Colonial Dreams, Ambiguous Outcomes: German Settlers in the Balkans and the Volga River Basin
Journal: Digital Commons @ Butler University (Butler University)
Year: 2013

This article surveys the phenomenon of German colonization in Eastern Europe from a comparative perspective. On examination of the origins and outcomes of German settlement in the northern Balkans and southern Russia, a number of shared characteristics and circumstances appear. From beginnings in multinational empires to dissolution under the combined pressure of nationalism and communism, the German settler communities represent an interesting case study in the shift from an imperial to a natio