 Aromanians emigrated to Romania.

    In the voluntary population exchange with Greece, 88,000 Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians emigrated to Romania.

    The already difficult situation in Soviet Occupied Romania became even worse with housing shortages and even widespread famine. About 100,000 Romanians died before, during or after the population transfers in what is still remembered as a major catastrophe.



    To Bulgaria

    17,000 deported Bulgarians were sent back to Bulgaria. 134 chose to return to the Soviet Union.

    A further 89,000 Bulgarians from the Soviet Union emigrated to Bulgaria.

    In the population exchange with Romania, 262,000 Bulgarians emigrated to Bulgaria.

    In the population exchange with Serbia, 11,000 Bulgarians emigrated to Bulgaria.

    In the population exchange with Albania, 34,000 Bulgarians emigrated to Bulgaria.

    In the voluntary population exchange with Greece, 168,000 Bulgarians (including Macedonians) emigrated to Bulgaria.

    About 7,000 Bulgarians lost their lives in the population transfers.



    To Serbia

    In the population exchange with Romania, 43,000 Serbs emigrated to Serbia.

    In the population exchange with Hungary, 8,000 Serbs emigrated to Serbia.

    In the population exchange with Bulgaria, 17,000 Serbs emigrated to Serbia.

    In the population exchange with Albania, 9,000 Serbs (including Montenegrins) emigrated to Serbia.

    In the voluntary population transfer from Croatia, 1,457 Serbs emigrated to Serbia (out of about two million).

    In the voluntary population transfer from Slovenia, 36 Serbs emigrated to Serbia (out of about 7,000).

    Less than one thousand Serbs died in the population transfers.



    To Albania

    In the population exchange with Romania, 3,000 Albanians emigrated to Albania.

    In the population exchange with Bulgaria, 22,000 Albanians emigrated to Albania.

    In the population exchange with Serbia, 106,000 Albanians emigrated to Albania (out of about half a million).

    In the voluntary population exchange with Greece, 26,000 Albanians emigrated to Albania.

    It is not known how many Albanians died during and shortly after the population transfers as the general situation in Albania was and remained chaotic.



    To Greece

    About 175,000 Greeks from the Soviet Union emigrated to Greece.

    In the voluntary population exchange with Romania, 13,000 Greeks emigrated to Greece.

    In the voluntary population exchange with Bulgaria, 11,000 Greeks emigrated to Greece.

    In the voluntary population exchange with Albania, 6,000 Greeks emigrated to Greece.

    Less than one thousand Greeks died in the population transfers.



    To Croatia

    53,000 Croats from Serbia (Vojvodina) emigrated to Croatia.

    About 20,000 Croats from Italy (Istria) had emigrated to Croatia during the previous year.



    Conclusions

    The Great Population Transfers in Eastern Europe ended in the autumn of 1952 after being carried on for almost four years.

    The number of relocated people was mind-blowing -- more than twenty million people:
    • 6,800,000 Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Jews, etc (including 2,900,000 prisoners of war)
    • 3,800,000 Germans (including 650,000 prisoners of war and 920,000 from the ECN)
    • 2,770,000 Romanians
    • 2,450,000 Poles
    • 2,000,000 Turks
    • 600,000 Hungarians (including 150,000 from the ECN)
    • 580,000 Bulgarians
    • 200,000 Greeks
    • 150,000 Albanians
    • 130,000 Estonians
    • 120,000 Finns and Karelians
    • 110,000 Slovaks (including 100,000 from the ECN)
    • 100,000 Latvians
    • 80,000 Serbs
    • 70,000 Croats (including 20,000 from the ECN)
    • 65,000 Lithuanians
    • 40,000 Italians (from the ECN)
    • 10,000 Slovenes
    • less than 10,000 people of other ethnicities

    More than 300,000 people (about 1.6%) lost their lives as a direct result of their relocation. The amount of human suffering is incalculable.


    The main results of the population transfers were:
    • individual suffering;
    • (mostly) ethnically homogenous countries in Eastern Europe;
    • a sharp decrease in ethnic tension and irredentism;
    • an end of ethnic assimilation and Soviet ethnocide.


    The remaining ethnic minorities in Eastern Europe with more than 0.5% of the total population were:
    • Karelian SSR:¹ Karelians 27%, Finns 12%, other Finnic People 5%
    • Byelorussian SSR:¹ Jews 2%
    • Ukrainian SSR:¹ Jews 2%, Hungarians <1%, Romanians <1%
    • Estonia: Russians 2%
    • Latvia: Russians 2%
    • Lithuania: Poles 3%, Russians 1%, Byelorussians 1%
    • Poland: Byelorussians 3%, Ukrainians 2%, Lithuanians <1%
    • Slovakia: Hungarians 7% (Felvidék AR), Ukrainians 2% (Carpathia AR), Germans 1%, Poles <1%
    • Hungary: Germans 2%
    • Romania: Hungarians 5% (Szekler AR), Jews 2%, Turks 1%, Ukrainians 1% (Bugeac AR), Russians <1% (Bugeac AR), Germans <1%
    • Bulgaria: Turks 2%
    • Greece: Turks 2% (Eastern Thrace AR, Ionia AR), Aromanians 2%, Bulgarians 2%, Albanians 2%
    • Albania: none / unknown
    • Serbia: Hungarians 5% (Vojvodina AR), Albanians 5% (Kosovo AR)
    • Croatia: Serbs 23% (Serb AR), Muslims 15% (Muslim AR), Hungarians <1%, Italians <1%
    1. Most of the rest are East Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians), which are not separated by ethnicity in this summary.


    More information about the fate of the Eastern European countries will be available in a future chapter.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [Map] Population Transfers in Eastern Europe
  • Threadmarks
    • Population Transfers in Eastern Europe
    1945 - 1952
    Returning prisoners of war, returning deportees, voluntary transfers, involuntary transfers

    ​

    Key:
    1. Norway
    2. Denmark
    3. Lebanon

    Legend:
    • National colours as usual
    • De facto situation shown
    • Black Lines: Borders
    • Grey Lines: Internal Borders
    • Red Curve: Berlin Dome and Demarcation Lines
    • Pink Curve: Deactivated (opened) portions of the Dome
    • Arrows: Population transfers
      • Arrow colour: Ethnicity transferred
      • Arrow start point: Source country
      • Arrow end point: Destination country
      • Arrow width: Transfer magnitude (pseudo-logarithmic scale in relation to the number of people relocated)
    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 139. Election Year in the German Reich (1950)
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 139. Election Year in the German Reich (1950)



    For the previous postwar German Elections, see:

    For the current situation in the German Parliament (Reichstag and Bundesrat) see German Elections, 1946. Updated Parliament Diagrams will be available after this chapter.



    Preamble

    After the chaotic years 1945 and 1946, marked by a popular anti-totalitarian revolution, a small civil war, numerous referenda, local elections, two state and federal elections, five governments and the adoption of a new Constitution, the political situation finally stabilized in 1947 and the Reich enjoyed four years of political and social stability and significant economic and demographic growth.

    Since November 1946, the German Reich was ruled by a Grand Coalition of the most important German political parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Reich Chancellor being the CDU chairman Konrad Adenauer. The coalition held comfortable majorities both in the Reichstag (74%) and in the Bundesrat (83%) and controlled the Landtage of most German States.


    The 2% electoral threshold ensured a clean political arena as most minor parties had merged, entered coalitions or withered into irrelevance.

    Thus, only five electoral groups were represented in the 1946 Reichstag: the CDU (369), the SPD (316), the Nazis (84), the regional and ethnic parties coalition "Unity in Diversity" (82) and the DNVP (80).


    The DNVP (German National People's Party / Deutschnationale Volkspartei) had been initially part of the CDU but had decided to leave it instead of entering a coalition with the ideologically opposite Social Democrats.

    After the 1946 elections, the DNVP entered an irreversible downward spiral caused by multiple factors.
    • It's ideology of Nationalism and Conservatism was redundant on the German political scene. The extreme nationalists preferred the Nazis and the moderate nationalists and the conservatives preferred the Christian Democrats.
    • After the monarchical restaurations of 1946, a monarchist party was no longer needed.
    • Many voters percieved the DNVP as tainted by its collaboration with the Nazis from 1933 and its leader, Alfred Hugenberg, as an enabler of Hitler. The voters who didn't mind that tended to vote with the Nazis, not with the DNVP.
    • The death of Hugenberg in a car accident (possibly a political assassination) plunged his party into turmoil, with various factions fighting for supremacy or pushing towards a merger with either the Nazis or the CDU.

    In the end, the DNVP splintered, with about 60% of its members joining the CDU, 25% joining the Nazi Party and the rump party becoming irrelevant after failing to pass the electoral threshold in 1950.


    A new political party was registered in 1947, bridging the ideological gap between the leftist SPD and the rightist CDU. It was a centre-right liberal party, similar to the Uptime Free Democratic Party, but called the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP, Liberaldemokratische Partei) and chaired by Franz Blücher.


    The most important event that took place during the Adenauer Chancellorship was the return of the prisoners of war from the Soviet Union and the immigration of more than three million ethnic Germans who were granted German citizenship on arrival. The presence of so many new voters had a significant effect on the result of the 1950 Elections.


