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70-619: Berching ( Bavarian : Bacham ) is a town in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria , Germany . It is today one of only four towns in Germany that still have completely intact city walls , along with Rothenburg ob der Tauber , Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl , all in Bavaria. Berching is a historical town with a fully preserved town wall and low streamlet. The first settlement was registered in 883, maki g it more than 1100 years old. Berching

140-505: A combination of minor border rectifications and population transfer , of the state's German minority, so as to bolster the territorial integrity of state. Although the details changed, along with British public and official opinion, and pressure from Czech resistance groups , the broad goals of the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile remained the same throughout the war. The pre-war policy of minority protection

210-743: A future Czechoslovakia to be burdened with a sizable German minority. The idea of expelling ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia was supported by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Britain's Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden . In 1942, the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile received the formal support of the United Kingdom for the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia and, in March 1943, President Beneš received Moscow's support. In June 1943, Beneš traveled to Washington, D.C. , and obtained support for

280-561: A number of features with Yiddish . Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a series of evacuations and deportations of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II . During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia , the Czech resistance groups demanded the deportation of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia. The decision to deport

350-745: A scale as possible, and as expeditiously as possible to present the Western powers with a fait accompli . Between 1945 and 1948, a series of Czechoslovak government decrees, edicts, laws and statutes were proclaimed by the president of the republic, the Prague-based Czechoslovak Parliament, the Slovak National Council (Parliament) in Bratislava and by the Board of Slovak Commissioners (an appendage of

420-703: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bavarian language Bavarian is commonly considered to be a dialect of German , but some sources classify it as a separate language : the International Organization for Standardization has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code ( bar ), and the UNESCO lists Bavarian in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger since 2009; however,

490-518: Is also the indefinite pronoun ebba(d) , "someone" with its impersonal form ebb(a)s , "something". It is inflected in the following way: The interrogative pronouns wea , "who", and wås , "what" are inflected the same way the indefinite pronoun ebba is inflected. Bavarians produce a variety of nicknames for those who bear traditional Bavarian or German names like Josef, Theresa or Georg (becoming Sepp'l or more commonly Sepp , Resi and Schorsch , respectively). Bavarians often refer to names with

560-468: Is an alternative naming many High German dialect speakers regard justified. Bavaria and Austria officially use Standard German as the primary medium of education. With the spread of universal education, the exposure of speakers of Bavarian to Standard German has been increasing, and many younger people, especially in the region's cities and larger towns, speak Standard German with only a slight accent. This accent usually only exists in families where Bavarian

630-505: Is called Hausname (en: name of the house) and is seldom used to name the person, but more to state where they come from or live or to whom they are related. Examples of this are: Bayerish iz a grupe dyalektn afn dorem funem daytshishn shprakh-kontinuum. Sholem-aleykhem, ikh bin Peter un ikh kum fun Minkhn. Lize/Lizl hot zikh (hotsekh) tsebrokhn dem fus. ikh hob (kh'hob) gefunen gelt. The dialects can be seen to share

700-501: Is located in the district of Neumarkt in Bavaria , Germany . It is situated on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal , 20 km south of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz . The old town or Altstadt is surrounded by a large wall interspaced with towers. One of the towers has been converted into a 6-story apartment. A small inn called Blaue Traube is located in the town center. This Neumarkt district location article

770-745: Is preferred in the mass media . Ludwig Thoma was a noted German author who wrote works such as Lausbubengeschichten in Bavarian. There is a Bavarian Misplaced Pages . Also, the official FC Bayern Munich website was available in Bavarian. Notes: Vowel phonemes in parentheses occur only in certain Bavarian dialects or only appear as allophones or in diphthongs. Nasalization may also be distinguished in some dialects. Bavarian has an extensive vowel inventory, like most Germanic languages. Vowels can be grouped as back rounded, front unrounded and front rounded. They are also traditionally distinguished by length or tenseness . * These are typically used in

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840-468: Is restricted to use as the language of writing and the media. It is therefore often referred to as Schriftdeutsch ("written German") rather than the usual term Hochdeutsch (" High German " or "Standard German"). Given that Central German and Upper German together comprise the High German languages , out of which the then new, written standard was developed and as opposed to Low German , that

