NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Baltic Germans

The Baltic Germans (German: Deutschbalten, or Baltendeutsche) were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Ethnic Germans â€“ often simply called Germans â€“ are those who are considered, by themselves or others, to be ethnically German but do not live within the present-day Federal Republic of Germany, nor necessarily hold its citizenship. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53Â°N to 66Â°N latitude and from 20Â°E to 26Â°E longitude. ...

German people started arriving in the Baltic territories just before^{[citation needed]}, and during Northern Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries. After the period of the Livonian Crusades they quickly came to control all the administrations of government, politics, economics, education and culture of these areas for over 700 years until 1918, despite always remaining a minority ethnic group in the Baltics.^{[citation needed]} The vast majority of urban and rural properties were soon owned by them and after the decline of Latin, German quickly became the de facto language of all official documents, commerce and government business for hundreds of years until the late 19th century. Baltic can refer to: The Baltic Sea Council of the Baltic Sea States - an intergovernmental organization Baltic sea countries - countries with access to the Baltic Sea The Baltic region (Balticum) Baltic States - the independent countries of Estonia Latvia Lithuania Baltic Republics - term refers to the three Baltic states under the... The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ... Combatants Livonian Order Denmark Sweden Livonians, Curonians, Latgalians, Estonians Commanders Albert of Riga Anders Sunesen Caupo of Turaida â€ Theoderich von Treyden Volquin Wenno William of Modena Lembitu of Lehola â€ Vyachko â€ The Livonian Crusade refers to the German and Danish conquest and colonization of medieval Livonia, the territory constituting modern Latvia... Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas (also referred to as the country, countryside) are settled places outside towns and cities. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without...

Despite being politically subordinate to the rule of the monarchs of Swedish empire until 1710 and the tsars of the Russian Empire until 1917, both successive ruling kingdoms guaranteed the continuation of Baltic Germans' special class privileges and administration rights ^{[citation needed]} when they incorporated the lands into their respective empires. Sweden between the years 1611 and 1718 is known as the Swedish Empire. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ...

Ethnic Estonians and Latvians in the Baltics, who always formed the majority of the population, lived in stark contrast to the Baltic Germans, being denied the same rights and privileges and residing mostly in rural areas as serfs or as servants in urban homes. This lasted well into the 19th century until they were granted ^{[citation needed]} increasing political rights and freedoms. Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ... Cities with at least a million inhabitants in 2006 An urban area is an area with an increased density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ...

The Baltic Germans' effective rule and class privileges came to the end with the demise of the Russian Empire (due to the Russian revolution of 1917) and the independence of Estonia and Latvia in 1918. After 1918, many Baltic Germans stayed as ordinary citizens in the newly formed independent countries. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ...

Their history and presence in the Baltics came to an abrupt end in late 1939 during the Nazi-Soviet population transfers, when practically all the Baltic Germans were resettled by Hitler to areas Nazi Germany had invaded in western Poland in World War II. Later, with Estonia and Latvia falling under Soviet occupation after 1944, the Baltic Germans never came to live in the Baltic again. The Nazi-Soviet population transfers were a series of population transfers between 1939 and 1941 of Germans from territories occupied by Soviet Union due to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, notably Bessarabia and the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, all of which traditionally had large German minorities. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Soviet redirects here. ...

The present day descendants of the Baltic Germans can be found all over the world, with the largest groups being in Germany and Canada.

Ethnic composition

It should be noted that in the course of their 700 year history, Baltic German families often had not only ethnic German roots, but also mixed with peoples of non-German origin, such as native Estonians, Livonians and Latvians, as well as with Danes, Swedes, Scots, Poles and Dutch.

In those cases where intermarriage occurred, the other ethnic group usually assimilated into the German culture, adopted the German language and customs which often included "Germanizing" their names and surnames. They were then considered Baltic Germans as well. (see also: Ethnogenesis). Ethnogenesis is the process by which a group of human beings comes to be understood or to understand themselves as ethnically distinct from the wider social landscape from which their grouping emerges. ...

Territories and citizenship

In Baltic German settlement patterns, the Baltic area consisted of the following territories:

Incorrectly, ethnic Germans from East Prussia are sometimes considered Baltic German for reasons of cultural, linguistic, and historical affinities. However, the Germans of East Prussia held Prussian, and after 1871, German citizenship because the territory they lived in was always part of Prussia. From 1871 onwards, east Prussia became part of newly formed unified German state, also known as the German Reich. For other uses, see Estonia (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... County Area 159. ... The reconstructed fortress of Narva (to the left) overlooking the Russian fortress of Ivangorod (to the right). ... County LÃ¤Ã¤ne-Viru County Area 10. ... Ruins of Weissenstein Castle. ... Haapsalu (Swedish & German: Hapsal) is a resort town on the west coast of Estonia. ... This article is about the region in Europe. ... For other uses, see Riga (disambiguation). ... The town of Cēsis, in Latvia, is located in the northern part of Vidzeme Central upland, on the river Gauja, on high hillocks with terraces, overlooking the blue woods of the Gauja ancient river valley. ... Valmiera (German: Wolmar) is the largest city of Vidzeme region, Latvia with a total area of 18. ... County Valga County Mayor Margus Lepik Area 16. ... County Area 38. ... County PÃ¤rnu County Mayor Mart Viisitamm Area 32. ... County Viljandi County Area 14. ... Courland, Kurland, Couronia, or Curonia, a former Baltic province of the Teutonic Order state in Livonia (ca. ... Jelgava (German: Mitau; Russian: Ð•Ð»Ð³Ð°Ð²Ð° / ÐœÐ¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð²Ð°; Polish: Mitawa) is a town in central Latvia about 41 km southwest of Riga with approximately 66,000 inhabitants. ... Ventspils (Russian: , formerly Ð’Ð¸Ð½Ð´Ð°Ð²Ð°; German: Windau, Polish: Windawa, Livonian: VÇŸnta) is a city in northwestern Latvia on the coast of the Baltic Sea. ... LiepÄja LiepÄja (German: Libau, Lithuanian: Liepoja, Polish: Lipawa, Russian: Ð›Ð¸Ð±Ð°Ð²Ð° / Libava or Ð›Ð¸ÐµÐ¿Ð°Ñ / Liyepaya, Yiddish: ×œ×™×‘×Ö·×°×¢ / Libave) is a city in western Latvia on the Baltic sea. ... Map of the Estonian archipelago (Saaremaa and Hiiumaa) Landsat satellite photo of Saaremaa Saaremaa is the largest island (2,673 kmÂ²) belonging to Estonia. ... County Saare County Mayor Urmas Treiel Area 14. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... German citizenship is based primarily on the principle of Jus sanguinis. ... For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... The history of Germany is, in places, extremely complicated and depends much on how one defines Germany. ...

However, the Baltic Germans held citizenship of the Russian Empire until 1918 and Estonian or Latvian citizenship from 1918 onwards. The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ...

History

Middle ages

Ethnic Germans began to settle ^{[citation needed]} in what are now Baltic countries in the 12th century when traders and missionaries began to visit the coastal lands inhabited by tribes who spoke Finnic and Baltic languages. Systematic settlement started during the Northern Crusades. Moving in the wake of German merchants, a monk named Meinhard had landed at the mouth of the Daugava river in present-day Latvia in 1180. In 1184, the First Christian church was built in Livonian village of Uexkyll, and in 1186, Meinhard consecrated as the first Bishop of Uexküll. The Pope proclaimed a crusade against the Baltic heathens in 1193 and a crusading expedition led by Meinhard's successor, Bishop Berthold, landed in Livonia. In 1196, the New Bishop of Uexküll, Berthold assembled the first crusading army in the Baltics. In 1199, Albert of Buxhoeveden was appointed by the Archbishop of Bremen to Christianise the Baltic countries. To ensure a permanent military presence, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were founded in 1202. Thirty years later, the conquest and formal Christianisation of present-day Estonia and northern Latvia was complete.^[1] At the same time, German-speaking merchants and craftsmen constituted the majority of the quickly growing urban population in the area. The Livonian Sword Brothers became part of the Teutonic Order in 1236. For 200 years, the knights on the shores of the eastern Baltic had support from the Holy Roman Empire. Ethnic Germans (German: ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, are those who are considered, by themselves or others, to be of German origin ethnically, do not live within the present-day Federal Republic of Germany, nor necessarily hold its citizenship. ... The three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania The terms Baltic countries, Baltic Sea countries, Baltic states, and Balticum refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea. ... Finnic peoples (Fennic, sometimes Baltic-Finnic) refers to a group of related ethnic groups and nations speaking Finnic languages (also known as Balto-Finnic languages). ... The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ... Daugava sunset. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... ... The career of Albert of Buxhoeveden (ca 1165 - Riga, January 17, 1229) and his brother Hermann exemplify the double nature of power, ecclesiastical and secular, especially on the marches of Europe, where Roman Catholicism was pushing aggressively to the East. ... The Archbishopric of Bremen was an ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire. ... The three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania The terms Baltic countries, Baltic Sea countries, Baltic states, and Balticum refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea. ... Map of the Livonian Confederation, showing the territories of the Order in 1260 Capital Fellin (Viljandi) Language(s) Low German Religion Roman Catholicism Government Principality Master of the Livonian Order - 1204â€“09 Wenno von Rohrbach - 1209â€“36 Volquin - 1237â€“38 Hermann BalkÂ¹ - 1559â€“61 Gotthard KettlerÂ¹ Historical era Middle Ages... The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once (a political shift as much as a spontaneous mass shift in individual consciences), also includes the practice of converting pagan cult practices, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ... This article is about the medieval empire. ...