    In an unexpected and controversial move, the Reich Government announced in April 1950 the partial lifting of the blanket ban on Communist parties. Thus, the KPD remained banned but a new Communist Party could be registered with the Electoral Commission as long as it was a true German party and not a tool of the Soviet Union. Specifically, the new party ought to declare that it was not subservient to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union or to the Communist International and that its allegiance was first and foremost to the German Reich.

    After much deliberation, about two thirds of the German Communists founded the German Communist Party (DKP, Deutsche Kommunistische Partei). After fully conforming to the new electoral law, the Electoral Commission registered the DKP and allowed it to take part in the upcoming elections.



    The 1950 German Census

    For the previous Census (1946), see Chapter 90. After the German Elections.

    The massive increase in population due to the return of the prisoners of war, the immigration of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe and the postwar baby-boom made the previous census largely obsolete and accurate data were needed for the electoral roll.


    The German Reich
    • Population¹: 101,609,421
    • Population density²: 138.7/km² (the total area of the German Reich was 732,360 km²)
    • Sex ratio³: 0.85 males / female
    • Ethnicity⁴: 90.54% Germans, 4.53% Czechs, 1.35% Slovenes, 0.57% French, 0.29% Italians, 2.55% others, 0.17% unknown
    • Religion⁵: 49.81% Roman Catholics, 40.83% Protestants, 1.95% other Christians, 1.73% others, 4.90% Irreligious, 0.78% unknown
    • Electorate: 68,113,875
    • Reichstag deputies⁶: 1016
    1. An increase of 8,529,585 since the 1946 Census (9.16%) due to returning prisoners of war, immigration and natural growth (1.09% per annum).
    2. The area of the German Reich increased with former Yugoslav Slovenia and Italian Slovenia as well as with the small Lebensraum Island.
    3. Increased from 0.83 due to returning prisoners of war (all males) and sex-balanced natural growth.
    4. The percentage of Germans increased due to returning prisoners of war and German immigration. The percentage of the ethnic minorities decreased accordingly, plus a small extra decrease due to emigration (especially in the case of the French and the Italians).
    5. The percentages of Protestants and Irreligious persons increased due to immigration from Eastern Europe. The percentage of Catholics decreased accordingly.
    6. One deputy for every 100,000 citizens (there were several failed proposals to decrease the number of Reichstag deputies).


    The German States / the Bundesrat

    According to the new population data, the numbers of Bundesrat deputies per German State⁷ were adjusted as follows:
    • 11 members: Bavaria
    • 10 members: Rhineland
    • 9 members: Austria
    • 7 members: Westphalia, Saxony
    • 6 members: Bohemia-Moravia, Berlin
    • 5 members: Lower Silesia, Lower Saxony⁸, (Greater) Hesse⁸
    • 4 members: Saxony-Anhalt, Sudetenland, Brandenburg, Württemberg, Upper Silesia, Pomerania
    • 3 members: Baden, East Prussia, Alsace-Lorraine, Hamburg
    • 2 members: Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein, Palatinate, West Prussia, Slovenia, Posen, Mecklenburg, Adriatic Littoral
    • 1 member: Luxembourg
    • 1 member representing the German Kaiser
    • 1 observer: Liechtenstein, Obersalzberg, the Hirn, German Switzerland
    7. One deputy for every million citizens (or fraction of a million).
    8. Several German States were merged (see below).



    The 1950 German Referenda

    The administrative reform started in 1945 continued in the summer of 1950 with further changes.
    • Prussia, by then nothing more than a legal fiction, was officially abolished (62%), the former Prussian Provinces becoming full-fledged German States (Länder).
    • Hannover-Braunschweig (93%), Oldenburg (69%), Bremen (52%) and the Hamburger exclave of Cuxhaven (75%) were merged into the State of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), with the Capital in Hannover.⁹
    • Hessen (87%) and Hessen-Nassau (89%) were merged into the State of Groß-Hessen (Greater Hesse), later renamed to Hessen (85%), with the Capital in Frankfurt am Main.¹⁰
    9. Oldenburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven were small, had economic troubles and (except Bremen) had weak regional identities. The resulting state was mostly Hanover and the capital remained in Hanover. The neutral name catered to the sensibilities of the smaller states. The poisoned addition of Wilhelmshaven to Oldenburg in 1945 introduced a very large population (compared to the rest of the state) that had no Oldenburg identity. Bremen had regional identity but it also had serious economic problems, being smaller and overshadowed by Hamburg as the main North Sea German harbour. In OTL, that did not happen because Bremen was the port of the American Zone and that helped keep it separate from the rest of Lower Saxony which was in the British Zone. Cuxhaven was never very fond of being part of Hamburg. Moreover, Hamburg had already been compensated for Cuxhaven in the 1937 Greater Hamburg Act and the reincorporation of Cuxhaven in 1945 had been considered a mistake.
    10. Many Hessians from Prussian Hesse had maintained a Hessian regional identity. There was almost no Nassau identity. The dissolution of Prussia into its constituent Provinces removed the last obstacle of their merger (Hesse did not want to become part of Prussia). The capital was set in Frankfurt, a neutral location (not Hessian, not from Nassau and definitely not happy to be Prussian).


    Other proposals failed:
    • The merger of Pfalz (37%) and Rheinland (82%)
    • The merger of Sudetenland (44%) and Bohemia-Moravia (36%)¹¹
    • The merger of Slovenia (92%) and the Adriatic Littoral (47%)¹²
    • The accession of German Switzerland to the German Reich (29%)¹³
    11. The Sudetenland Germans did not want to become again a minority in a Czech dominated State and the Czechs feared that the merger could result in renewed Germanization.
    12. In the Adriatic Littoral, the Italians and the Slovenes were always at odds with each other.
    13. According to the State Treaty between the German Reich and German Switzerland, an Accession Referendum had to be held in German Switzerland every five years.



    The Local Elections

    [The 1950 Local, State and Federal Elections were held at the same time but their results are presented separately in this paper.]

    Kreise (Mayors)
    • CDU -- 37.20%
    • SPD -- 17.65%
    • Nazis -- 5.69%
    • Liberals -- 2.44%
    • Communists -- 0.86%
    • Regional Parties -- 12.09%
    • Ethnic Minority Parties -- 8.14%
    • Other Parties / Independents -- 15.93%

    Sonderkreise
    • Liechtenstein: Patriotic Union (Vaterländische Union) -- 53.30%
    • Hitler (Obersalzberg): Adolphine von Hitler -- 100% (7 votes, 100% turnout)
    • The Hirn: Helga / Main Computer -- 100% (100% turnout)



    The State Elections

    Länder
    • Berlin -- SPD (6)
    • Brandenburg -- CDU (4)
    • Pomerania (Pommern) -- CDU (4)
    • East Prussia (Ostpreußen) -- CDU (3)
    • Lower Silesia (Niederschlesien) -- CDU (5)
    • Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien) -- SPD (4)
    • Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) -- CDU (4)
    • Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) -- CDU (5)
    • Schleswig-Holstein -- CDU (2)
    • Hesse (Hessen) -- CDU (5)
    • Westphalia (Westfalen) -- CDU (7)
    • Rhineland (Rheinland) -- CDU (10)
    • West Prussia (Westpreußen) -- CDU (2)
    • Posen -- CDU (2)
    • Bavaria (Bayern) -- CDU (11)
    • Saxony (Sachsen) -- SPD (7)
    • Württemberg -- CDU (4)
    • Baden -- CDU (3)
    • Thuringia (Thüringen) -- CDU (2)
    • Mecklenburg -- SPD (2)
    • Hamburg -- SPD (3)
    • Palatinate (Pfalz) -- CDU (2)
    • Austria (Österreich) -- CDU (9)
    • Sudetenland -- CDU (4)
    • Bohemia-Moravia (Böhmen-Mähren) -- Czech People's Party (6)
    • Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen) -- Alsace-Lorraine League (2) + SPD (1)
    • Luxembourg (Luxemburg) -- Luxembourgish Front (1)
    • Slovenia (Slowenien) -- Slovene People's Party (2)
    • Adriatic Littoral (Adriatisches Küstenland) -- Slovenes People's Party (2) + CDU + SPD


    Bundesrat Deputies: 125
    Simple Majority: 63
    Supermajority: 84

    Bundesrat
    • CDU: 88
    • SPD: 23
    • Czech People's Party: 6
    • Slovenes People's Party: 4
    • Alsace-Lorraine League: 2
    • Luxembourgish Front: 1
    • Apolitical: 1 (representing the German Kaiser)
    • Observers: 4 (non-voting)

    The CDU had a supermajority in the Bundesrat.



    The Federal Elections

    Reichstag Deputies: 1016
    Simple Majority: 509
    Supermajority: 678

    Reichstag
    • CDU (Christian Democratic Union, Konrad Adenauer), 500 deputies
    • SPD (Social Democratic Party, Kurt Schumacher), 309 deputies
    • Nazis (National Socialist Party, Albert Speer), 75 deputies
    • Liberals (Liberal Democratic Party, Franz Blücher), 53 deputies
    • Unity in Diversity (ethnic minority and regional parties), 79 deputies
      • Czech People's Party (40)
      • Slovenes People's Party (12)
      • Alsace-Lorraine League (11)
      • Julian March League (3)
      • Luxembourgish Front (3)
      • others (10)

    The Communists, the rump DNVP and other parties, including splinter parties, failed to reach the 2% threshold and did not enter the Reichstag.


