World War II ended with German capitulation, but many aftershocks continued, with more than a million displaced persons left behind in Germany. This Last Million would spend the next 3-5 years in displaced persons camps, divided by nationality but with their own systems of governance. The Cold War considerably complicated matters with increased scrutiny of refugees from the East and with preference for anti-Communists. The international community could not agree upon their fate and it was only after 1948, with the partition of Palestine and the passage of a US displaced persons bill, that the situation faced resolution. In his acclaimed book The Last Million, Award-winning author David Nasaw, tells the gripping yet largely unknown story of postwar displacement and statelessness. The remarkable saga of the Last Million has profound contemporary resonance, making it our history as well.
The Last Million: Europe's Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War