As the Teutonic Knights were weakened during the 15th century through wars with Poland and Lithuania, the Livonian branch in the north began to pursue its own policies. When the Prussian branch of the Order secularized in 1525 and became the Duchy of Prussia, the Livonian Order remained independent, although surrounded by aggressive neighbors. In 1558, Russia's invasion of Livonia began the Livonian War between Russia, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark which lasted for 20 years. In the course of the war, the state was divided between Denmark (which took Ösel), Sweden (which took Estland), Poland (which took Livland), and the Protestant state of Courland, a fief of Poland. Coat of arms Duchy of Prussia (striped) in the second half of the 16th century Capital KÃ¶nigsberg Religion Protestant (Lutheran) Government Monarchy Duke of Prussia - 1525 â€” 1568 Albert I - 1568 â€” 1618 Albert Frederick History - Secularisation April, 1525 - Personal Union (with Brandenburg) August 27, 1618 - Independence September 19, 1657 The... The Reformation reached Livonia in the 1520s. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

Reformation

The Baltic provinces, like many other German-led states, became Protestant during the Reformation, and the secularized land was split up among the remaining aristocratic knights. Reformation redirects here. ... Aristocrat redirects here. ...

Kurland existed as a country dominated by German-speakers for over 200 years, while Livland was once again split. Sweden controlled Estland between 1561 and 1710 and Livland between 1621 and 1710, having signed an agreement not to undermine Baltic German autonomy. The German-language Universität Dorpat (University of Tartu), the foundation of which was supported by King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden (himself a native German-speaker), remained the only one in the former Livonian territory for centuries and became the intellectual focus of the Baltic Germans, both nobles and intellectuals. The University of Tartu (Estonian: ; Russian: ; German: ) is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. ... The Lion of the North: Gustavus Adolphus at the famous turning point Battle of Breitenfield (1631) against the forces of the redoubtable Count Tilly. ...

Russian control 1710-1917

Between 1710 and 1795, following Russia's success in the Great Northern War and the Partitions of Poland, the areas inhabited by Baltic Germans became provinces of Imperial Russia. Combatants Sweden Ottoman Empire (1710â€“1714) Ukrainian Cossacks Russia Denmark-Norway Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Saxony after 1718 Prussia Hanover Commanders Charles XII of Sweden Ahmed III Ivan Mazepa Peter the Great Frederick IV of Denmark Augustus II the Strong Strength 77,000 in the beginning of the war. ... The Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: RozbiÃ³r Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos-Lenkijos padalijimai, Belarusian: ÐŸÐ°Ð´Ð·ÐµÐ»Ñ‹ Ð ÑÑ‡Ñ‹ ÐŸÐ°ÑÐ¿Ð°Ð»Ñ–Ñ‚Ð°Ð¹) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... A province is a territorial unit, almost always a country subdivision. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

However, the Baltic provinces remained dominated and self-governed by the local German-speaking aristocracy. This Ritterschaft (in English: Knighthood) was based on the former knights but also some included immigrants from the German principalities to the west. Most of the professional classes in the region, the literati, were German-speakers. Government, however, was in the hands of the Knighthood of each province, in which only members of the matriculated nobility held membership. Autonomy was guaranteed by the various rulers, especially during Russian times. Germans, other than the estate-owners, mainly settled in the cities, such as Riga, Reval (Tallinn), Dorpat (Tartu), and Pernau (Pärnu); as late as the mid-19th century the population of many of these municipalities still had a German majority with an Estonian or Latvian minority. Aristocrat redirects here. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ... The robot and the human with the great divide between them. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ... For other uses, see Riga (disambiguation). ... County Area 159. ... County Area 38. ... County PÃ¤rnu County Mayor Mart Viisitamm Area 32. ...

The region's indigenous rural population enjoyed fewer rights under the Baltic German nobility compared to the farmers in Germany, Sweden, or Poland. Serfdom was officially abolished in the Baltic provinces in the beginning of 19th century, about half a century before in Russia proper. There was less tension between the German-speakers and indigenous urban residents. The indigenous peoples of Europe are those peoples identified as indigenous peoples, as per the modern global interpretation of that term. ... Serf redirects here. ...

