Federal Expellees’ Law

On 19 May 1953 the „Law for Expellees’ and Refugees’ Affairs“ goes into effect. According to this law expellees are defined as all persons who have been forced to give up their homes in the eastern regions of the German Reich or in other countries as a result of the German defeat in the Second World War.

Source: Sudetendeutsches Archiv, München After inhuman strain - the picture shows expellees on the so-called „death march of Bruenn“ (capitol of Moravia, nowadays called Brno) in May  1945 - the refugees from the Eastern regions of the German Reich have to realize ...

© Körner ... that they're not welcome: „We're not able to put up anyone else. The city of Bremen has declared immigration stop.“ (sign at the main station in Bremen, 1945)

By contrast, the law defines refugees as persons who have fled to the Federal Republic (including West Berlin) from the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ). The Federal Expellees’ Law is intended to facilitate the social and economic integration of all 17 million expellees and 1.6 million refugees in West Germany.