The Politics, Memory, and Commemoration of the Postwar Camps for Germans in Poland (1945-1949): Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence

This book offers the first systematic comparative analysis of memory politics concerning post-war camps in Poland for the German population (and those classified as German). It examines how this difficult past has been framed, instrumentalised, and negotiated in Poland and Germany across changing political systems and historical contexts.

Drawing on archival sources, interviews, institutional analysis, and discourse studies, the book traces how the memory of the camps functioned within communist Poland, how it was addressed and reinterpreted in West and East Germany, and how it influenced Polish-German relations. It argues that in neither country did this memory occupy a central place in official post-war memory politics. In communist Poland, the issue was largely silenced or selectively instrumentalised, while in West Germany it remained primarily confined to expellee organisations until around 1989. After the systemic transformation, the topic did not enter the national mainstream of memory debates. Instead, in Poland, it acquired a distinct regional resonance, retaining mobilising potential within local politics and memory cultures. By tracing interactions between state institutions, non-governmental organisations, and public debates, the book shows how intergenerational memory became a site of political negotiation and symbolic competition.

The volume will appeal to historians, sociologists, political scientists, and scholars of memory and heritage studies. It will also interest readers concerned with Polish-German relations and communities directly affected by this history. Combining empirical depth with analytical precision, the book contributes to debates on difficult heritage and the politics of memory in contemporary Europe.

Piotr Madajczyk, 1959, is a historian and political scientist and Head of the Department of the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the scientific board in the German “Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation” (Berlin). His research interests cover the history of ethnic cleansing and forced migration, Polish-German relations in the 20th century, and the German minority in Poland. His most recent publications have focused on Raphael Lemkin and the Second World War. ORCID 0000-0002-2788-8404.

Magdalena Lemańczyk, PhD, is Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs and Head of the Department of Research on Social and Institutional Transformations at the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. She is Executive Editor of the ISA RC25 journal Language, Discourse & Society. Her research focuses on Polish-German relations in the 20th and 21st centuries, minority and migration issues, and social innovations. ORCID 0000-0002-3958-175X.

Paweł Popieliński, PhD, 1976, is a sociologist, political scientist, and researcher of national and ethnic minorities. He is Assistant Professor at the Department of German Studies at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Secretary of the scientific journal „Rocznik Polsko-Niemiecki“ (Polish-German Annual). In his scientific activity, he focuses on the issues of the German minority and the topic of Upper Silesia and "Silesianness" in the 20th and 21st centuries. His area of interest also includes the Tatar minority in Poland and the Roma minority in Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany. ORCID 0000-0001-7137-813X.