910-513: Is spoken regularly. Families that do not use Bavarian at home usually use Standard German instead. In Austria, some parts of grammar and spelling are taught in Standard German lessons. As reading and writing in Bavarian is generally not taught at schools, almost all literate speakers of the language prefer to use Standard German for writing. Regional authors and literature may play a role in education as well, but by and large, Standard German

980-563: Is the lingua franca . Although there exist grammars, vocabularies , and a translation of the Bible in Bavarian, there is no common orthographic standard. Poetry is written in various Bavarian dialects, and many pop songs use the language as well, especially ones belonging to the Austropop wave of the 1970s and 1980s. Although Bavarian as a spoken language is in daily use in its region, Standard German, often with strong regional influence,

1050-562: The Beneš decrees and it specifies that "Any act committed between 30 September 1938 and 28 October 1945 "the object of which was to aid the struggle for liberty of the Czechs and Slovaks or which represented just reprisals for actions of the occupation forces and their accomplices", is not illegal, even when such acts may otherwise be punishable by law." This law, which is still in force, has de facto ensured that no atrocities against Germans during

1120-490: The Duchy of Bavaria , forming the south-eastern part of the kingdom of Germany . The Old High German documents from the area of Bavaria are identified as Altbairisch (Old Bavarian), even though at this early date there were few distinctive features that would divide it from Alemannic German . The dialectal separation of Upper German into East Upper German (Bavarian) and West Upper German (Alemannic) became more tangible in

1190-561: The Middle High German period, from about the 12th century. Three main dialects of Bavarian are: Differences are clearly noticeable within those three subgroups, which in Austria often coincide with the borders of the particular states. For example, each of the accents of Carinthia, Styria, and Tyrol can be easily recognised. Also, there is a marked difference between eastern and western central Bavarian, roughly coinciding with

1260-469: The Sudeten Germans had become known, Wenzel Jaksch (a Sudeten German Social Democrat in exile) wrote a letter to Beneš protesting about the proposed plans. Initially, only a few hundred thousand Sudeten Germans were to be affected — people who were perceived as being disloyal to Czechoslovakia and who, according to Beneš and Czech public opinion, had acted as Hitler's " fifth column ". Due to

1330-466: The "final solution of the German question" ( Czech : konečné řešení německé otázky ) which would have to be solved by deportation of the ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia. The expulsions were carried out by order of local authorities, mostly by groups of armed volunteers. However, in some cases it was initiated or pursued with the assistance of the regular army. Several thousand died violently during

1400-619: The 1938 Munich Agreement, the flight and forcible expulsion of people from the Czech border area and the forcible breakup and occupation of the Czechoslovak Republic. It regrets the suffering and injustice inflicted upon the Czech people through National Socialist crimes committed by Germans. The German side pays tribute to the victims of National Socialist tyranny and to those who resisted it." Czech–German Declaration 1997 The joint Czech–German commission of historians in 1996 stated

1470-919: The Czechoslovak government in Bratislava). After the revocation of Munich Agreement had been publicly announced in the British Parliament in August 1942, the British government gave its consent to the transfer of German population from the Czech Crown Lands. President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt joined the relocation policy in June 1943. Moscow gave its consent by a declaration on June 5, 1943. The transfer

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1540-628: The Czechs, or those who had manifested "their loyalty to the Czechoslovak Republic, had never committed any offence against the Czech and Slovak nations, and who had either actively participated in the struggle for the liberation of the country, or had suffered under Nazi or fascist terror". The decree was in accordance with the Czechoslovak constitution which did not allow dual citizenship. Decree No. 5/1945 of 3 June 1945 , determining that "any form of property transfer and transaction affecting property rights in terms of movable and immovable assets, and public and private property shall be invalidated, if it

1610-725: The Germans was adopted by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile which, beginning in 1943, sought the support of the Allies for this proposal. The final agreement for the expulsion of the German population however was not reached until 2 August 1945 at the end of the Potsdam Conference . In the months following the end of the war, "wild" expulsions happened from May until August 1945. Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš on 28 October 1945 called for

1680-616: The Germans ;... German women and the Hitler Youth also bear the blame for the crimes of the Germans. Deal with them too in an uncompromising way." On 15 June, a government decree directed the army to implement measures to apprehend Nazi criminals and carry out the transfer of the German population. On 27 July, the Ministry of National Defence issued a secret order directing the transfer should be carried out on as large

