| Part of Expulsion of Poles by Germany | |
| Native name | Rugi pruskie |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1885–1890 |
| Location | German imperial Prussia |
| Type | Ethnic cleansing, Germanisation, mass Deportations |
| Cause | Anti-Polish sentiment, German nationalism |
| Patron(s) | Otto von Bismarck, Imperial Germany |
| Outcome | Deportation of over 30,000 Poles from the Prussian Partition of the Commonwealth |
The Prussian deportations, also known as the Prussian expulsions of Poles (Polish: rugi pruskie; German: Polenausweisungen), were the mass expulsions of Poles from Prussia between 1885 and 1890. More than 30,000 Poles who had immigrated to Prussia from the Polish regions of the Russian Empire and Austria and did not obtain a German citizenship, were deported back to their country of origin.
The county-wide expulsion was condemned by the Polish public as well as the federal German parliament. The expulsion also contributed to the worsening of the German-Russian relations. In the aftermath, Poles without German citizenship were again allowed to work and reside in the German Empire in all seasons but the winter. It can be seen as an early example of ethnic cleansing.[1]
- ^ E. J. Feuchtwanger (2002), Bismarck. Page 235: It was an early example of ethnic cleansing and what makes it in retrospect look even worse was that Bismarck exploited it ruthlessly and deliberately to stir up national feeling against his domestic opponents.