DPs: Europe's Displaced Persons, 1945–51

by Mark Wyman

This volume provides an account of the movement of diverse ethnic and cultural groups of Europe's displaced persons between the years 1945-1951. An analysis of the social, economic and political circumstances within which relocation, resettlement and repatriation of millions of people occurred, this is equally a study in diplomacy, in international relations and in social history. It is a recreation of the events and circumstances within which displaced persons found themselves, of the strategies and means by which people survived or did not, and an account of the major powers in response to an unprecedented human crisis.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Academia, Holocaust

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The letters DP will sound distant and far away and grandchildren will ask, 'What is a DP?' And finally Neustadt, Lienz, Reggio, Landsberg and the others will again be only cities on a map, not the sites of camps that once took in refugees from a war, and protected them until the outside world could awaken to their plight and welcome them to new lives across the seas." - Mark Wyman, DPs Europe's Displaced Persons, 1945-1951.

So ends Mr. Wyman's remarkable tale of the Displaced Persons camps in Europe. I have to say I fell into this category of children who didn't know what a displaced persons camp was. After talking to my father-in-law, a Holocaust survivor, my curiosity was piqued. What went on there, who were the people in the camps, where did they all end up? This book covers all those questions and more. There is so much I never knew, some of it complicated when it came to the differing politics and nationalities of the displaced persons, like those from Yugoslavia who not only battled a world war but a civil and racial one as well. It must be exhausting to have so much hatred inside a person. But, I digress. I found the Notes section to be as fascinating as the body of the text, and often flipped back to the Bibliography and displaced persons camp index as well.

I recommend this book to anyone who has had an emigrant relative go through the process of a displaced persons camp, or anyone wanting to know yet another historical facet of WWII. I developed more understanding and compassion for the refugee after reading this book.

[Hotavio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mark Wyman reveals the plight of DPS in the years following World War II. This time saw the rise of nationalism amongst oppressed people, the rise of Zionism, and the creation of the United States as a sympathetic super power with a mission to save the world from the "evils" of Communism.

Overall, I found Wyman's style to be fairly narrative and relatively dry. The history admittedly fell outside of my realm of historical interest. Despite this, I did find his use of illustrations to be some of the best I have seen in historical monologues. Large relevant photos actually provided information which furthered his narrative. The book, however, tended towards repetition and although it was worth reading once, I am sure there are others that cover the topic better.

[Ted Mccormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview of the plight of persons displaced by WWII and its aftermath. This is a revised edition with a new preface which contrasts how DPs in the late 1940's with how refugees are received today.

[Regina Grantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child of a DP father, this was enormously illuminating. So very readable.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot that has been written about WWII, but not as much about the immediate aftermath. This book is informative, meticulously researched and a must-read for anyone curious about this era. Skews academic--my guess is it's probably widely used as a textbook--so can be a bit dry reading. I would have preferred more personal stories and fewer statistics.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anybody who wants some to figure out what happened to al the people after the War ended. I found this book very helpful to fill in details of the DP camps, and the trauma that the various ethnic groups went through in trying to put their lives together.

[Laura Craner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book scores a little low for readability and for it's limiting Cold War mindset. It scores a little high for the loads of good info and for owning up to said limiting mindset.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and written book which deals with the subject matter with a great deal of empathy.