Stranica 3 [3]
OCR
fs4se10e July 52. - page three = Germany and eventually to foree the return to their old homeland. This explains why now, in every German election appears a new party, the BHE (Bund der Heimatvertriebenen und Entrechteten), the alliance of expellees and homeless, An interesting example of its Strength has been shown in the last elections in the State of Sehleswig-Holstein. This northernmost lend of Western Germany, situated along the Danish border, had received an unusually strong influx of expellees. “hey form the 33% of the State population, Setting up their own party and claiming strong discipline of their poters, expellees won an unexpected victory Immediately, using their new position in the regional government, they introduced a radical and far-reaching social and economic program, changing the State legislation to the favor of expellees,. This faet has mueh impressed all of Western Germany's political elethents; as it became elear that a new force was rising. It should not be overlooked indeed that expeliees form today nearly 15 % of the Western German total population and that, although a minority, they represent, united, a foree that might well greatly influence the country's inner and external evolution. Their role played in the fem: formation the Bovermental majority of the new South-West State was another forewarning for Chaneellor Adenauer's Partye The federaigoverment coalition and the socialists thus, = trying to consolidate their positions and to inérease their support in view of the 1953 eleetions, = play now for the sympathy of the expellees, The situation fer breAdenauer of course is more delicates being in power, he cannot - as is the privivlege of any opposition take advantage of criticism and promises. Hé has to Show deeds. The main line of his political aims is foreign and less the inner questions will be automatically solved, This however does not present great attraction to the expellee massesg what they want at present is bread, housing and opportunities for industrial employment, trade or rural settlement. These are serious problems in a country that is over populated and still suffers from the consequences of ware Nevertheless the government has acted even along these lines. After most delicate discussions, the government has presented the law for sharing of the losses (Lastenausgleich), In a period of 30 years the present owners shall gradually give up part of their fortune to be turned over = on the basis of careful planning - to the disposessed, ise. the bombed-out the expellees and those ruined by the monetary reform. Socialists on the Other hand lavishely promise greater and more rapid? social adavantages, But what appeals most to expellees in... their program is once more the unification of Germany. It raises their that - with sufficient German strength in the Hast - they skll be able to enforee their eventual return to Silesia, the Sudete Region, the Expellees, a political rising force, are for obvious reasons one of the German groups that, up to now, has been the least accessible to communist propaganda, But in this line, a new campaing starts, that should be carefully watched, Quite recently, with the reorganiza~ tion of the East-German Cabinet and Security set-up, a special division has been ereated in the East-German Ministry of Security. Its aim is to supervise all expellee organizations in West Germany end in Berlin 43 . a
