The atrocities committed during the Second World War by the National Socialists are well known and have been meticulously documented by historians. Far less known, however, are the mass deportations that took place almost two years after the conclusion of the war, this time orchestrated by the Allied governments. In the years after 1945, over 12 million German- speaking citizens of Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Poland were dispossessed, packed into trains, and left to fend for themselves in newly defeated and impoverished Germany. What allowed for this mass exile— the largest forced migration in history—was the confluence of political motivations on the part of the key players. The expelling countries of Eastern and Central Europe were especially keen on punishing Germans for the horrors of the war—though, of course, their own German-speaking populations were hardly responsible for Germany’s actions—and on increasing the ethnic homogeneity within their borders. The Allied powers, too, had something to gain. The Soviet Union, intent on capitalizing politically on German’s defeat, aimed to irrevocably undermine relations between Germany and Poland, especially by ceding German territory to Poland and emptying it of its inhabitants. Britain, weary from the war, hoped the resulting mass suffering would reinforce the completeness of Germany’s defeat. And the United States, in turn, was attempting to cozy up to the nations of Eastern and Central Europe in the hopes of keeping them away from Soviet influence.

The result of the deportations, however, was the death of at least 500,000 people and Germany’s acquisition of a homeless population far greater than that of any other industrialized country. The death toll was not far worse, furthermore, only because the Soviets’ ambition to cripple Germany was unsuccessful. Following the war, Germany underwent what is known as its “economic miracle,” which made it possible to house, feed, and employ the mass of exiles. That this episode is practically excised from the history books in some countries, however, is surely corroboration of the platitude that history is written by the victors.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

• Some events that occurred during World War II do not appear in history books.
  
• The Allied powers included the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States, and Poland.
  
• The Allied powers were not entirely unified on political matters.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

Which of the following, if true, would weaken the claim that the Allied powers had something to gain from the deportations?

• The United States believed that the Eastern and Central European powers hoped to create more multicultural, ethnically mixed societies.
• The Soviet Union wanted to profit from post-war trade between Germany and Poland.
• Britain, weary of the killing during the war, pledged itself to preventing suffering.