vertrieben

Vertrieben is a German term that can function as an adjective meaning driven out or expelled, and as a noun in the form Vertriebene or Vertriebenen to designate people who were forcibly displaced from their homes. In historical contexts, the word most often refers to the ethnic Germans and other populations expelled from Central and Eastern Europe after World War II, as well as groups that fled or were resettled during and after the war.

After World War II, large-scale population transfers accompanied border changes agreed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945. German territories east of the Oder-Neisse line came under Polish and Soviet administration, leading to the expulsion of millions of ethnic Germans from regions such as Silesia, Pomerania, East Prussia, and the Sudetenland. People from other nationalities were displaced as well. Estimates vary, but commonly cited figures range from roughly 12 to 14 million people affected, with about 7 to 9 million Germans ultimately resettling in Germany and Austria.

Groups and organizations associated with the Vertriebenen include a collective identity for the expellees and various organizations such as Bund der Vertriebenen (BdV), founded in 1950 to advocate for rights and memory, along with regional Landsmannschaften representing populations from former German territories. Legally, West Germany enacted the Federal Expellee Act (BVFG) in 1953 to define naturalization, settlement rights, and integration of expellees; similar provisions emerged during later phases of German reunification. The expulsions remain a complex and, at times, contested chapter in European memory politics, influencing German-Polish and German-C Czech relations.

Modern perspectives emphasize remembrance, reconciliation, and the integration of refugees and their descendants, while discussions continue about restitution, property claims, and commemoration.