1750-485: The Mutual Relations and their Future Development: III. The Czech side regrets that, by the forcible expulsion and forced resettlement of Sudeten Germans from the former Czechoslovakia after the war as well as by the expropriation and deprivation of citizenship, much suffering and injustice was inflicted upon innocent people, also in view of the fact that guilt was attributed collectively. It particularly regrets

1820-578: The Nazi occupation. They made rough estimate claiming 350,000 Germans in Czechoslovakia passed through one or more of these institutions and 100,000 perished. However the Red Cross was able to confirm only 6,989 deaths in the internment camps. According to Alfred de Zayas : One of the worst camps in post-war Czechoslovakia was the old Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt . Conditions under

1890-870: The Potsdam Communique concerning the expulsions, wrote on 31 July 1945 to John Troutbeck , head of the German Department at the Foreign Office: "The Sub-Committee met three times, taking as a basis of discussion a draft which I circulated ... Sobolov took the view that the Polish and Czechoslovak wish to expel their German populations was the fulfilment of an historic mission which the Soviet Government were unwilling to try to impede. ... Cannon and I naturally strongly opposed this view. We made it clear that we did not like

1960-664: The Potsdam Conference were confirmed by its signatory states in 1996. The US government, said: "The decisions made at Potsdam ... were soundly based in international law. The conference conclusions have been endorsed many times since in various multilateral and bilateral contexts. ... The conclusions of Potsdam are historical fact and the United States is confident that no country wishes to call them into question". No Czechoslovak/Czech/Slovak legal norm (decree, law, etc.) ever existed that would have dealt with

2030-526: The Prague military command "Alex", issued an order to "deport all Germans from territory within the historical borders." A pamphlet issued on 5 June 1945 titled "Ten Commandments for Czechoslovak Soldiers in the Border Regions" directed soldiers that "The Germans have remained our irreconcilable enemies. Do not cease to hate the Germans ... Behave towards Germans like a victor ... Be harsh to

2100-616: The President of the Republic, page 27 Without such act, many resistance combatants would be open to criminal prosecutions for their activities against Nazis. The law stipulating that the sentences pronounced against the Czech Resistance fighters during the war had been lawful were valid in Germany until 1997. President Decrees 2.a However, the Czech government did express its regret in the 1997 Joint Czech–German Declaration on

2170-552: The Sudetenland, fewer people work in high-skill sectors such as finance and healthcare. Significantly lower educational enrollment was first observed in 1947 and lower educational achievement is still evident from the results of the 2011 Czech census . The UN Human Rights Committee issued decisions in three cases concerning Sudeten Germans ( Des Fours Walderode v. Czech Republic; Petzoldova v. Czech Republic; Czernin v. Czech Republic) in which violations of articles 26 and 14 of

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2240-413: The actual death toll was at least 15,000 persons, and that it could range up to a maximum of 30,000 dead if one assumes that some deaths were not reported. The Commission statement also said that German records show 18,889 confirmed deaths including 3,411 suicides. Czech records indicated 22,247 deaths including 6,667 unexplained cases or suicides. The German Church Search Service was able to confirm

2310-497: The border areas, where it won 75 per cent of votes in the 1946 election . Without these votes, the Communist Party would not have achieved a plurality in the Czech lands. The expulsions of Germans are therefore considered a key factor in the success of the 1948 coup . According to a 2020 study, the expulsion of the Germans triggered a depopulation and de-urbanization of the border areas. Compared to adjacent areas outside

2380-540: The border between Austria and Bavaria. In addition, the Viennese dialect has some characteristics distinguishing it from all other dialects. In Vienna, minor, but recognizable, variations are characteristic for distinct districts of the city. Before the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia , the linguistic border of Bavarian with Czech was on the farther side of the Bohemian Forest and its Bohemian foreland

2450-626: The camp was a centre of sadism, where human life and human dignity had no meaning. Hrneček, who'd spent two years in pre-trial custody, was pardoned by the Allied High Commission after serving another 7 months in prison. Germans living in the border regions of Czechoslovakia were expelled from the country in late 1945. The joint German and Czech commission of historians estimated that there were about 15,000 violent deaths. Czech records report 15,000–16,000 deaths not including an additional 6,667 unexplained cases or suicides during

