Title: Between Hitler and Tito: The disappearance of the Vojvodina Germans
Author: Zoran Janjetovic
Year: 2000
Media Type: Book
Lending Status: Borrow
How Acquired: ZVA purchase for SGS
Review/Description: This is a rare book indeed. Most publications concerning the post-war hardships of the Ethnic-Germans in Yugoslavia lean heavily toward one side or the other. Either the Serbs committed war crimes against innocent farmer s, or the Germans committed war crimes against innocent peasants and got what they deserved. In this work, Janjetovic quotes from many German sources and the very few Yugoslavian sources that are available to present a balanced picture. He is quite sympathetic to the displaced German population, but, at the same time, he explains the background to the Yugoslavian resentment. He points out that other minorities were also persecuted, although not to the same degree, and that not only Serbs were the persecutors. Also key to understanding these events is the political situation. The new Communist government feared a large, unreliable minority within its borders and was committed to nationalizing private property and to rewarding people who had supported it during the war. These political factors, combined with long-standing ethnic resentment doomed the Donauschwaben to suffering and exile. This work is a “must read” for anyone who wishes to understand the post-war treatment of the Donauschwaben.