German Refugees and the SPD in Schleswig-Holstein, 1945-50

Abstract

Little research has been undertaken on the political integration of the refugees in post-war Germany, and this article analyses the attitude of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Schleswig-Holstein to the newcomers in the period 1945-50. It argues that the SPD was the first party to recognize the importance of the refugee problem, and that its success in Schleswig-Holstein’s first Landtag Election in 1947 owed much to the newcomers’ support. However, the refugees’ identification with the Social Democrats fell sharply in 1949-50, mainly due to the failure of the SPD Government to alleviate their wretched economic conditions. Public disagreements concerning policy towards the newcomers also tarnished the party’s standing among refugee voters. The SPD’s failure to overcome the challenge of balancing the conflicting interests of its refugee and indigenous voters formed the background to the triumph of the refugee party - the Block der Heimatvertriebenen und Entrechteten - in the Landtag Election in 1950.