German cultural autonomy ceased in the 1880s, when Russification replaced German administration and schooling with the usage of the Russian language. The Revolution of 1905 led to attacks against the Baltic German landowners, the burning of manors, and the killing and torture of members of the nobility, if usually not by the local inhabitants but by outside revolutionary bands. Owing to their German heritage, during World War I Baltic Germans were sometimes seen as the enemy by Russians, yet also as traitors by the German Empire if they remained loyal to Russia. As a result of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War, many Baltic Germans fled to Weimar Germany. As the Russian Civil War weakened the Russian Empire, the Baltic countries won the war against both Russian army and the Baltic Germans, making the former Baltic German elite lose their status and influence. The term minority rights embodies two separate concepts: first, normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious or sexual minorities, and second, collective rights accorded to minority groups. ... Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute (whether voluntarily or not) by non-Russian communities. ... Russian ( , transliteration: , IPA: ) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages. ... The Russian Revolution of 1905 was a country-wide spasm of both anti-government and undirected violence. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... Combatants Local Soviet powers led by Russian SFSR and Red Army Chinese mercenaries White Movement Central Powers (1917-1918): Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire German Empire Allied Intervention: (1918-1922) Japan Czechoslovakia Greece United States Canada Serbia Romania UK France Foreign volunteers: Polish Italian Local nationalist movements, national states, and decentralist... The period of German history from 1919 to 1933 is known as the Weimar Republic (in German Weimarer Republik). It is named after the city of Weimar, where a national assembly convened to produce a new constitution after the German monarchy was abolished following the nations defeat in World... Combatants Estonia, Finnish and Scandinavian volunteers, White Russians Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic Landeswehr Commanders Johan Laidoner Jukums VÄcietis Sergei Kamenev RÃ¼diger von der Goltz Strength 74,500 (Estonian Army), ca 4000 Finnish volunteers, White Russians, about 200-400 Scandinavians 160 000+ 9500 Casualties 5,600 killed 15... Official language German Capital Riga Regent Adolf Pilar von Pilchau Area ? kmÂ² Population ? Independance 12 April 1918 Admission 22 September 1918 (German State) National anthem ? The United Baltic Duchy (in German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum) was a shortlived construct in 1918 made possible through Germanys occupation of Latvia and Estonia...

Independent Baltic states 1918-1940

After the Russian surrender at the treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1917, the German Empire organised the occupied territories into the Ober Ost. In 1918, it created the United Baltic Duchy^{[citation needed]}, a short-lived client state dominated by the Baltic Germans. The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, at Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus) between the Russian SFSR and the Central Powers, marking... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... Leopold von Bayern Ober Ost (short for Oberbefehlshabers der gesamten deutschen Streitkräfte im Osten) was a German WWI military administration governing a large part of the German-held areas of the Russian Empire. ... Official language German Capital Riga Regent Adolf Pilar von Pilchau Area ? kmÂ² Population ? Independance 12 April 1918 Admission 22 September 1918 (German State) National anthem ? The United Baltic Duchy (in German: Vereinigtes Baltisches Herzogtum) was a shortlived construct in 1918 made possible through Germanys occupation of Latvia and Estonia...

When the Republics of Estonia and Latvia were founded in 1918-19, the Baltic German estate owners were largely expropriated in a land reform, although the Germans were given considerable cultural autonomy.-1...

During the time of the Russian civil war from 1917 to 1921, many young Baltic Germans signed voluntarily into the newly formed Estonian and Latvian armies to help secure the independence of these countries from Russia. These Baltic German military units became known as the Baltenregiment. The State archives of Estonia and Latvia keep individual military records of each person who fought in this war. Combatants Local Soviet powers led by Russian SFSR and Red Army Chinese mercenaries White Movement Central Powers (1917-1918): Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire German Empire Allied Intervention: (1918-1922) Japan Czechoslovakia Greece United States Canada Serbia Romania UK France Foreign volunteers: Polish Italian Local nationalist movements, national states, and decentralist...

Estonia's Baltic German population was smaller, so as Estonians continued to fill professional positions such as law and medicine, there was less of a leadership role for the Baltic Germans. Many Baltic Germans began to leave during the interwar era. No precise numbers are available for the emigration during this period.

In Latvia, Baltic Germans were the most politically active and organized ethnic group{fact}}, although they lost some influence after Karlis Ulmanis's coup in 1934. . Kārlis Ulmanis (b. ...

Resettlement of all Baltic Germans 1939-1944

As a result of the secret agreements of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, Estonia and Latvia were assigned to the "Soviet sphere of influence". Hitler gave Stalin free reign over these countries and he made immediate use of this to set up soviet military bases in Estonia and Latvia in late 1939. This was in preparation of an all-out invasion of the Baltics by the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940. One of the main conditions posed by Hitler to Stalin in August of 1939 was the prior transfer of all ethnic Germans living in Estonia and Latvia to areas under German military control. These became known as the Nazi-Soviet population transfers. Molotov signs the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვი&#4314... The Nazi-Soviet population transfers were a series of population transfers between 1939 and 1941 of Germans from territories occupied by Soviet Union due to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, notably Bessarabia and the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, all of which traditionally had large German minorities. ...

Several small treaties were signed with Estonia and Latvia in 1939 and 1940 concerning the emigration of Baltic Germans and the liquidation of their educational, cultural, and religious institutions. Nazi Germany succeeded in getting the Baltic Germans to abandon their homes and homeland in haste, disposing of their belongings at cut-rate prices.

The Estonian and Latvian governments each published a book for the peroid covering the population transfers from 1939 to early 1940. Both books contained an alphabetical list of the names of each Baltic German adult that was resettled together witht their birthdate, birthplace and last address in the Baltics. These books can be found in various European libraries and their titles are::

Almost all the Baltic Germans were resettled by ships from the port cities of Estonia and Latvia and to the Wartheland (in these times sometimes also called Warthegau) and other Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany. (The action was called Umsiedlung). The "new" homes they were given to live in had mostly been owned and inhabited by Polish citizens a few months earlier who were deported eastwards when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Reichsgau Wartheland (initially Reichsgau Posen) was the name given by Nazis to the territory of Greater Poland which was occupied, annexed and directly incorporated into the German Reich after defeating the Polish army in 1939 (as opposed to the General Government, GG). ... Reichsgau and General Governement in 1941 At the beginning of World War II, significant Polish areas were annexed by Nazi Germany. ...

