Memory, Politics, and Yugoslav Migrations to Postwar Germany

While Europe's current refugee crisis is on a scale not witnessed since the end of World War II, political exiles, war refugees, and other immigrants from the western Balkans have streamed into Germany in massive numbers throughout the long postwar era. Memory, Politics, and Yugoslav Migrations to Postwar Germany tells the story of how Germans received the hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavs who migrated to Germany as labor migrants, political emigres, and war refugees from 1945 to 1997. While Yugoslavs made up the second largest immigrant group in the country, their impact has received little critical attention until now. With a particular focus on German policies and attitudes toward immigrants, Christopher Molnar examines how this reception shaped the experiences of immigrants and how, in turn, the history of Yugoslavs in postwar Germany was profoundly shaped by the memory of World War II and the shifting Cold War context. Through interviews and archival work, Molnar shows how immigration was a key way in which Germany negotiated the meaning and legacy of the war.

Christopher A. Molnar is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Michigan-Flint.