The Last Million

Europe's Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War

By: David Nasaw

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

From bestselling author David Nasaw, a sweeping new history of the one million refugees left behind in Germany after WWII

In May 1945, German forces surrendered to the Allied powers, putting an end to World War II in Europe. But the aftershocks of global military conflict did not cease with the German capitulation. Millions of lost and homeless concentration camp survivors, POWs, slave laborers, political prisoners, and Nazi collaborators in flight from the Red Army overwhelmed Germany, a nation in ruins. British and American soldiers gathered the malnourished and desperate refugees and attempted to repatriate them. But after exhaustive efforts, there remained more than a million displaced persons left behind in Germany: Jews, Poles, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and other Eastern Europeans who refused to go home or had no homes to return to. The Last Million would spend the next three to five years in displaced persons camps, temporary homelands in exile divided by nationality, with their own police forces, churches and synagogues, schools, newspapers, theaters, and infirmaries.

The international community could not agree on the fate of the Last Million, and after a year of debate and inaction, the International Refugee Organization was created to resettle them in lands suffering from postwar labor shortages. But no nations were willing to accept the 200,000 to 250,000 Jewish men, women, and children who remained trapped in Germany. In 1948, the United States, among the last countries to accept refugees for resettlement, finally passed a displaced persons bill. With Cold War fears supplanting memories of World War II atrocities, the bill granted the vast majority of visas to those who were reliably anti-Communist, including thousands of former Nazi collaborators and war criminals, while severely limiting the entry of Jews, who were suspected of being Communist sympathizers or agents because they had been recent residents of Soviet-dominated Poland. Only after the controversial partition of Palestine and Israel's declaration of independence were the remaining Jewish survivors able to leave their displaced persons camps in Germany.

A masterwork from acclaimed historian David Nasaw, The Last Million tells the gripping yet until now largely hidden story of postwar displacement and statelessness. By 1952, the Last Million were scattered around the world. As they crossed from their broken past into an unknowable future, they carried with them their wounds, their fears, their hope, and their secrets. Here for the first time, Nasaw illuminates their incredible history and, with profound contemporary resonance, shows us that it is our history as well.

Well worth read to those interested in history.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. It appears to be well researched and written. It amazed me that after all the suffering the Jews went through in Europe that no country really wanted them. And many countries willingly took in former Nazi collaborators and murderers without really looking into their past thoroughly or just turning a blind eye. Other DP’s were taken advantage of with low paying jobs and back breaking work in their new host countries.

An Important History that Resonates Today

This history is so important that I wish everyone would know and understand the insights provided by David Nasaw. The book helped me reflect on the way our recent history shaped struggles and problems today. Today is born in our recent past.
The book is long, but it is full of primary sources, quotes and detailed research of records and political action as well as comments from those leaders who were positioned in power around the world.

The Truth Never Dies

A sad yet vital part of world history that has been often denied, manipulated or rewritten. Here it’s told in an accurate, strait forward account, that many nations attempted to cover up, overlook or just ignore.

Reflections on 'The Last Million': A Unique Perspective on Post-WWII Displacement

I have been interested in World War II history since high school, which has been over 30 years. Most of the books I have read focus on the buildup to the war or the events during the war itself. However, "The Last Million" by David Nasaw stands out as the first book I’ve encountered that provides an in-depth story of the displaced persons left in Europe after the war.

While I am not an academic, making it challenging to process all the detailed information, the book's consistent theme was clear: the distinction between who was wanted and who was not. This was a significant aspect of the displaced persons' struggle to find new homes. Nasaw's detailed account highlights the political, social, and humanitarian complexities involved in resettling these millions of individuals.

Additionally, the book draws a parallel to modern-day immigration issues, showing that the dilemmas and debates surrounding displaced persons and refugees remain relevant today. "The Last Million" not only enriched my understanding of post-World War II history but also offered insights into the ongoing global challenges of displacement and resettlement.

Must read for those who study the WW's in Europe

this is hard story to get your head around but one that must be understood. Nothing was or is black and white. 4 stars because Ford lost the 76 election not 72. You wonder about other editing errors.