    Chancellor before Election: Konrad Adenauer (CDU), CDU + SPD Grand Coalition.
    Resulting Chancellor: Konrad Adenauer (CDU), CDU + Slovenes People's Party (512 simple majority).


    The CDU won a huge victory and it was very close to be able to govern by itself. The 9 more deputies needed for a simple majority could be provided by any of the following groups: the LDP (Liberals), the Czechs, the Slovenes, the Alsatians or the other minorities and regionalists.

    Adenauer chose the Slovene People's Party as its coalition partner in his second Government and was ready to pick another one if the Slovenes became difficult to manage. Obviously, the Slovenes realized that their position in the coalition was fragile and were very moderate in their demands.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [Graphic] German Elections, 1950
  • Threadmarks
    • German Federal Election, 1946
    Reichstag Composition
    Arch-style Parliament Diagram





    German Land Elections, 1946
    Bundesrat Composition
    Arch-style Parliament Diagram

    ​

    The Arch-style Parliament Diagrams were created with this online tool.

    Previous Diagrams: 1945-1946 Reichstag, 1946 Bundesrat, 1946-1950 Reichstag and Bundesrat.

    1. Go to Wikipedia and find diagrams with identical or similar political parties.
    2. Use a Screen Capture software (there is one included in Windows 10 called Snipping Tool) to capture the portion of the screen containing the legend.
    3. Paste that in an Image Editor (I use Paint.net) and use the Color Picker Tool to get the RGB values for each color (needed in the Diagram Creator Tool).
    4. Populate the party list in the Diagram Creator Tool with party names, number of delegates and party colours (don't change the last two options).
    5. Make the Diagram.
    6. Download it (as an SVG file).
    7. Open the SVG file in an Internet browser (you may also use Inkscape but it's faster with a browser).
    8. Use the desired magnification (I choose 200%). Caution: If you convert first to PNG and resize the PNG raster file later, the results are suboptimal.
    9. Use the Snipping Tool again to capture the image displayed in the browser (it's still an SVG so no copy image menu is available).
    10. Paste it in your Image Editor. Make sure to have plenty of space below the diagram for the legend. If necessary, Resize Canvas.
    11. Go back to the Diagram Creator Tool and copy the wiki markup legend code.
    12. Go to Wikipedia and paste that in an article (or in your sandbox if you have a Wikipedia account).
    13. Do NOT save the article. Use the preview function instead.
    14. Use the Snipping Tool again to capture the legend displayed in the browser.
    15. Go back to your Image Editor and paste the legend below the diagram.
    16. Finish editing the image and save it as a PNG file.
    17. Optimize the PNG using a PNG Optimizer (I use the free optipng tool).
    18. Upload it to a free Image Hosting site (I use DeviantArt) and link it in your post.
    .
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • [Map] States of Germany (1950)
  • Threadmarks
    • States of Germany
    1950
    After the 1950 German Referenda
    Previous Maps from this series: April 1945, June 1945, August 1945.

    ​

    Legend:
    • Arbitrary colours for the various German States
    • Red: Personal Union under King Hubertus of Prussia (Brandenburg, Pomerania, East Prussia, Upper Silesia)
    • Dark Grey: The Autonomous States (Bohemia-Moravia, Slovenia)
    • Light Grey: Claimed territory (German Switzerland)
    • Red Curve: Dome limit
    • Pink Curve: Deactivated (opened) portions of the Dome
    • Black Lines: Borders
    • Grey Lines: Internal Borders


    German States (Länder)
    1. Berlin, Berlin
    2. Brandenburg, Potsdam
    3. Pomerania (Pommern), Stettin
    4. East Prussia (Ostpreußen), Königsberg
    5. Lower Silesia (Niederschlesien), Breslau
    6. Upper Silesia (Oberschlesien), Kattowitz
    7. Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Magdeburg
    8. Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Hannover
    9. Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel
    10. Westphalia (Westfalen), Münster
    11. Rhineland (Rheinland), Düsseldorf
    12. West Prussia (Westpreußen), Danzig
    13. Posen, Posen
    14. Bavaria (Bayern), München
    15. Saxony (Sachsen), Dresden
    16. Württemberg, Stuttgart
    17. Baden, Karlsruhe
    18. Hesse (Hessen), Frankfurt am Main
    19. Thuringia (Thüringen), Weimar
    20. Mecklenburg, Schwerin
    21. Hamburg, Hamburg
    22. Palatinate (Pfalz), Saarbrücken
    23. Austria (Österreich), Wien
    24. Sudetenland, Reichenberg
    25. Bohemia-Moravia (Böhmen-Mähren), Prag (Praha)
    26. Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen), Straßburg
    27. Luxembourg (Luxemburg), Luxemburg
    28. Slovenia (Slowenien), Laibach (Ljubljana)
    29. Adriatic Littoral (Adriatisches Küstenland), Triest
    30. [German Switzerland (Deutsche Schweiz), Bern] -- Claimed


    Special Districts (Sonderkreise)
    • A. Hirn, None
    • B. Hitler, Obersalzberg
    • C. Liechtenstein, Vaduz
    • [D. Lebensraum Island, Lebensraum] -- from 1958


    Changes:
    • The radius of the Berlin Dome was enlarged from 750 km to 785 km.
    • Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Slovenia and Italian Slovene Autonomous Region were annexed to Germany and merged into the Autonomous State of Slovenia.
    • A newly formed volcanic island in the Baltic Sea was annexed to Germany, East Prussia. It would become the fourth Sonderkreis in 1958. As its location is north of the map, a small map inset was used.
    • Prussia was formally abolished. All former Prussian Provinces became normal States (Länder).
    • Hannover-Braunschweig, Oldenburg, Bremen and the Hamburger exclave of Cuxhaven were merged; the resulting State is Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen).
    • Hessen and Hessen-Nassau were merged; the resulting State is Hessen.
    • The internal Austrian borders are no longer shown. However, the Austrian Provinces still exist.
    • Freiburg and Wallis were annexed to German Switzerland.
    • Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) would be renamed Middle Saxony (Mittelsachsen) in 1954.
    • Saxony (Sachsen) would be renamed Upper Saxony (Obersachsen) in 1954.



    The same map as above with superimposed State Flags

    ​


    I thought to create something similar to these maps from Wikipedia: German Empire states map, Weimar Republic states map.


    Higher resolution versions of these German State Flags, as well as other German Flags and Coats of Arms will be available in subsequent posts.

    Since most of the flags (and coats of arms) copied or adapted from Wikimedia Commons are licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike, this map and any other creations using them are covered by the same licence.

    If you want to use any of the flags or coats of arms, you are free to do so, as long as you respect their licence.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany I
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany

    Most of these flags and coats of arms are copied or adapted from Wikimedia Commons and are licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike.

    If you want to use any of the flags or coats of arms, you are free to do so, as long as you respect their licence.



    Civil Flag and Merchant Flag (Nationalflagge und Handelsflagge)






    State Flag (Dienstflagge)






    War Flag and Naval Flag (Kriegsflagge und Kriegsschiffgösch)






    Alternate Flags (Schwarz-Rot-Gold; private use is legal)

    . . . . .




    Coat of Arms (Bundesadler)






    Alternate Coat of Arms (Reichsadler; private use is legal)






    Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz)






    Coat of Arms of the German Emperor (Wappen des Deutschen Kaisers)
    Lesser, Middle, Greater

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany II
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil Flag, State Flag, Coat of Arms



    1. Berlin
    Berlin

    . . . . . . . . . .




    2. Brandenburg
    Potsdam

    . . . . . . . . . .




    3. Pommern (Pomerania)
    Stettin

    . . . . . . . . . .




    4. Ostpreußen (East Prussia)
    Königsberg

    . . . . . . . . . .




    5. Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia)
    Breslau

    . . . . . . . . . .




    6. Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia)
    Kattowitz (Katowice)

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany III
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil Flag, State Flag, Coat of Arms



    7. Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt)
    Magdeburg

    . . . . . . . . . .




    8. Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)
    Hannover (Hanover)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    9. Schleswig-Holstein
    Kiel

    . . . . . . . . . .




    10. Westfalen (Westphalia)
    Münster

    . . . . . . . . . .




    11. Rheinland (Rhineland)
    Düsseldorf

    . . . . . . . . . .




    12. Westpreußen (West Prussia)
    Danzig

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany IV
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil Flag, State Flag, Coat of Arms



    13. Posen
    Posen (Poznań)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    14. Bayern (Bavaria)
    München (Munich)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    15. Sachsen (Saxony)
    Dresden

    . . . . . . . . . .




    16. Württemberg
    Stuttgart

    . . . . . . . . . .




    17. Baden
    Karlsruhe

    . . . . . . . . . .




    18. Hessen (Hesse)
    Frankfurt am Main

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany V
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil Flag, State Flag, Coat of Arms



    19. Thüringen (Thuringia)
    Weimar

    . . . . . . . . . .