2520-410: The classification of Bavarian as an individual language has been criticized by some scholars of Bavarian. Reasons why Bavarian can be viewed as a dialect of German include the perception of its speakers, the lack of standardization, the traditional use of Standard German as a roofing language , the relative closeness to German which does not justify Bavarian to be viewed as an abstand language , or

2590-609: The colour of authority. In the summer of 1945, for instance, there were localised massacres of the German population. The following examples are described in a study done by the European University Institute in Florence : During the wild transfer phase, it is estimated that the number of murdered Germans was between 19,000 and 30,000. Accounts indicated that the Czechoslovak government was not averse to "popular justice" as long it did not excessively blacken

2660-684: The country's reputation abroad. There were even government officials who maintained that the massacres at Usti would not have happened if the government dealt with the Germans more harshly. According to the German "Society against Expulsion", some Germans were sent to what the society terms "concentration camps". A 1964 report by the German Red Cross stated that 1,215 "internment camps" were established, as well as 846 forced labour and "disciplinary centres", and 215 prisons, on Czechoslovak territory. Special Courts sentenced 21,469 persons to prison and 713 were executed for crimes committed during

2730-593: The deaths of 14,215 persons during the expulsions from Czechoslovakia (6,316 violent deaths, 6,989 in internment camps and 907 in the USSR as forced laborers). Following the Munich Agreement of 1938, and the subsequent Occupation of Bohemia and Moravia by Hitler in March 1939, Edvard Beneš set out to convince the Allies during World War II that the expulsion of ethnic Germans was the best solution. Expulsion

2800-493: The decision made at Potsdam). On the basis of this decree, the Czechoslovak State released from its citizenship those persons who, "in compliance with the regulations of the foreign occupation forces had acquired German or Hungarian citizenship". Czechoslovak citizenship was maintained in the cases of those Germans (280 000) who, at the time of the increasing threat to the Czechoslovak Republic, had officially supported

2870-467: The displacement of the German population. Decrees 5, 12, 33, 108/1945 concerned the expropriation of wartime traitors and collaborators . Decrees 33/1945 and 108/1945 explicitly stated that the sanctions did not apply to anti-fascists. Typically it was up to the decision of local municipalities. 160,000–250,000 Germans, some anti-fascists, but mostly people crucial for the industry remained in Czechoslovakia. Decree No. 33/1945 of 2 August 1945 . (After

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2940-552: The end of the war. During April and May 1945, an estimated 1.6 million Germans from Polish Silesia fled the advancing Soviet forces and became refugees in Bohemia-Moravia . Thus according to German estimates there were 4.5 million German civilians present in Bohemia-Moravia in May 1945. From London and Moscow, Czech and Slovak political agents in exile followed an advancing Soviet army pursuing German forces westward, to reach

3010-470: The end of the war. There was no stable central government and record-keeping was non-existent. Many of the events that occurred during the period were spontaneous and local rather than being the result of coordinated policy directives from a central government. Among these spontaneous events was the removal and detention of the Sudeten Germans which was triggered by the strong anti-German sentiment at

3080-549: The escalation of Nazi atrocities in the Protectorate as the war progressed, there were increasing demands by the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile, Czech resistance groups, and the majority of Czechs, for the expulsion of more and more Germans, with no individual investigations or inference of guilt on their part. The only exception were to be 160,000 to 250,000 ethnic German anti-fascists, and those ethnic Germans crucial for industries. The Czechs and their government did not want

3150-564: The evolving expulsion plans from President Franklin D. Roosevelt . During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia , especially after the Nazis' brutal reprisal for the assassination of Heydrich , most of the Czech resistance groups demanded the final solution of the German question, which would have to be achieved by transfer or expulsion. Those demands were adopted by the Government-in-Exile which, beginning in 1943, sought

3220-407: The excesses which were contrary to elementary humanitarian principles as well as legal norms existing at that time, and it furthermore regrets that Law No. 115 of 8 May 1946 made it possible to regard these excesses as not being illegal and that in consequence these acts were not punished. II. "The German side acknowledges Germany's responsibility for its role in a historical development, which led to

