Konteksty i motywy powojennych migracji z Górnego Śląska do RFN oraz przemiany świadomości Aussiedlerów z Polski
Contexts and motives of post-war migrations from Upper Silesia to FRG and transformations of consciousnes of Polish Aussiedler

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to present the problems of emigration from Poland to Germany in the historical context and in the context of the changes that have taken place in both countries. The paper presents the opinions of people who emigrated to West Germany and obtained the Aussiedler status, about the changes that have taken place in Germany since they decided to emigrate there from Poland. The article attempts to present, as the main problem, the fate and opinions of the indi-viduals in this group, the reasons for their migration, their first encounter with the FRG and their opinion about the decision to migrate. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the possibility of emigrating to West Germany from the Polish People’s Republic was the dream of many Polish citizens. The migration was accompanied by great expectations and hopes that not all migrants have managed to fulfill. As in every migration process, there have been winners and losers. The reality of German capitalism, language barriers and unemployment were the most frequent problems encountered by the emigrants. The paper is based on various qualitative research methods, especially on interviews with people who migrated to the Federal Republic of Germany between 1970 and 2000 and obtained the Aussiedler status there. The problem of this migration has not yet been the subject of an in-depth study in Poland.

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