    20. Mecklenburg
    Schwerin

    . . . . . . . . . .




    21. Hamburg
    Hamburg

    . . . . . . . . . .




    22. Pfalz (Palatinate)
    Saarbrücken

    . . . . . . . . . .




    23. Österreich (Austria)
    Wien (Vienna)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    24. Sudetenland
    Reichenberg (Liberec)

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany VI
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil Flag, State Flag, Coat of Arms



    25. Böhmen-Mähren / Česko (Bohemia-Moravia)
    Prag / Praha (Prague)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    26. Elsaß-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine)
    Straßburg (Strasbourg)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    27. Luxemburg (Luxembourg)
    Luxemburg (Luxembourg)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    28. Slowenien / Slovenija (Slovenia)
    Laibach / Ljubljana

    . . . . . . . . . .




    29. Adriatisches Küstenland (Adriatic Littoral)
    Triest (Trieste)

    . . . . . . . . . .




    30. Deutsche Schweiz (German Switzerland)
    Bern

    . . . . . . . . . .

    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany VII
  • Threadmarks
    • Flags and Coats of Arms of Germany
    Civil and State Flag, Coat of Arms



    A. Hirn
    None

    . . . . .




    B. Hitler
    Obersalzberg

    . . . . .




    C. Liechtenstein
    Vaduz

    . . . . .




    D. Insel Lebensraum (Lebensraum Island)
    Lebensraum

    . . . . .




    Alternate Flag of Bavaria (Bayerische Rautenflagge; all use is legal)






    Alternate Flag and Coat of Arms of Austria (Habsburg; private use is legal)

    . . . . .




    Flag and Coat of Arms of Prussia (Hohenzollern; all use is legal)

    . . . . .




    Flag of the National Socialist Party (new flag; private use is legal)


    The old Swastika Flag (now the flag of the Hitler Sonderkreis) could no longer be used by the Nazis because of cease and desist (Abmahnung) letters from the copyright holder, Adolf Hitler.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 140. State of the World in 1950
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 140. State of the World in 1950



    In Germany (and parts of Eastern Europe), the story has progressed with Adolphine's wedding (May 1949), the Great Population Transfers (up to 1952) and the 1950 German Elections (December 1950).

    In the rest of Europe, we have advanced to the Aftermath of the European Crisis (October 1948).

    For the latest information about the situation outside Europe, you may review:

    An updated List of Sovereign Countries & Dependencies will be provided soon, as well as some updated maps for the parts of World with significant changes (ex. Africa, see below).




    The United States of America, its Dependencies and Associated States

    The U.S. Associated State of Korea became fully independent in August 1950. The Republic of Korea remained a close ally of the United States and significant American military effectives remained stationed in Korea to protect it from any threats to its newly regained freedom.


    A motion to accept more States to the Union was defeated in the Congress in 1950, the issue being thus postponed for a number of years.

    The problem of Puerto Rico was by far the most divisive. Many racist Congressmen insisted that Puerto Rico should never achieve Statehood and that it should be granted full independence lest the "Hispanic invasion" from the other history be repeated. No consensus was reached in that matter either.

    Thomas E. Dewey (Republican) defeated incumbent Harry S. Truman (Democrat) in the 1948 U.S. Presidential Elections, becoming the 35th President of the United States and putting an end to 16 years of Democrat presence in the White House.

    The United States maintained a military presence in Panama, Cuba, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Japan, Korea and Cambodia.



    The United Kingdom of Great Britain, its Dependencies and Associated States

    The British Associated State of Malaya was scheduled to become fully independent in 1951. However, the internal situation in Malaya remained extremely tense, with simmering interethnic, interconfessional and political conflicts ready to reignite at any moment.

    The three African British Associated States were scheduled to become fully independent in 1966.

    Somalia had an unsolved territorial conflict with Ethiopia over the Somali inhabited Ethiopian Province of the Ogaden but a war was unlikely as long as Somalia was still under British supervision.

    The Federation of East Africa was relatively stable with very limited interconfessional strife between the Christian majority and the small Muslim minority. The British Authorities decided to get rid of the small but troublesome Muslim majority Crown Colonies of Zanzibar and the Comoros, situated close to the East African coast, by granting them self-rule as Federal States of the East African Federation. The fears that a small additional Muslim population would destabilize the Federation were unfounded.

    Unlike East Africa, the Federation of Guinea had been unstable since its creation. The independent-minded Liberia left in 1949 and the French-speaking Ivory Coast and Dahomey left one year later, citing their displeasure with the preferential use of English in the theoretically bilingual Federation. The rump Federation was dissolved shortly afterwards because the massive population disparity between the remaining components, Nigeria and the Gold Coast, meant that the latter would be utterly dominated by the former.

    Liberia resumed its life as an independent country under the benevolent informal protection of the United States.

    Ivory Coast and Dahomey returned to the warm embrace of the French Republic, being organized as Associated States, like Morocco and Tunisia. Although the 1946 Franco-British Colonial Exchange Treaty was thus de facto annulled, with France regaining control over some of the exchanged territories, the United Kingdom did not ask for any compensation.

    Nigeria and the Gold Coast, renamed Ghana, remained separate British Associated States with full independence scheduled for 1966.

    A new referendum regarding the future of the Crown Colony of Hong Kong would be held in 1955.


    King George VI of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Emperor of India, King of Israel, Somalia, East Africa and Guinea, suffered a fatal heart attack on the 9th of January 1950, at the age of 54.

    The same day, his heir, Princess Elizabeth, acceded to the thrones of the Commonwealth Realms as Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 23. Her daughter, Princess Anne (one year old), became the new heir to the Commonwealth thrones.

    The Israeli Knesset abolished the monarchy the following day, proclaiming the State of Israel. The Empire of India followed suit less than two months later, being replaced by the Federal Republic of India. Elizabeth II remained Queen of Great Britain, of the four "White" Dominions and four British Associated States.



    The British Dominions and their Dependencies

    No significant changes took place in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and their Dependencies.

    The Federation of Melanesia (Australian External Territory) and the Federation of Polynesia (New Zealand External Territory) were supposed to become Associated States when "their social, economic and political development allow [it]" but probably no sooner than twenty years.


    South Africa introduced German as its third official language besides English and Afrikaans due to the presence of an important German minority in the Namib Province and the desire to attract more German colonists. In 1950, South Africa announced that it welcomed unlimited White immigration with large grants of land and other benefits.

    There were talks regarding a possible radical reform of the administrative structure of the country, with the six Provinces and the three Indigenous Lands to be replaced by a large number of Cantons, some shared and others "reserved" for Whites or for specific Black ethnic groups.



    The Soviet Union and Soviet Occupied Eastern Europe

    The situation in the Soviet Union is largely covered until the end of 1952 (the end of the Great Population Transfers).

    The Reykjavik Treaty would lapse in September 1953 unless extended or superseded by a Peace Treaty.

    The aging Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin designated the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov (60 years old) as his official successor during the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (October 1950).



    Europe and European Dependencies in Africa

    The situation in the European Community of Nations is largely covered until the end of 1948 (the end of the European Crisis) or even later in the case of the German Reich, German Switzerland, the Eastern ECN Member States, Finland and Greece.

    In the Western ECN Member States, there were few significant new developments in 1949 and 1950.


    In the French State, 93 years old Chief of State Maréchal Pétain did not run in the 1949 French Presidential Elections and retired from politics after the inauguration of the elected French President, Pierre-Étienne Flandin, the leader of the Democratic Alliance (Alliance Démocratique).

    During Flandin's presidency, the relations between the French State and Charles de Gaulle's Algiers-based French Republic began to improve. About 75,000 citizens of the French State but ardent supporters of de Gaulle were allowed to emigrate to the French Republic (Algeria).

    A revolt in Corsica (controlled by the French Republic) managed to evict the French authorities from most of the island's mountainous interior but failed to take Ajaccio and other coastal towns. The rebels had no unified command and goals, some of them fighting for an Independent Corsica, others wanting to join Italy. The French Republican Navy had no trouble supplying its forces but de Gaulle could not spare more ground troups in order to defeat the rebels and pacify the island. As of 1950, the French State had not intervened in the Corsican conflict.

    The French Republic carried on yet another colonial reorganization in Africa. The arid northern portion of French West Africa was separated from it and organized into the Territory of the French Sahara. It included most of Mauretania, about half of the French Sudan, about half of Niger, all of Sahara and about half of Chad. At the same time, French Equatorial Africa and the rump French West Africa were upgraded to Protectorates. The Four Communes of Senegal lost their special status.


    The Kingdom of Italy and the Spanish State continued their colonization campaigns in Libya and, respectively, the Rif. Italian Libya would remain the main source of oil for the ECN.

    Like South Africa, Portugal opened up its African Colonies (Angola and Mozambique) to unlimited European immigration.

    Hundreds of thousands of poor Europeans, most of them from Southern and Eastern Europe, began to immigrate to Africa (Rif, Libya, Algeria, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa) looking for a new life full of riches and adventure.

    In 1950, the European share of the population reached 42% in Libya, 32% in Algeria, 14% in the Rif, 3% in Portuguese Africa and 8% in South Africa (between 0 and 30% in various areas).