In early 1941, the Nazi German government arranged another resettlement for all those who had refused to leave in 1939 or 1940. This time around no compensation was offered for any property or belongings left behind and this group of resettlers were treated with intense suspicion or considered traitors because they had refused Hitler's first call to leave the Baltics in 1939 and 1940. Unknown to the general public, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was only 2 to 4 months away and this was Hitler's last chance to transfer these people in peacetime conditions. The action was called the Nachumsiedlung. Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Fedor von Bock Gerd von Rundstedt Heinz Guderian GÃ¼nther von Kluge Franz Halder Ion Antonescu C.G.E. Mannerheim Giovanni Messe, CSIR Italo Garibaldi, ARMIR Iosef Stalin Kliment Voroshilov Semyon Timoshenko Fyodor Kuznetsov...

By this time, the remaining Baltic Germans in Estonia and Latvia found themselves in a vastly different situation than in 1939. Their countries were now part of the Soviet Union and intense pressure and intimidation had been put on anyone with a position of privledge or wealth before 1939. Mass arrests and some killings had taken place. Fearing a worsening of the situation, the vast majority of the remaining Baltic Germans decided to leave.

No books were published listing those who resettled in 1941, however the present day archives of Estonia and Latvia still have the lists of all those who left in this year.

A very small minority of Baltic Germans refused again to be resettled and remained in the Baltics past March 1941.

Nikolai Getman Moving out. ... Gulag ( , Russian: ) was the government body responsible for administering prison camps across the former Soviet Union. ...

"Second resettlement" 1945

Main article: Evacuation of German civilians during the end of World War II Plans to evacuate German population from the occupied territories in Central and Eastern Europe and from Eastern Germany were prepared by German authorities at the end of World War II. However, the evacuation in most of the areas was delayed until the last moment, when it was too late to...

The Soviet Union's advance into Poland and Germany in late 1944 and early 1945 resulted in the Baltic Germans being evacuated by the German authorities (or simply fleeing) from their "new homes" (in which Hitler had resettled them in 1939) to areas even further in the west to escape the advancing Red Army. For other organizations known as the Red Army, see Red Army (disambiguation). ...

In stark contrast to the resettlements in 1939-1941, this time around the evacuation in most of the areas was delayed until the last moment, when it was too late to conduct it in an orderly fashion and practically all of them had to leave most of their belongings behind.

Seeing as they had only been living in these "new" homes for only about 5 years, this was almost seen as a second forced resettlement for them, albeit under different circumstances. ^{[citation needed]}

Many Baltic Germans were onboard the KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff when it was sunk by a Soviet submarine on January 30, 1945, in the worst loss of life from a single vessel in maritime history. Additional Baltic Germans died during the sinking of the SS General von Steuben on February 10, 1945. The Wilhelm Gustloff was a ship built by Blohm + Voss and named after the assassinated leader of the Nazi party in Switzerland, Wilhelm Gustloff. ... is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The SS General von Steuben (formerly called the MÃ¼nchen (after Munich), but renamed in 1938) was a German luxury passenger ship which was turned into an armored transport ship in World War II. The 14,600-ton liner set sail from Pillau in the bay of Danzig (now Gda... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Two books listing the names and personal data of all Baltic Germans who died as a result of the resettlements and wartime conditions between 1939 and 1947 have been published by the Baltic German genealogical society. These are:

Later, with Estonia and Latvia falling under Soviet rule after 1944, the Baltic Germans never came to live in the Baltics again.^{[citation needed]}

Destruction of cultural heritage in the Baltics 1945-1989

During the 50 year long occupation of the baltic states, Soviet Russian authorities governing the Estonian SSR and the Latvian SSR, politically empowered by their victory in World War II, were keen to erase any traces of ethnic German rule in past centuries. Numerous statues, monuments, structures or landmarks with German writing were destroyed or altered. Molotov signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact The occupation of Baltic states refers to the occupation of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) first by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany, by Nazi Germany from 1941-1944, and again by... State motto: KÃµigi maade proletaarlased, Ã¼hinege (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Official language Estonian, Russian (de facto) Capital Tallinn Chairman of the Supreme Council Arnold RÃ¼Ã¼tel (at the time of regaining independence) Established In the USSR: - Since - Until July 21, 1940 August 6, 1940 August 20, 1991... State motto: Visu zemju proletÄrieÅ¡i, savienojieties! Official language Latvian, Russian (de facto). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The largest Baltic German cemeteries in Estonia, Kopli cemetery and Moigu cemetery, both standing since 1774, were completely destroyed by Soviet authorities. The great cemetery of Riga, largest burial ground of Baltic Germans in Latvia standing since 1773, also had the vast majority of its graves destroyed by Soviet authorities. The Kopli cemetery (in German - Friedhof von Ziegelskoppel) was Tallinns largest protestant Baltic German cemetery in the the suburb of Kopli. ... The MÃµigu cemetery (German: or Kirchhof von Moik), Estonian: ) was a large Baltic German cemetery, located in the Tallinn suburb of MÃµigu in Estonia. ... The Great Cemetery (Latvian: ) (German: ) was formerly the principal cemetery of Riga in Latvia, established in 1773. ...

