The idea of moving large numbers of Germans into other countries after World War I was not pursued for several reasons. The Allies did not put Germans into other countries in 1919 for the following main reasons: National Sovereignty and Self-Determination: After World War I, the principle of national self-determination was a key element in the post-war settlement. This principle, promoted especially by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, argued that ethnic groups should have the right to form their own nation-states or choose their own governments. Forcing large populations of Germans into other countries would have violated this principle, causing further ethnic tensions and resentment. Political and Social Instability: Europe was already politically unstable after the war, with new nations being created (e.g., Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia) and others reshaping their borders. Forcing large populations to migrate or placing them in new countries would likely have destabilized these regions even further. This could have led to uprisings, violence, or resistance movements, creating additional conflict just as the continent was trying to recover. Historical Grievances and Future Conflicts: Forcing Germans to live under foreign rule or in countries with different ethnic majorities could have fostered long-term grievances, similar to how the Treaty of Versailles itself caused bitterness in Germany. These unresolved tensions might have contributed to future conflicts, which is exactly what happened in the run-up to World War II. German minorities in places like Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland) and Poland became flashpoints that Nazi Germany used to justify territorial expansion later. Practicality and Logistics: Moving large populations was a difficult task at the time. Europe was devastated by the war, with infrastructure in ruins and economies shattered. Large-scale migrations or population transfers would have been incredibly costly and logistically complex, which the war-torn nations were not equipped to handle. Post-War Reconstruction Priorities: The Allies were focused on rebuilding Europe, stabilizing economies, and preventing the rise of future conflicts. They likely saw forced resettlement or significant demographic shifts as a distraction from these more pressing issues. Instead of moving Germans to other countries, the Treaty of Versailles redrew borders and placed ethnic German populations within new or expanded countries (such as Poland and Czechoslovakia). This solution was not perfect, as it did contribute to later tensions, but it was seen as a more viable option at the time than large-scale population transfers.
Germany was required to pay reparations to the other countries. This was a large amount of money and the German government didn't have the means so the enforced taxes on the population of Germany. The value of the German Mark went down, prices went up and many people were out of work. Also in the treaty was the stipulation that Germany couldn't have a military force or arms.
One of Adolf Hitler's primary stated goals before World War II was to bring all German people in Europe into a single country under his control. To that end, he spent much of 1937-1939 seizing territory from neighboring countries, in the name of German unification. He engineered the annexation of Austria, the seizure of the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia, and then the dissolution of the rest of Czechoslovakia. After all that was done, he turned his sights to Poland. A large portion of western Poland had been ruled by Germany before the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Hitler demanded that territory back, along with an important seaport city called Danzig (now called Gdansk). However, Britain and France were no longer willing to allow Hitler to attack his neighbors; additionally, they were allied with Poland, so they were obligated to help if attacked. At first Hitler tried negotiating with Poland but his demands were too strict and Poland refused to accept. Hitler believed the Allies would not defend Poland; they had done nothing to help Austria or Czechoslovakia, so why would they now? So German agents pretended to be Polish spies, and they launched attacks on some German buildings near the border with Poland- Hitler wanted to use this as proof that Poland was attacking them, to justify declaring war and invading Poland. Nobody believed Hitler's stories, and when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. World War II had officially begun.
Czechoslovakia officially split into two countries on 1st of January 1993. There was no war, nor any sort of ethnic conflict preceding the split, the decision largely made by "political elites," namely Vaclav Klaus (Czech) and Vladimir Meciar (Slovak), who then proceeded to become Prime Ministers of the newly independent countries.There was no referendum and opinion polls showed that people were largely ambivalent on the issue. The pro-split politicians in Slovakia argued that the split was necessary because Slovakia, the smaller part of the Czechoslovak Federation, was often neglected economically, the more important manufacturing factories placed in Czech Republic, while Slovakia's economy was based on agriculture and processing of raw materials. The two countries are historically different (the Czech republic historically part of Austria, while Slovakia was under Hungarian rule), have different (though quite similar) languages and are also dissimilar religiously, Slovakia overwhelmingly Catholic, while the Czechs have a large Protestant minority. -Alicia
By outnumbering them on population, technology and, maybe most important, military.
czechoslovakia had a large ethnically german population
Czechoslovakia. They had a large German speaking population.
Czechoslovakia had a large ethnically German population .
The portion of Czechoslovakia, called the Sudetenland had a large German population. The Munich Agreement caused the annexation of this territory to the German nation.
The old Slovakian region was the core of German speaking Czechoslovakians. But now that the two countries have become independent from one another Only small enclaves in the Czech Republic mainly along the German boarder In Slovakia the area of Krahule has a large German speaking population.
Today, "ethnic German" usually refers to people who live outside of Germany, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe, whose ancestors came from Germany at some point. There are large communities of ethnic Germans in Russia, for instance. Generally, people only count as "ethnic Germans" if they have retained something of their German cultural and linguistic heritage and regard themselves as Germans. The citerion of self-identification as culturally German is extremely important. Most U.S. citizens of German origin are not"ethnic Germans"; it is essentially a European phenomenon as far as Germans are concerned.
The largest ethnic group is English Canadian. There is also a large Franco Manitoban population, an abundance of Native Americans and 19.1% of the population is German. You will also find also find Ukranian, Irish, Polish, Dutch, Russian and even Icelandic populations.
Sudetenland was very important to Hitler as it contained roughly 3 million German speaking people. Since, Hitler believed in Anschluss ( reuniting all German speaking), this is why Sudetenland very important to him. Furthermore, Sudetenland is very ( and I mean very) important for Czechoslovakia as it contained their industries. So, losing Sudetenland means losing their industries as well as their defense.
The U.S. would be an obvious candidate.
Czechoslavia
Czechoslavia
An ethnic province is an administrative region within a country where a particular ethnic group makes up the majority of the population. These regions may have cultural, linguistic, or historical significance tied to the dominant ethnic group. Ethnic provinces can play a role in promoting cultural identity and autonomy within a larger national framework.