Zwischen Bleiben, Rückkehr und Weiterwandern?

Fremdsprachige Displaced Persons in Niederösterreich 1945–1955

Abstract

This article links two topics that are usually analyzed separately: civilian forced labor in today’s Austria during the Second World War and the situation and scope of action of DPs and refugees in post-war Austria. As the examples of “ways of migration” and the “link between accommodation and post-war strategies” of DPs in today’s Lower Austria show, it can be fruitful to extend analysis to both periods of time. Developments during the compelled movement of forced laborers created preconditions that additionally shaped the future of these people after the end of the war, giving them different possibilities and “freedoms of action”. They demonstrate a complexity of movements rather than simply “returning” to their places of origin, choosing alternatives such as emigration or remaining in Austria.