1989 to present

The present day governments of Estonia and Latvia, who regained their independence in 1991, generally take a positive, or sometimes neutral, view towards the contributions of the Baltic Germans in the development of their cities and countries throughout their history. An occasional exception to this comes with some criticism in relation to the large landowners, who controlled most of the rural areas of the Baltics, and the ethnic Estonians and Latvians, until 1918.

After Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union on August 20, 1991, the exiled association of the German Baltic nobility sent an official message to the president-to-be Lennart Meri that no member of the association would claim proprietary rights to their former Estonian lands. This, and the fact that the first German ambassadors to Estonia and Latvia were both Baltic Germans, helped to further reconcile the Baltic Germans with these two countries. is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Lennart Meri Lennart Georg Meri (IPA: ËˆlennÉ‘rÌºt ËˆgÌ¥eÉ”rgÌ¥ ËˆmerÌºi) (March 29, 1929 â€“ March 14, 2006) was a writer, film director and politician who served as President of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. ...

Cooperation between Baltic German societies and the governments of Estonia and Latvia has made the restoration of many small Baltic German plaques and landmarks possible, such as monuments to those who fought in the 1918-1920 War of Independence.

Since 1989, many old-age Baltic Germans, or their descendants, have taken holidays to Estonia and Latvia to look for traces of their own past, their ancestral homes, and their family histories.

In some cases, this can be an emotional experience, in particular for surviving older generations, who lived in the Baltics prior to 1945. Often this is the first time they have had the chance to see their birthplaces and childhood homes in over 50 years.

Notable Baltic Germans

Baltic Germans played leading roles in the society of what are now Estonia and Latvia throughout most of the period from 13th to mid-20th century, with many of them becoming noted scientists or explorers. A number of Baltic Germans served as ranking generals in the Russian Imperial army and navy. Several Baltic Germans sided with the Whites during the Russian Civil War. White Army redirects here. ... Combatants Local Soviet powers led by Russian SFSR and Red Army Chinese mercenaries White Movement Central Powers (1917-1918): Austria-Hungary Ottoman Empire German Empire Allied Intervention: (1918-1922) Japan Czechoslovakia Greece United States Canada Serbia Romania UK France Foreign volunteers: Polish Italian Local nationalist movements, national states, and decentralist...