    No notable events occured in the other European countries in 1949 and 1950.



    Asia and Free Africa

    The newly formed Hashemite Empire of Arabia was mostly stable, despite localized low-scale conflicts and an ongoing insurgency in the Nejd. The large amounts of crude oil exported to the rest of the World stabilized the finances of the country and helped increase the standard of living of the Arabs. No oil prospecting had been necessary because Germany had provided the exact locations of the best deposits for a reasonable fee.


    The situation in the Republic of China was reasonably covered in its latest dedicated chapter.


    For Israel and India, see above. Israel was mostly peaceful but India was plagued by continuing insurgencies in Afghanistan and Burma with no end in sight.


    There is nothing worth mentioning regarding the other independent countries in Asia and Africa in that time period. They will be mentioned in the future when needed.



    Latin America

    Latin America was firmly in the sphere of influence of the United States. That influence was usually only felt when Communist or pro-European factions threatened to take power in one of the countries of the Western Hemisphere, such a development being against both the Monroe Doctrine and the Containment Policy in the three way Cold War between the Western Powers, the Soviet Union and the European Community of Nations.


    Nothing out of the ordinary happened in that part of the World in the late forties but that was about to change.



    The World

    The World Economy began to rebound after the colossal destruction of the Second World War. The main engines of the economic recovery and growth were the United States of America and the German Reich.

    Besides catering to their own well being, those two powers were also helping their less fortunate allies rebuild their shattered infrastructure, cities and industrial capacity.

    Most of the American aid and low interest loans went to the United Kingdom, the Western Power which had suffered the most during the war and which was still the most important American ally.

    The massive German economic growth, in part fueled by the robots, allowed the German Reich not only to pay the war reparations but also to offer additional help to the other ECN countries, especially to those in Eastern Europe which needed it the most.

    Strongly supported by both the United States and Germany, Free Trade was the accepted norm in the international economic relations. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the International Trade Organization (ITA) and the World Bank (similar to the Uptime IMF) were founded in that period.

    One significant difference was that the U.S. Dollar had some competition from the Reichsmark in its use as a reserve currency. For example, crude oil was not automatically denominated in Dollars as oil transactions were done in a currency accepted by both sides (there was no Petrodollar).


    The Scientific and Technological Development was still close to that of the other history.

    In the German Reich, the first major breakthroughs in reverse-engineering and duplicating some of the functionality present in the Hirn were expected in the following years. In the mean time, both the Medical Nanobots and the Industrial Robots were mostly busy multiplying in order to reach the critical mass necessary for their most efficient usage.

    The most important advances were perhaps in IT and in rocketry.

    As Uptime Computer Cores were still at least a decade away from being mass produced, the German industry produced (with significant Uptime help) a primitive (from Uptime standards) but still extremely powerful personal computer (from Downtime standards). The Z8 was an 8-bit machine with a 1.6 MHz CPU, 1 KB of ROM, 8 KB of RAM, two 30 cm 64 kB floppy disk units, a keyboard, an analog monitor / TV port and three DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) extention ports. Together with the operating system, a small bundle of utilities and three simple games, the bulky 36 kg Z8 was sold for 17,999 RM ($2,821). At the same time, the cost of an Uptime Computer Core (not sold) was estimated at tens of millions of RM.

    In October 1950, the Werhmacht fired the World's first intercontinental missile. After flying almost 6,000 km in less than one hour, it exploded harmlessly over the Arctic Ocean, not far from the Wrangel Island. The German rocket scientists were expecting to launch the first artificial satellite the following year.

    The fifties promissed to bring forth truly breathtaking advances in science and technology, hopefully for the benefit of mankind.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [List] Countries & Dependencies (1951)
  • Threadmarks
    • Sovereign Countries & Dependencies
    1951
    Previous: February 1945, May 1945, August 1945, January 1947, January 1949.
    Changes in Red. Occupied / Claimed Territories in Italics.    ​

    United States of America
    Great Power, Federation, Western Bloc
    • Alaska (Territory)
    • American Antilles (Territory)
    • Galapagos (Territory)
    • Greenland (Territory)
    • Hawaii (Territory)
    • Micronesia (Territory)
    • Puerto Rico (Territory)
    • American Antarctica (Territory)

    United Kingdom
    Great Power, Western Bloc
    • Somalia (Associated State, preparing for independence in 1966)
    • East Africa (Federation, Associated State, preparing for independence in 1966)
    • Nigeria (Associated State, preparing for independence in 1966)
    • Ghana (Associated State, preparing for independence in 1966)
    • Gibraltar (Crown Colony)
    • Malta (Crown Colony)
    • British Indian Ocean Territory (Crown Colony)
    • Bathurst (Crown Colony)
    • Saint Helena (Crown Colony)
    • Falkland Islands (Crown Colony)
    • Hong Kong (Crown Colony, referendum in 1955)
    • British Antarctica (Territory)
    .
    Canada
    British Dominion, Federation, Western Bloc
    • Bermuda (External Territory)
    • Jamaica (External Territory)
    • Trinidad (External Territory)
    • Canadian Caribbean (External Territory)

    Australia
    British Dominion, Federation, Western Bloc
    • Melanesia (External Territory, Federation)
    • Nauru (External Territory)
    • Australian Indian Ocean Territory (External Territory)
    • Australian Antarctica (External Territory)

    New Zealand
    British Dominion, Western Bloc
    • Polynesia (External Territory, Federation)
    • New Zealand Antarctica (External Territory)

    Soviet Union
    Great Power, Federation, Socialist country, Neutral
    • Occupied Estonia
    • Occupied Latvia
    • Occupied Lithuania
    • Occupied Hungary
    • Occupied Romania
    • Occupied Bulgaria
    • Occupied Serbia
    • Occupied Albania
    • Russia (SFSR)
    • Ukraine (SSR)
    • Byelorussia (SSR)
    • Karelia (SSR)
    • Georgia (SSR)
    • Armenia (SSR)
    • Azerbaijan (SSR)
    • Kazakhstan (SSR)
    • Kyrgyzstan (SSR)
    • Uzbekistan (SSR)
    • Turkmenistan (SSR)
    • Tajikistan (SSR)
    • Kurdistan (SSR)
    • Turkey (SSR)
    • Syria (SSR)

    Albania
    European Community of Nations, Government in Exile

    Bulgaria
    European Community of Nations, Government in Exile

    Croatia
    European Community of Nations

    Denmark
    European Community of Nations

    Estonia
    European Community of Nations

    Finland
    Neutral

    France
    European Community of Nations, some areas under the control of the Algiers Government
    • Morocco (Associated State)
    • Tunisia (Associated State)
    • Ivory Coast (Associated State)
    • Dahomey (Associated State)
    • French Equatorial Africa (Protectorate, Federation)
    • French West Africa (Protectorate, Federation)
    • French Sahara (Territory)
    .
    German Switzerland
    European Community of Nations, Federation

    Germany
    Great Power, European Community of Nations, Federation, Dome owner

    Greece
    Socialist country, Neutral

    Hungary
    European Community of Nations

    Iceland and Faroe
    Neutral, Federation

    Ireland
    Neutral

    Italy
    European Community of Nations

    Latvia
    European Community of Nations

    Lithuania
    European Community of Nations

    Netherlands
    European Community of Nations

    Norway
    European Community of Nations

    Poland
    European Community of Nations

    Portugal
    Neutral
    • Mozambique (Colony)
    • Angola (Colony)

    Romania
    European Community of Nations, Government in Exile

    Serbia
    European Community of Nations, Government in Exile

    Slovakia
    European Community of Nations

    Spain
    European Community of Nations

    Sweden
    European Community of Nations

    Western Bloc (American influence)

    Argentina

    Bolivia

    Brazil

    Chile

    Colombia

    Costa Rica

    Cuba

    Dominican Republic

    Ecuador

    El Salvador

    Guatemala

    Haiti

    Honduras

    Mexico

    Nicaragua

    Panama

    Paraguay

    Peru

    Uruguay

    Venezuela

    Arabia
    Western Bloc, Arab League

    Cambodia
    Western Bloc

    China
    Great Power, Neutral

    India
    Great Power, Western Bloc, Federation

    Indonesia
    Neutral

    Iran
    Western Bloc

    Israel
    Western Bloc

    Japan
    Neutral, partial American Occupation

    Korea
    Western Bloc

    Lebanon
    Neutral, Arab League

    Malaya
    Western Bloc, Federation

    Philippines
    Western Bloc

    Thailand
    Neutral, Federation

    Vietnam
    Western Bloc

    Dahomey
    French Associated State

    East Africa
    British Associated State, Federation

    Egypt
    Western Bloc, Arab League

    Ethiopia
    Western Bloc

    Ghana
    British Associated State

    Ivory Coast
    French Associated State

    Liberia
    Western Bloc

    Madagascar
    Neutral

    Morocco
    French Associated State, Arab League

    Nigeria
    British Associated State

    Somalia
    British Associated State

    South Africa
    British Dominion, Federation, Western Bloc

    Tunisia
    French Associated State, Arab League

    Note: All 70 independent countries and 8 associated states are full members of the World Forum.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Recapitulation #14
  • Threadmarks
    • Recapitulation #14



    Scope    : Chapters 131 - 140

    Status: OK. The main portion of the TL is over.

