Zwangsmigration im Europa des 20. Jahrhunderts:: Probleme und Verlaufsmuster

Abstract

This article reviews the various terminology used for “forced migration” and suggests that scholars and publicists employ language that reflects the level of violence frequently inherent in the process. Therefore terms like “forced deportation” and “ethnic cleansing” would be preferable. The piece also reviews the history of “forced migration” since the end of the 19th Century and suggests that the role of international factors, while clearly a part of the process, are frequently over-emphasized and that historians should focus on the motives, intentions, and actions of the states, political elites, and local actors that carry out the actions.