3290-529: The expulsion and more died from hunger and illness as a consequence. The expulsion according to the Potsdam Conference proceeded from 25 January 1946 until October of that year. Roughly 1.6 million ethnic Germans were deported to the American zone (West Germany), and an estimated 800,000 were deported to the Soviet zone (East Germany). The expulsions ended in 1948, but not all Germans were expelled; estimates for

3360-423: The expulsion, and others died from hunger and illness in Germany as a consequence. In 1946, an estimated 1.3 million ethnic Germans were deported to the American zone of what would become West Germany. An estimated 800,000 were deported to the Soviet zone (in what would become East Germany). On 8 May 1946 the Czechoslovak provisional National Assembly passed Act No. 115/1946 Coll. It was enacted in conjunction with

3430-491: The fact that no country applied for Bavarian to be entered into the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . The difference between Bavarian and Standard German is larger than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak . The word Bavarian is derived from the name of the people who settled Bavaria along with their tribal dialect. The origin of

3500-440: The family name coming first (like da Stoiber Ede instead of Edmund Stoiber ). The use of the article is considered mandatory when using this linguistic variation. In addition, nicknames different from the family name exist for almost all families, especially in small villages. They consist largely of their profession, names or professions of deceased inhabitants of their homes or the site where their homes are located. This nickname

3570-459: The following numbers: the deaths caused by violence and abnormal living conditions amount approximately to 10,000 persons killed; another 5,000–6,000 persons died of unspecified reasons related to expulsion; making the total number of victims of the expulsion 15,000–16,000 (this excludes suicides, which make another approximately 3,400 cases). The Communist Party controlled the distribution of seized German assets, contributing to its popularity in

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3640-570: The grass-roots level and organized by local officials. According to the Schieder commission , records of food rationing coupons show approximately 3,070,899 inhabitants of occupied Sudetenland in January 1945, which included Czechs or other non-Germans. In addition, most of the roughly 100,000 Carpathian Germans from Slovakia were evacuated on Himmler 's orders to the Czechia region just before

3710-403: The idea of mass transfers anyway. As, however, we could not prevent them, we wished to ensure that they were carried out in as orderly and humane manner as possible". (FO 371/46811, published in facsimile in A. de Zayas , Nemesis at Potsdam , pp. 232–34). Developing a clear picture of the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia is difficult because of the chaotic conditions that existed at

3780-440: The new Czech administration are described by H. G. Adler , a former Jewish inmate as follows: ... in the majority they were children and juveniles, who had been locked up only because they were Germans. Only because they were Germans ...? This sentence sounds frighteningly familiar; only the word 'Jews' had been changed to 'Germans'. ... The people were abominably fed and maltreated, and they were no better off than one

3850-420: The reborn Czechoslovak state were subjected to various forms of court procedures, citizenship revocations, property confiscation, condemnation to forced labour camps, and appointment of government managers to German and Hungarian owned businesses and farms, referred to euphemistically as "reslovakization". Western Czechoslovakia was liberated by U.S. forces under General Patton . General Zdeněk Novák , head of

3920-410: The support of the Allies for the proposal. The April 1945 Košice Program , which outlined the postwar political settlement of Czechoslovakia, stipulated an expulsion of Germans and Hungarians from the country. The final agreement for the transfer of the German minority however was not reached until 2 August 1945 at the end of the Potsdam Conference . Geoffrey Harrison , who drafted article XIII of

3990-467: The territory of the first former Czechoslovak Republic . Beneš proclaimed the programme of the newly appointed Czechoslovak government on 5 April 1945, in the northeastern city of Košice , which included oppression and persecution of the non-Czech and non-Slovak populations of the partially restored Czechoslovak Republic. After the proclamation of the Košice program, the German and Hungarian population living in

4060-514: The time-period in question have been prosecuted in Czechoslovakia. Decree No. 115/1946 of 8 May 1946 . Activities (which would otherwise be considered criminal), were not illegal if their "objective was to contribute to the fight for regaining of freedom of Czechs and Slovaks or were aimed at righteous retaliation for deeds of occupants or their collaborators". Inappropriate violence or any other similar excesses were not amnestied. They were always crimes and were always punishable as crimes. Decrees of

