Since the Middle Ages, most German minority groups had migrated to Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic states, and various parts of Russia. There, they established settlements where German was spoken and a rural German culture was maintained well into the 20th century. At first, the German states showed no interest in these groups. It was not until 1881 that a school association was founded to help preserve German culture in Eastern Europe. Known as the Association for German Culture Abroad (VDA), it remained in existence until 2019, later under a slightly modified name.

In 1917, the German Institute for Foreign Affairs was founded to document and support Germans living abroad. During the interwar period, a new minority also emerged in those parts of Poland that had previously been part of the German Empire. The German government now used the German minorities to pursue its foreign policy, primarily to destabilize Poland. The aforementioned associations were also exploited for this purpose. The Nazis took this even further: As part of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, they resettled many of these minorities in occupied Poland. After 1945, many Germans were expelled from Eastern Europe or exiled to Siberia. The Federal Republic of Germany once again used what remained of these minorities to further its foreign policy objectives. Their departure for Germany was seen as proof of the inferiority of communism. Since 1990, minorities have been an important part of Germany's foreign cultural policy. Unlike in the past, this policy is intended to contribute to the stabilization and democratization of Eastern Europe and to foster good relations for Germany.

Our research associate, Dr. Ralf Meindl, conducts research on minorities and regionalization processes in the 19th and 20th centuries. In his current research project, he is examining the cultural, religious, and economic structures—and the resulting mentalities—in early modern Ermland.

On July 1, 2026, he gave a presentation on minority and nationality policy in Eastern Europe as part of the international WEEC 2026 conference.