    Time period: September 1948 - December 1950 (up to 1952 for the Great Population Transfers)


    Main events
    • The Treaty of Reykjavik includes a number of provisions with far-reaching consequences.
    • After a protracted agony, Romandy becomes an Autonomous State of France.
    • The remaining European Microstates (Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City) are dissolved. The Holy See is not directly affected.
    • The Eastern European Countries reintegrate their recovered territories.
    • Yugoslavia is partitioned between a Soviet part (Serbia and Albania) and an European part (Greater Croatia).
    • Soldier Heinrich von Bayern performs his mandatory military service in Obersalzberg, under the command of Feldwebel Adolphine von Hitler.
    • Adolf Hitler is injured by an Israeli sniper during one of his afternoon strolls.
    • Heinrich and Adolphine get married in Adolphine's new palace. Almost 200 guests attend the wedding, including royalty and other officials from both the Reich and abroad.
    • The wedding is cut short by the explosion of a bomb concealed in the concrete structure of the building. Several guests are injured but, except a guard, there are no fatalities.
    • The investigation reveals that the terrorists were a group of Nazis. A moderate anti-Nazi crackdown ensues.
    • King Mihai I of the Romanians marries Princess Gabrielle of Bavaria, Adolphine's sister-in-law.
    • Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg marries Marilyn Monroe.
    • According to the Treaty of Reykjavik, extensive population transfers (some voluntary, others not) are conducted all over Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. A new war is averted.
    • The CDU wins the 1950 German Elections.
    • Korea is granted full independence.
    • Thomas E. Dewey is the new President of the United States.
    • The Federation of Guinea implodes.
    • Queen Elizabeth II accedes to the thrones of the British Commonwealth.
    • Israel and India become Republics.
    • South Africa, Portugal, Spain, France and Italy encourage White immigration to Africa.
    • Stalin designates Molotov as his successor.
    • Maréchal Pétain retires from politics. The new French President is Pierre-Étienne Flandin.
    • Another reorganization of the French territories in Africa is carried on.
    • A revolt in Corsica turns into a stalemate.


    Cast of Characters (in order of appearance)
    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I like the vaguely Pink map sort of situation going on in Africa, I kinda find all the consolidation weird, but it's probably leading up to something.
     
    Redditredcoat said:
    I like the vaguely Pink map sort of situation going on in Africa, I kinda find all the consolidation weird, but it's probably leading up to something.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    The "consolidation" is caused by the worrying information from the would-be future regarding failed states in Africa. Therefore, the colonial powers decided to do something different that time. Presumably, larger and fewer countries would lead to greater stability. This had been discussed a few times earlier in the story.

    Besides, I like it that way.
     
    Chapter 141. Renew It or Let It Lapse?
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 141. Renew It or Let It Lapse?



    Preamble

    In January 1953, the German Reich and the Soviet Union had been at war with each other for almost twelve years: four years of vicious, total war, three years of phoney war from behind the Berlin Dome and almost five years of ceasefire.

    The population exchanges had been completed in the previous autumn and the five years long ceasefire signed by the two powers in Reykjavik was going to expire in September.

    Naturally, the most important geopolitical question, both in the German Reich and in the Soviet Union, was whether to renew the treaty for a further five years (with or without renegotiating it) or to let it lapse and resume the war (in order to extract a better deal or to vanquish the enemy once and for all).

    In the following paragraphs, we will summarize the general situation in the countries involved in the ceasefire and their positions on the issue.



    The Soviet Union

    Politics: Stable, ruthless Communist dictatorship. Stalin held undisputed absolute power and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union controlled all facets of public and private life.

    Between 1947 and 1949, in what became known as the Second Great Purge, almost two million Soviet citizens (including citizens of the then annexed countries of Eastern Europe) were executed or sent to the Gulag, some of them never to be seen again. The majority of the upper echelons of the Communist Party and of the Red Army, intelectuals, ethnic minorities, religious leaders but also many random persons became victims of the purges.

    Although usually explained by Stalin's well known paranoia, the purges were prompted by two external influences. The first one was represented by the genuine bits of information from the future which caused the deaths of Lavrentiy Beria, Nikita Khrushchev, Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin and others. The second one was more sinister -- a disinformation campaign masterminded by the Abwehr (including evidence forged by the robots) which caused the deaths of at least 14 Red Army Generals involved in an non-existent plot against Stalin.

    Economy: Inefficient, uncompetitive Socialist economy. The collectivization of agriculture resulted in widespread famine and the rapid industrialization disregarded the basic needs of the population. The Soviet economy was in a worse shape than in the Uptime history because of the more limited postwar loot from Central Europe. The massive funds directed to the Red Army further hurt the civilian economy.

    Military: The Red Army was one of the largest armies in the World. With 6 million men under arms, it could swell to more than 30 million if needed. The Red Army had more men, tanks, fighters and bomber planes than the entire European Community of Nations. It was expected that the Red Army would be able to successfully defend the core Soviet territory if needed.

    The Soviet Union had about 100 nuclear weapons and was producing a new one every two weeks. The only means of deploying them was with a bomber as Soviet rocketry was still in its infancy. It was assumed that the Soviet Union would use them against invading forces and, possibly, as retaliation against exposed European cities such as Stockholm.

    As more and more Germans had full immunity to any concievable disease because of the medical nanobots, the Soviet Union scaled down and later discontinued its soon to be useless biological weapons programme.

    Morale: While many Soviet citizens hated and feared Stalin and the Communist regime, the support for an European invasion was predicted to be very limited because the people knew very well what had happened during the latest invasion and Soviet propaganda insisted that the aims of the Germans had not changed. Therefore, the vast majority of the Soviet civilians were expected to resist the European armies and fight for their lives.¹

    1. A similar situation, albeit on a much lesser scale, was already unfolding in Croatia, where Communist partisans were still attacking the overwhelmed Croat Army and the supporting Wehrmacht units five years after the liberation of Outer Croatia.

    Of course, in the occupied countries of Eastern Europe (with the possible exception of Serbia) and in the recently annexed SSRs like Turkey and Syria, the situation was markedly different, with their oppressed populations longing to be redeemed from Soviet tyranny.

    The general situation in the occupied countries was much worse than in the Soviet Union as the Soviet military authorities were requisitioning food, mining mineral resources and dismantling the remaining industry. In fact, almost everything that was both movable and valuable was sent to the Soviet Union, leaving the peoples of Eastern Europe hungry and destitute. Anyone who resisted was shot on spot.


    Position on the treaty: Renew the ceasefire or sign a peace treaty. If needed, offer concessions.

    Stalin realized very well the precarious situation of the Soviet Union. Sure, the Germans could not invade with any chance of success but time was not on his side. With every year, Germany was getting stronger and the Soviet Union was doomed to lose the weapons race just like it happened in the other history in the so called Cold War with the Occident. Even disregarding the massive help provided by the German robots, the Soviet economy could not compete with the whole of Europe, just like it couldn't compete with the Occident in the other history.

    Stalin knew that, in the end, the Soviet Union would lose. He simply wanted to mitigate the disaster, to save what could still be saved, to avert the tragedy from the other history, the complete dissolution of the Union and the humiliation of Russia that followed it. If the Soviet core could be saved, the peoples of Eastern Europe could go their own ways. The Slavs were important, not the Baltics, the Romanians and the Hungarians. Soviet Union was supposed to be Greater Russia, not some internationalist abomination.

    All East Slavs were Russians. There were no such people as Ukrainians or Byelorussians. Their so called languages were nothing more than Russian dialects. The division of Mother Russia and the division of the Russian people had been grave mistakes of the revolutionary past and they would be corrected as soon as possible. Conquered territory could be ceded but not an inch of Russian land.



    The European Community of Nations

    Politics: From full democracies (German Switzerland, the Nordic countries, the Netherlands) and flawed democracies (Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Baltic States) to hybrid regimes (Spain, Slovakia), failed states (Croatia, Poland²) and governments in exile (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania).

    2. See Chapter 138. The Great Population Transfers (Part II), section Poland. In 1953, Poland was at the apogee of its crisis, just before the collapse of the Nationalist Government. The situation in Poland would improve significantly in the following years.

    Economy: With its annual growth steadily in the double digits, the German economy was the engine of the ECN. In Germany and Western Europe, the post-war recovery was almost complete but most of the Eastern European countries were still struggling to overcome the massive war-time destruction despite the important financial and logistical help provided by the German Reich.

    Military: The Wehrmacht represented more than half of the total military strength of the ECN, distantly followed by the armed forces of France, Italy, Poland and Spain. Significant effectives of the Wehrmacht were stationed in Croatia, Hungary and the Baltic States. Small numbers of soldiers from France, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark augmented the Polish Army guarding the Dome Limit in Eastern Poland.

    Germany controlled 47 nuclear weapons (Lithuanian in pretence), with the capacity to quickly manufacture more when needed. Fast and accurate computer controlled intercontinental missiles could deliver atomic bombs or other payloads anywhere in the Soviet Union with no fear of being intercepted.