4130-490: The total number of non-expulsions range from approximately 160,000 to 250,000. The West German government in 1958 estimated the ethnic German death toll during the expulsion period to be about 270,000, a figure that has been cited in historical literature since then. Research by a joint German and Czech commission of historians in 1995 found that the previous demographic estimates of 220,000 to 270,000 deaths were overstated and based on faulty information; they concluded that

4200-401: The very northern dialects of Bavarian. The possessive pronouns Deina and Seina inflect in the same manner. Oftentimes, -nige is added to the nominative to form the adjective form of the possessive pronoun, like mei(nige), dei(nige), and the like. Just like the possessive pronouns listed above, the indefinite pronouns koana , "none", and oana , "one" are inflected the same way. There

4270-435: The word is disputed. The most common theory traces the word to Bajowarjōz , meaning 'inhabitants of Bojer land'. In turn, Bojer ( Latin : Boii , German : Boier ) originated as the name for former Celtic inhabitants of the area, with the name passing to the mixed population of Celts, Romans , and successive waves of German arrivals during the early medieval period. The local population eventually established

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4340-617: The years 1945–6, Václav Hrneček , later fled Czechoslovakia and came to Bavaria where he was recognized by former German inmates of the camp. Hrneček was brought to trial before an American Court of the Allied High Commission for Germany presided by Judge Leo M. Goodman. The Court based an eight-year sentence against Hrneček upon findings that the Budějovice camp was run in a criminal and cruel way, that although there were no gas chambers and no systematic, organized extermination,

4410-414: Was Bavarian-speaking. Alternatively, there are four main dialects: Bavarian differs sufficiently from Standard German to make it difficult for native speakers to adopt standard pronunciation. Educated Bavarians and Austrians can almost always read, write and understand Standard German, but they may have very little opportunity to speak it, especially in rural areas. In those regions, Standard German

4480-419: Was adopted after September 29, 1938, under pressure of the Nazi occupation or national, racial or political persecution" (i.e. this Decree repealed the Nazi confiscation measures adopted against the victims of Nazism). Decree No. 108/1945 of 25 October 1945: (After the decision made at Potsdam) "There is confiscated, without any compensation properties and property rights which are owned by: The confiscation

4550-517: Was based on the international consensus declared in the documents of the Potsdam Conference and the 1945 Paris Agreement. Similar confiscation measure were also taken in other states such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Denmark. The 1945 expulsion was referred to as the "wild transfer" ( divoký odsun ) due to the widespread violence and brutality that were not only perpetuated by mobs but also by soldiers, police, and others acting under

4620-470: Was even supported by Czechs who had moderate views about the Germans. The pro-Nazi Sudeten German Party had gained 88% of ethnic German votes in May 1938. Almost as soon as German troops occupied the Sudetenland in October 1938, Edvard Beneš and, later, the Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile , pursued a twofold policy: the restoration of Czechoslovakia to its pre-Munich boundaries, and the removal, through

4690-770: Was internationally approved at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945. Potsdam Agreement: XIII. Orderly Transfers of German Populations . "The Conference reached the following agreement on the removal of Germans from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary:— The three Governments (The United States, Great Britain and Soviet Union), having considered the question in all its aspects, recognize that the transfer to Germany of German populations or elements thereof, remaining in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, will have to be undertaken. They agree that any transfers that take place should be effected in an orderly and humane manner." The conclusions of

4760-401: Was to be reached by the expulsion of most of the other minority groups and the successive assimilation of the rest. Because almost all people of German and Magyar ethnicity gained German or Hungarian citizenship during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the expulsion could be legalized as the banishment ( German : Ausweisung ) of foreigners. On 22 June 1942, after plans for the expulsion of

4830-490: Was used to from German concentration camps. The civilian internees who survived to be expelled recorded the horrors of months and years of slow starvation and maltreatment in many thousands of affidavits. Allied authorities in the American and British zones were able to investigate several cases, including the notorious concentration camp at České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia. The deputy commander of this camp in

4900-469: Was viewed as counterproductive (and the minorities themselves saw it as the source of unrest and instability), because it was associated with the destruction of the Czechoslovak state and its democratic regime. Therefore, Czechoslovak leaders made a decision to change the multi-ethnic character of the state to a state of two or three ethnicities (Czechs, Slovaks and, initially, Ruthenians ). That goal

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