Niemcy Odessy: od uprzywilejowania do upodlenia

Abstract

Germans of Odessa: From a Privileged Status to HumiliationThis article presents the history of German minority in the Ukrainian city of Odessa from the beginning of the 18th century till the present times. An important aspect of this work is to show the two dimensions of German colonization of Ukrainian territories which were concurrently inhabited by representatives of German intelligentsia and entrepreneurs in the cities, as well as by German peasants in the country. As this work shows, the history of Germans in Ukraine began with being granted a privileged status and finished with losing it and being dispossessed during the First and Second World Wars.The paper starts with a brief description of the German nation and its expansion to the East. Then the history of the German colonization of Odessa is presented, including the religious life of this group and the role Germans played in the economy of the city and its surroundings. After that attention is focused on the damage inflicted on the community during two world wars, which led to Germans being deprived of their rights and marginalized. The last section concentrates on the present situation of German minority in Odessa.