The Deportation of Germans from the Netherlands 1946–1952

Abstract

Between 1946 and 1948Dutch authorities planned to deport all 25,000Germans from the Netherlands. This article is based on an analysis of parliamentary debates and newspaper reports. It offers a new explanation for why these deportationswere stopped.Aconcerted effort fromthe press, clergy and charitable organisations provided arguments to change policies, however the Minister of Justice did not defend changes in policy by copying any of these arguments. He phrased his policy in terms of success: policies had been fine-tuned, not fundamentally changed. Within a relatively short period (between 1945 and 1948) the discourse changed from revenge to pity. Papers pointed out that if the Dutch continued to deport all Germans they were no better than the Gestapo.