Sign of the Raeapteek The Raeapteek (English: ) (German: ) is in the center of Tallinn city, Estonia. ... Patriarch Alexius II Patriarch Alexius II (February 23, 1929) is the 16th and current Patriarch of Moscow and the spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. ... Friedrich Ludwig Balthasar Amelung (born 23 March 1842, Dorpat, Estonia â€“ died 21 March 1909, Riga, Latvia) was an Estonian chess player, endgame composer, and journalist. ... Karl Ernst von Baer (February 17, 1792 - November 26, 1876) was a Baltic German biologist and a founding father of embryology. ... Knyaz de Tolly Knyaz Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, called by the Russians as Mikhail Bogdanovich Barklay de Tolly (ÐœÐ¸Ñ…Ð°Ð¸ÌÐ» Ð‘Ð¾Ð³Ð´Ð°ÌÐ½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð‘Ð°Ñ€ÐºÐ»Ð°ÌÐ¹-Ð´Ðµ-Ð¢Ð¾ÌÐ»Ð»Ð¸) (born December 21, 1761 in Riga, [then] Imperial Russia; died May 26, 1818 in Insterburg, [then] Prussia), was a Russian field marshal and Minister of War. ... A portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (also known as Russian: ; Faddey Faddeyevich Bellinsgauzen) (September 20, 1778â€“January 13, 1852) served as a naval officer of the Russian Empire and commanded the second Russian expedition to circumnavigate the globe. ... Count Alexander von Benckendorff, Russian: (graf Aleksandr Khristoforovich Benkendorf), (1783-1844) was a Russian Lieutenant General and statesman, Adjutant General of the Svita and a commander in Patriotic War of 1812. ... Konstantin von Benckendorff, Russian: (Konstantin Khristoforovich Benkendorf), (1785-1828) was a Russian general and diplomat. ... Werner Bergengruen (born September 16, 1892 in Riga, died September 4, 1964 in Baden-Baden), was a German novelist. ... August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein (Latvian: Augusts BÄ«lenÅ¡teins) (b. ... Title page of Breitschneiders 1871 book Medival Researches by E.Bretschneider,M.D Physician of Russian Legation in Peking Correspondent member of AcadÃ©mie franÃ§aise 1888 London Emil Bretschneider (1833-1901ï¼‰,Baltic German sinologist, correspondent member of AcadÃ©mie franÃ§aise. ... Johann Christoph Brotze (1742-1823) (or Johans Kristofs Broce in Latvian) is a famous German pedagogue and ethnographer, born in Gerlitz. ... Georg Dehio (November 22, 1850 in Reval (Tallinn) - March 21, 1932 in TÃ¼bingen), German historian of art. ... Kasper D(o)enhoff (German: , Polish: , 1587-1645) was a Baltic-German noble (ReichsfÃ¼rst) of the Holy Roman Empire and a noble (szlachcic), courtier and a diplomat at the court of the kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... F.B. DÃ¶rbecks caricature from 1830 Franz Burchard DÃ¶rbeck (1799-1835) was a Baltic German graphic artist and caricaturist born in Viljandi, Estonia what was then the Governorate of Livonia [1] 1814-1816 DÃ¶rbeck studied engraving with Fritz Neyer in St. ... Heinz Erhardt Heinz Erhardt (born February 20 1909 in Riga; died June 5 1979 in Hamburg) was a German comedian, musician, entertainer, actor, and poet. ... Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz (1 November 1793 - 19 May 1831) was an Estonian physician, botanist, zoologist and entomologist. ... Gregor von Helmersen (September 29, 1803 - February 3, 1885), geologist, was born at Laugut-Duckershof, near Dorpat (then Russia, now Tartu, Estonia). ... Baron George Hoyningen-Huene was a seminal fashion photographer of the 1920s and 1930s. ... Ethanrich Michael Lebrecht Nikolaus Arthur, Graf von Keyserling (August 15, 1815 â€“ May 8, 1891) was a German geologist and paleontologist. ... Eduard von Keyserling ( May 15 1855 in Tels Paddern (Paddern castle at Hasenpoth, today: Aizpute, Courland, Latvia) - September 28 1918 in Munich), German writer and dramatist of impressionism. ... Hermann Alexander Graf Keyserling (July 20, 1880, in KÃ¶nno (KÃµnnu), Russian Empire, [now Estonia] â€“ April 26, 1946, in Innsbruck, Austria) was a wealthy philosopher from the aristocratic Baltic German Keyserling family. ... Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky (born January 1, 1806 in Dorpat (Tartu), Estonia - died May 18, 1853, in Paris, France) was a 19th century chess master, famous primarily for a game he lost against Adolf Anderssen, which was so brilliant it was named The Immortal Game . Lionel Kieseritzky was born... Otto von Kotzebue ( December 30, 1787 - February 15, 1846), was a Russian navigator. ... Ivan Kruzenstern Adam Johann Ritter von (knight of) Krusenstern (born November 19, 1770 in Hagudi, close to Rapla, in the Russian province of Estonia, died August 24, 1846 in Reval, now Tallinn, Estonia) was the Baltic German admiral and explorer in Russian Service who in 1803-1806 led the first... Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon (or Loudon) (February 2, 1717 in Tootzen, Livonia, now Tootsi, Estonia â€“ July 14, 1790 in NovÃ½ JiÄÃn, now Czech Republic) was Austrian field marshal. ... Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz (February 12, 1804 - February 10, 1865) was a Baltic German physicist most famous for formulating Lenzs law in 1833. ... Garlieb Helwig Merkel (October 31, 1769 - May 9, 1850) was a German Latvian writer and activist. ... . ... General Evgenii Miller Evgenii Karlovich Miller (Russian: ÐœÐ¸Ð»Ð»ÐµÑ€ Ð•Ð²Ð³ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ð¹ ÐšÐ°Ñ€Ð»Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡) (September 25, 1867-May 11, 1937) was Russian general and one of the leaders of counterrevolutionary White movement during and after Russian Civil War. ... Burkhard Christoph von Munnich, a Count, Russian Field Marshal Count Burkhard Christoph von Munnich (1683 - 1767) was a Russian field marshal and political figure. ... Vladimir Dmitrievich Nabokov (July 15, 1870 - March 28, 1922) was a Russian criminologist, journalist, and liberal politician. ... Alexander von Oettingen (1827 - 1905), Baltic German Lutheran theologian and statistician. ... Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald (commonly just Wilhelm Ostwald) (September 2, 1853 - April 4, 1932) was a German chemist. ... Image:JRPatkul. ... Adolf Konstantin Jakob Baron Pilar von Pilchau (23 May 1851 in Audru, Estonia â€“ 17 June 1925 in PÃ¤rnu, Estonia) was a landlord of Audru and a Baltic German politician, regent of the United Baltic Duchy (1918). ... Wolter von Plettenberg (or Walter von Plettenberg) (ca. ... Georg Wilhelm Richmann (Russian: Ð“ÐµÐ¾Ñ€Ð³ Ð’Ð¸Ð»ÑŒÐ³ÐµÐ»ÑŒÐ¼ Ð Ð¸Ñ…Ð¼Ð°Ð½) (July 22, 1711 (old style: July 11, 1711) â€“ August 6, 1753 (old style: July 26, 1753)) was a Russian physicist. ... Alfred Rosenberg around 1935 (January 12, 1893 Reval (today Tallinn) â€“ October 16, 1946) was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi party, who later held several important posts in the Nazi government. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Ludwig Maximilian Erwin von Scheubner-Richter or Max Scheubner-Richter, born Ludwig Maximilian Erwin Richter (January 9, 1884 - (November 9, 1923) was an early member of the Nazi party. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed coup dÃ©tat that occurred between the evening of Thursday, November 8 and the early afternoon of Friday, November 9, 1923, when the Nazi partys leader Adolf Hitler, the popular World War I General Erich Ludendorff, and other leaders of the Kampfbund... Marie Seebach (24 February 1830 â€“ 3 August 1897) was a German actress. ... Thomas Johann Seebeck (April 9, 1770 â€“ December 10, 1831) was a physicist who in 1821 discovered the thermoelectric effect. ... Heinrich Freiherr von Stackelberg (1905-1946) is an economist who contributed to game theory. ... Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (1793-1864) Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve (Russian: Vasily Yakovlevich Struve) (April 15, 1793 â€“ November 23, 1864 (Julian calendar: November 11)) was a Baltic-German astronomer from a famous dynasty of astronomers. ... Frank Thiess, born 1890 in Eluisenstein, Russian Livonia (now Latvia) and died 1977 in Darmstadt, Germany, was a German writer. ... Jakob von UexkÃ¼ll (September 8, 1864 - July 25, 1944) was an Estonian biologist who had important achievements in the fields of muscular physiology and the cybernetics of life. ... Roman Fyodorovich Ungern von Sternberg, ca 1919 Baron Roman (or Robert) Nicolaus von Ungern-Sternberg, in Russian: Roman Fyodorovich Ungern von Shternberg (Ð Ð¾Ð¼Ð°Ð½ Ð¤Ñ‘Ð´Ð¾Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð£Ð½Ð³ÐµÑ€Ð½ Ñ„Ð¾Ð½ Ð¨Ñ‚ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð±ÐµÑ€Ð³; although born von Ungern-Sternberg, in later life he used an incorrect Ungern von Sternberg name) (January 22, 1886, new style â€” September 15, 1921) a. ... Edgar de Wahl (or von Wahl), the creator of Interlingue, was born in Olwiopol, Russia (now Pervomaysk, Ukraine) on August 11, 1867 (by the Julian calendar, August 23 on the Gregorian calendar). ... The language Occidental, later Interlingue, is a planned language created by the Estonian naval officer and teacher Edgar de Wahl and published in 1922. ... Peter Petrovich von Weymarn (commonly mis-spelt von Weimarn) (July 18, 1879 â€“ June 2, 1935) was a Baltic German chemist born in St. ... Author Gero von Wilpert was born in 1933 in Tartu (Dorpat), Estonia. ... Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel, in Russian: Ferdinand Petrovich Vrangel (Ð¤ÐµÑ€Ð´Ð¸Ð½Ð°Ð½Ð´ ÐŸÐµÑ‚Ñ€Ð¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð’Ñ€Ð°Ð½Ð³ÐµÐ»ÑŒ), (December 29, 1796 (January 9, 1797), Pskov, Russia â€” May 25 (June 6), 1870, Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia)), Baltic German navigator, admiral, Honorable Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. ... Baron Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (ÐŸÑ‘Ñ‚Ñ€ ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡ Ð’Ñ€Ð°Ð½Ð³ÐµÐ»ÑŒ) (German: ) (August 15, 1878, Zarasai, Lithuania (then Imperial Russia) â€” April 25, 1928, Brussels, Belgium), was an officer in the Imperial Russian army and later commanding general of the pro-monarchist White Army in Southern Russia in the later stages of the Russian Civil War. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... White Army redirects here. ... Friedrich Zander (August 23, 1887 - March 28, 1933), often referred to as Fridrikh Tsander (transliterated from the Russian version of his name: Фридрих Артурович Цандер) or Fridrihs Canders (the Latvian version... Valters Caps, â€žMinox 8 x 11â€ fotokameras izgudrotÄjs ir dzimis RÄ«gÄ, LatvijÄ 1905. ...

Contents

Ethnic composition

Territories and citizenship

History

Middle ages

Reformation

Russian control 1710-1917

Independent Baltic states 1918-1940

Resettlement of all Baltic Germans 1939-1944

"Second resettlement" 1945

Destruction of cultural heritage in the Baltics 1945-1989

1989 to present

Notable Baltic Germans

See also

Further reading

External links

References

Contents

Ethnic composition GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Territories and citizenship

History

Middle ages

Reformation

Russian control 1710-1917

Independent Baltic states 1918-1940

Resettlement of all Baltic Germans 1939-1944

"Second resettlement" 1945

Destruction of cultural heritage in the Baltics 1945-1989

1989 to present

Notable Baltic Germans

See also

Further reading

External links

References

Ethnic composition