    Because the ECN was a defensive alliance, Germany and the Eastern Countries could not depend on the help of the Western Countries if they decided to invade the Soviet Union.

    Morale: Most Germans (and Western Europeans) did not want to go to war against the Soviet Union for the sake of their eastern allies. It is preposterous to spill German blood to help the Poles oppress even more Ukrainians and Byelorussians than they currently do.

    On the contrary, the Eastern Countries were eager to recover their lost lands and liberate their citizens still suffering under Soviet occupation. The Eastern Europeans were adamant that the Germans owed them at least that.


    The ECN countries had divergent positions on the treaty.

    With large portions of their territory, including their capitals, exposed to possible Soviet invasion or bombardments, Sweden and Norway declared that they had no issues with the Soviet Union and that they would not join a war against the Soviet Union unless they or one of their allies were attacked.

    Most Western Countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, German Switzerland, France and Spain) favoured a peaceful solution but pledged token forces in case of war.

    Italy, already at peace with the Soviet Union and having much of its eastern coast exposed to possible Soviet naval attacks, was unwilling to restart the war and asked for negotiations.

    Croatia, already at peace with the Soviet Union and in the midst of a lingering Communist insurgency, could not help in any meaningful way and decided to stay out of a possible war unless invaded by Soviet forces. Moreover, having major difficulties in controlling its already overextended territory (the Serbs were about one quarter of the total population), Croatia officially renounced all its remaining territorial claims (Syrmia and the Kotor Bay).


    The German Reich was in a difficult position.
    1. It was obvious that an invasion of the Soviet Union would end in disaster, with millions of projected casualties and small chances of success.
    2. Most of the German population was categorically against an invasion, rendering the point moot.
    3. It was debatable whether a complete destruction of the Soviet Union was even desirable because the continued existence of a credible threat in the East was keeping the Eastern Countries friendly towards Germany.
    4. Maintaining the current geopolitical balance with three competing power blocks was favourably viewed by some of the German policy makers.
    5. Almost doubling the area of Poland was probably not a positive outcome for Germany.
    6. On the other hand it was certainly desirable to curb the power of the Soviet Union, push the borders of the ECN eastwards, free more Europeans from Soviet rule, expand the small Eastern European Countries and make them even more indebted to Germany, add Finland to the ECN, etc.

    After lengthy and difficult discussions in the Council for the Defence of the Reich, it was decided that the Reykjavik Treaty should be renegotiated in order to extract more concessions, territorial and otherwise, from the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union refused to compromise, limited conventional bombings of Soviet military and industrial facilities would be performed after the expiration of the ceasefire.


    Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania wanted to liberate Mainland Estonia, Outer Latvia and Outer Lithuania. Officially, the Baltic States had no other territorial claims. Unofficially, Estonia and Lithuania still hoped to recover the Ivangorod region and, respectively, south-eastern Lithuania up to the border specified in the 1920 Soviet-Lithuanian Peace Treaty.

    Poland accepted nothing less than its interwar border with the Soviet Union.

    Slovakia had no more territorial claims but would accept to administer the rest of Carpatho-Ukraine if no independent Ukrainian State would be created.

    Hungary wanted to liberate Outer Hungary. Officially, Hungary had no more territorial claims. Unofficially, the Hungarians still hoped to recover the parts of Transylvania, Vojvodina and Carpatho-Ukraine with significant Hungarian populations.

    The Governments in Exile of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania wanted to liberate their Soviet occupied countries. Romania still claimed Northern Bukovina and the future border between Serbia and Albania was not yet settled. Unofficially, there were numerous large and small dormant territorial claims all over the Balkans (including Greece).



    Other Countries

    The Western Powers strongly preferred that the Soviet Union remained a Great Power to counter the increasing German power in Europe. However, they recognized the right of the Eastern ECN Countries to liberate their Soviet occupied territories.

    As expected, the World Forum offered to mediate the conflict.

    From the other neighbours of the Soviet Union, China, India, Iran, Arabia and Greece reaffirmed that they had no territorial claims on the Soviet Union. While China and India really meant it, Iran and Arabia actually wanted to recover some or all of their lost territories but, unless the Soviet Union collapsed completely, they did not want to remain neighbours with a vengeful Soviet Union. The real position of Greece was unknown.

    Japan wanted to annex North Sakhalin and merge it with Karafuto but the presence of the American occupation forces in Karafuto and elsewhere in Japan precluded any military adventurism.

    Finland informed Germany that it wanted to recover its lost territories and possibly annex parts or all of Soviet Karelia but only after a complete military and political Soviet collapse. Otherwise, membership in the ECN and an independent and demilitarized Karelian buffer state was their preferred option.



    On the 6th of April 1953, the representatives of the Soviet Union, led my Molotov, and of the ECN, led by Adenauer, met once again in Reykjavik under the aegis of the World Forum in order to renegotiate the 1948 Reykjavik Treaty or, hopefully, to sign a final Peace Treaty.

    May God help them avoid the horrors of war.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [Map] Uptime Universe (2189)
  • Threadmarks
    • This map (and the accompanying text) represents a contribution from Christory from AlternateHistory.com. He allowed me to cross-post it on this site.

    Like all contributions posted by me, it is canon. Like in all other contributions, I have made slight changes, such as correcting some typos and adjusting the formatting to match the rest of the story.

    Contributions are welcome. If you want to contribute anything you are knowledgeable about, please contact me with details in a private conversation. Thank you.



    Attention: This map does NOT depict any situation occuring in this timeline. Rather, it is a map of the Uptime Universe from where Adolphine had come. For more information about the Uptime Universe, you may review Chapter 33 and Chapter 64.




    Uptime Universe
    2189
    when Adolphine was sent downtime

    ​



    Overview of the Uptime Universe in 2189

    Overall
    • A lot less countries in this world.
    • The global sea level is about 30 metres above pre-industrial levels, and the polar regions are far more habitable and economically viable than the tropics.

    North America
    • Greenland is independent and has economically benefitted the most from climate change (at least out of every country in the Northern Hemisphere).
    • Canada was annexed by the United States shortly after Quebec became independent. Over a century of arctic colonisation later, the northernmost territories have all gained statehood.
    • Heatwaves, sea level rise and vast hurricanes depopulated most of the Caribbean and Central America, leaving the United States and Mexico to take the sparsely populated lands. Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Panama are the last surviving countries in this area.
    • Europa Federal's last territories outside Europe itself (besides the offworld colonies) are all located in the Caribbean.

    South America
    • South America united by the end of the 21st century and took the Netherlands Antilles along with Trinidad and Tobago.
    • Prior to this, Argentina got the Falklands.

    Europe
    • The Second Cold War ended with Russia losing Kaliningrad (Prussia), Crimea, Karelia and Murmansk in Europe, as well as losing all its European allies.
    • After over a century of Islamic migration, over 20% of the European population originated from Africa and/or the Middle East. The dominant culture is still "European" though.
    • Since Russia is considered to be part of Asia now, Europa Federal is usually considered to be synonymous with "Europe".

    Africa
    • Africa has unified, except for Madagascar and the Saharan bits in the Arab Federation.
    • In a last-ditch effort to save its economy, Egypt did the Qattara Sea Project, which was surprisingly successful since antimatter bombs don't leave any radioactive fallout.
    • Civil wars, heatwaves and agricultural failure in North Africa contributed to the Muslim migrant flow into Europe.
    • The mighty Sahara Desert separates the Arab Federation from the ideologically-opposed nations of Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Middle East
    • Climate change pretty much devastated Yemen.
    • Saudi Arabia didn't last long after the oil wells went dry.
    • Turkey did an oopsie, and Europa, Armenia and Kurdistan jumped at the chance to take their claims.
    • Pan-Arabism quickly became a thing again due to a number of factors, the most significant being the threat of Israel and the fact that the entire Arab region was by now sparsely populated.
    • Iraq broke in three, the Sunni part becoming later part of the Arab Federation and the Kurdish part joining Kurdistan.

    Asia
    • Another consequence of Russia's defeat in the Second Cold War was the loss of the Kurils and Sakhalin (Karafuto) to Japan. However, the net result for Russia was in the end massively positive because it gained good use of incredibly vast territories in Siberia which were previously almost useless.
    • The large number of climate refugees and migrants from Eastern and Central Asia have turned Russia's "European" population into a near-minority.
    • The Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyzs and Turkmens peacefully federated recently.
    • Iran annexed the arid, mostly depopulated Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
    • India has unified, under its strictest definition (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh).
    • Burma did an oopsie.
    • Indonesia did an oopsie.
    • Malaysia has unified with Brunei and Singapore.
    • Vietnam is the only "Far-Left" country left in the world.
    • The Kim Dynasty didn't last long after the downfall of Communist China.

    Oceania
    • Australia unified with New Zealand and the Northern Territory is finally a state.
    • Like in the Downtime Universe, New Caledonia ended up as part of Australia (alongside the other South Pacific Islands which didn't disappear under the waves).

    Antarctica
    • Inhabited and independent, Antarctica is the fastest-growing continent on Earth in terms of population, GDP and a few other things.

