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 Wanderings:
The Germans from Russia Today
Introduction and History
By Carter Wood, Staff Writer
Reprinted with permission from the Grand Forks Herald, Grand
Forks, North Dakota, July 4-10, 1994
 "Wanderings:
The Germans from Russia Today" is a series of seven newspaper
articles that appeared in the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks,
North Dakota, July 4-10, 1994. The articles were written by Herald
staff writer Carter Wood. Special appreciation is extended to Carter
Wood, to Michael Jacobs, editor, to Mark Boswell, staff artist,
and to the staff or the Grand Forks Herald for providing
an informative and valuable series of articles.
The journey to Odessa, Ukraine and the former Black Sea and Bessarabian
German villages took place June 3 - 13, 1994. The American delegation
included Dr. Shirley Fischer Arends, formerly of Ashley, ND, and
author of the book The Central Dakota Germans: Their History,
Language, and Culture, Michael M. Miller, Germans from Russia
Bibliographer, NDSU Libraries, Fargo; and Carter Wood.
Germans from Russia Series Schedule
| Monday, July 4, 1994 |
Germans from Russia are on the
move again |
| Tuesday, July 5, 1994 |
A crowded Germany wants immigrants
to stay home |
| Wednesday, July 6, 1994 |
Soviet-style communism remains
alive |
| Thursday, July 7, 1994 |
Labor camps and Siberia - The story
of Paul Krueger |
| Friday, July 8, 1994 |
Religion remains a vital force
for Germans from Russia |
| Saturday, July 9, 1994 |
Reuniting with relatives |
| Sunday, July 10, 1994 |
Connecting North Dakotans to the
Old World |
A History of the Germans from Russia
| 1763-65 |
Catherine the Great invites foreigners to settle in Russia.
First German community founded in Volga region. |
| 1774-92 |
Russia conquers Black Sea region from Ottoman Empire. Odessa
founded. |
| 1804 |
Alexander I invites Germans to Black Sea region, promising
free land and political privileges. Numerous Germans from southern
Germany and West Prussia establish colonies. |
| 1873-1874 |
First German from Russia families settle in Dakota Territory,
in Yankton. Russia introduces universal draft. Emigration to
North and South America escalates. |
| 1881 |
Czar Alexander III assassinated. Russification impinges on
German settlements. |
| 1914 |
World War I breaks out. Russian army includes 300,000 Germans,
but ethnic Germans are declared enemies of the empire. |
| 1917 |
Russian and Bolshevik revolutions, leading to temporary improvements
for Germans from Russia. |
| 1928 |
Collectivization begins, along with famine-driven campaign
against wealthy peasants, including Germans. Churches closed. |
| 1938-39 |
Stalinist purges. Russian Ukrainian replace German in schools.
German-Soviet non-aggression pact. World War II breaks out.
Bessarabian Germans evicted, resettling in Warthegau in German-occupied
Poland. |
| 1941 |
Germany attacks Soviet Union. Soviets begin deporting Germans
from western regions to Siberia, Central Asia. |
| 1944 |
Soviets recapture Odessa. About 350,000 ethnic Germans retreat
to resettle in Warthegau. |
| 1945 |
War ends. Ethnic Germans forcibly repatriated to Soviet Union
and deported to Siberia and Central Asia |
| 1955 |
German chancellor Konrad Adenaur visits Moscow, Supreme Soviet
restores civil rights to ethnic Germans. Confiscated property
is not returned, Germans forbidden to return to their original
homes. |
| 1964 |
Deportation order of 1941 lifted. |
| 1970 |
Moscow Treaty between Germany and Soviet Union leads to rising
emigration of Germans from Russia. |
| 1986 |
New law eases reunification of families, and emigration to
Germany increases. |
| 1992 |
Supreme Soviet allows creation of ethnic German region in
Omsk. President Boris Yeltsin agrees to allow formation of autonomous
Volga Republic. |
| 1993-1994 |
German law limits immigration of Germans from Russia to 200,000
annually. Despite German efforts to discourage ethnic Germans,
immigration of another 200,000 is expected. |
Reprinted with permission of the Grand Forks Herald
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Permission
to use any images from the GRHC website may be requested
by contacting Michael
M. Miller |
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