    Offworld
    • The United States, Europa, SpaceX, Russia, India, China and Japan all operate offworld outposts and settlements.
    • Worlds that have been colonized are Mars, the Moon, Vesta, Ceres, Ganymede, Titan, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Iapetus.
    • Without any rivers or other bodies of water or any pre-existing cultural / linguistic / religeous boundaries, the borders of the offworld colonies are mostly defined by topography, with some exceptions such as Europa's part of the Moon which has its southern border defined by the Lunar equator.
    • European Luna is the largest offworld hub for middle-class tourism.
    • Nearly all of the "colonies" in the Inner Belt (referring to the Asteroid Belt, the Outer Belt referring to the Kuiper Belt) are small but profitable mining outposts of a hundred or so people.
    • The total offworld population stands at around 900,000 people.



    Please note that I am mostly unable to answer questions about this map and the accompanying text because I did not author them. Thank you for your understanding.
    .
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I wonder how the year 2189 in this new timeline looks like and whats the majow differences are.

    Edit:
    The SU in this new timeline should be preserved.
    The main danger are like in OTL the Nukes. Should some nutjob get their hands on the nukes, heaven help.
    Another reason are the major resources this gigantic land could provide.
    Food, raw materials and other important stuff.
     
    Last edited:
    Aetherius said:
    I wonder how the year 2189 in this new timeline looks like and whats the majow differences are.

    Edit:
    The SU in this new timeline should be preserved.
    The main danger are like in OTL the Nukes. Should some nutjob get their hands on the nukes, heaven help.
    Another reason are the major resources this gigantic land could provide.
    Food, raw materials and other important stuff.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    We will eventually get there, albeit with increasingly broader strokes (the chapters will cover increasingly longer periods of time with less and less detail).

    As it was suggested somewhere, the Soviet Union will eventually disintegrate. When and how remains to be seen. There will be no loose nukes.
     
    Last edited:
    Chapter 142. Second Treaty of Reykjavik
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 142. Second Treaty of Reykjavik



    April-June 1953, Reykjavik, Iceland-Faroe

    The Second Reykjavik Peace Conference was attended by:
    • Vyacheslav Molotov, Minister of Foreign Affaires of the Soviet Union and designated successor of Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin,
    • Konrad Adenauer, Reich Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affaires of the German Reich,
    • plenipotentiaries from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

    No representatives from Serbia and Albania attended the conference because the Soviet Union did not recognize their Governments in Exile.

    No representatives from Finland, Croatia and other countries attended the conference because they were already at peace with the Soviet Union.

    Nonetheless, the German Reich represented the interests of those countries at the conference.


    In the opening phase of the conference, the diplomats presented the initial position of their countries.

    The Soviet Union asked to:
    • sign a final peace treaty with the German Reich and with all its allies;
    • have its borders officially recognized by all parties;
    • terminate the special protected status of Karelia;
    • demarcate a common border with Poland and Slovakia, roughly at the ethnic border between the West Slavs and the East Slavs (with the area inside the Berlin Dome to remain permanently demilitarized);
    • have the Budjak Region returned to the Ukrainian SSR.
    • receive reparations for the massive destruction and loss of life caused by the unprovoked Axis invasion of 1941-1944;
    • have Communist Governments installed in Serbia and Albania and recongnized by the ECN (with the Serbian and Albanian Governments in Exile to be disbanded);
    • allow local Communist Parties to function unimpeded in all signatory countries.

    In return, it offered to return all occupied territories to the administration of their lawful Governments (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria) but keep its military bases and disallow any other foreign military presence.


    The German Reich did not demand anything for itself but declared that it supported its allies (and former ally Finland which was not represented at the conference).

    Slovakia did not demand anything, unless Poland recovered the Kresy, in which case it would expand its Felvidék and Carpathia Autonomous Regions with the rest of the (otherwise exclaved) Carpatho-Ukraine.


    Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria asked the Soviet Union to evacuate their territories and pay reparations for the occupation and the suffering of their people (executions, deportations, etc).

    As a concession to the Soviet Union, the allied governments promissed that they would not allow any foreign military presence in their recovered territories. Moreover, they accepted reasonable limitations to their own armed forces.


    Poland asked for the restauration of the interwar Soviet-Polish border, which was obviously completely unacceptable for the Soviet Union as more than ten million Ukrainians and Byelorussians lived in that area.


    During the following negotiations, a number of concessions accepted by the Soviet Union and some of the Eastern ECN Members brought their positions close enough that an understanding seemed within reach.

    The revised Soviet position, largely accepted by the Baltic States, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria was:
    • sign a final peace treaty with the German Reich and with all its allies;
    • have its borders officially recognized by all parties;
    • allow local Communist Parties to function unimpeded in all signatory countries;
    • return all occupied territories to the administration of their lawful Governments;
    • keep a small number of military bases in parts of Estonia, Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria;
    • pay a small amount of reparations but only to the Baltic States (because the other countries had been Axis members) and only after receiving the reparations from Germany.

    Germany accepted, in principle, the revised Soviet position but refused to sign a separate Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union as long as the problems of Eastern Poland, Karelia, Serbia and Albania were not adequately solved.

    During continued negotiations, Germany and the Soviet Union addressed those issues, coming to the following tentative solutions:
    • the partition of Karelia, its eastern part (and a small area in the Karelian Isthmus) to be annexed to the Russian SFSR and its western part to become a neutral buffer state between the Soviet Union and a future ECN member Finland;
    • free elections, supervised by the World Forum, in Serbia and Albania to decide their fate (Molotov was sure that the Communists would win);
    • reparations to be paid by Germany during the next 20 years.

    While Germany (and the Eastern ECN Countries) could not accept an indefinite Soviet military presence in Eastern Europe, a temporary arrangement could be accepted and revised later on.


    In the end, the only completely untractable problem remained that of the Soviet-Polish border. While the Soviet Union renounced its unenforceable claim of the Curzon Line border, the Polish delegation could not be persuaded to accept a final border on the Dome Limit, about one third of the Kresy being the most they were disposed to recognize as Soviet territory.

    The desire to compromise in order to achieve a durable peace was obvious for all participants with the glaring exception of Poland.

    Eventually, it became clear that the intransigence of the Poles would result in the failure of the peace process. The German Reich, while not fully supportive of the Polish position, could not simply abandon its ally and fellow ECN member state and the Soviet Union did not want to leave unsettled the crucial issue of its western border.


    Unable to devise a peace treaty, the diplomats settled on the next best thing, the renewal of the current ceasefire.

    Because the first two Soviet conditions had not been met (the signing of a peace treaty and the recognition of its borders), the Soviet Union changed some of its conditions, citing its increased need for security in the different military situation (ceasefire instead of peace):
    • Romania and Bulgaria would remain under military occupation.
    • There would be no elections in Serbia and Albania.
    • Finland could not become a full member of the ECN (it was not allowed to join the European military alliance).
    • The Red Army would maintain more military bases in the territories transferred to the authority of the Latvian and Estonian Governments.

    The Romanian and Bulgarian Governments in Exile, who had been close to regain some level of control over their countries, blamed Poland for the reversal of their fortunes and left the conference in protest. The rift between them and the Poles would prove difficult to heal.



    26 July 1953, Reykjavik, Iceland-Faroe

    The Ceasefire was renewed for another five years (until 24 September 1958), including the changes mentioned below.

    Estonia
    • The Soviet Union transferred Mainland Estonia to the administration of the Estonian Government, ending the military occupation.
    • The Soviet Union retained military bases in the eastern part of Mainland Estonia. The western part of Mainland Estonia was demilitarized.

    Latvia
    • The Soviet Union transferred Outer Latvia to the administration of the Latvian Government, ending the military occupation.
    • The Soviet Union retained military bases in the north-eastern part of Outer Latvia. The south-western part of Outer Latvia was demilitarized.

    Lithuania
    • The Soviet Union transferred Outer Lithuania to the administration of the Lithuanian Government, ending the military occupation.
    • Outer Lithuania was demilitarized.

    Poland and Slovakia
    • No changes.

    Hungary
    • The Soviet Union transferred Outer Hungary to the administration of the Hungarian Government, ending the military occupation.
    • Outer Hungary was demilitarized.

    Romania and Bulgaria
    • Romania and Bulgaria remained under Soviet military occupation.
    • The Romanian and Bulgarian Governments in Exile were allowed to send observers to monitor the situation in their countries.
    • The ECN was allowed to send humanitarian aid (food, medicine, clothes, other basic items) to Romania and Bulgaria.
    • Emigration from Romania and Bulgaria was allowed.

    Serbia and Albania
    • Not mentioned.

    Finland
    • Could join the ECN structures with the exception of its military alliance.
    • Was not allowed to merge with Karelia (see below).

    Karelia
    • The Karelian SSR was dissolved. Its territory was partitioned between the Russian SFSR (its eastern part with the Murmansk railroad and part of the Karelian Isthmus) and an independent Karelian state (the rest).
    • Karelia remained under Soviet military occupation. The ECN countries and Finland would not allow any Karelian Government in Exile to function on their territories.
    • New population exchanges would be performed between the two parts of the former Karelian SSR (less than 50,000 people were involved as the Russians were already concentrated in the east and the Finnic peoples in the west).


    The aftermath of the Second Reykjavik Ceasefire will be discussed in the following chapter.
     
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