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Danube Swabians

Danube Swabians
Donauschwaben
Total population
230,509 (220.000-230.000) 220.000-230.000 (including those of ancestral descent)
Regions with significant populations
Hungary186,596[1]
Romania36,884[2]
Serbia4,064[3]
Croatia2,965[4]
Languages
Hungarian, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, German
Religion
Catholicism, Lutheran
Related ethnic groups
Germans of Hungary, Germans of Romania, Germans of Serbia, Germans of Croatia, Banat Swabians, Satu Mare Swabians

The Danube Swabians (German: Donauschwaben [ˈdoːnaʊʃvaːbm̩] ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most were descended from earlier 18th-century Swabian settlers from Upper Swabia, the Swabian Jura, northern Lake Constance, the upper Danube, the Swabian-Franconian Forest, the Southern Black Forest and the Principality of Fürstenberg, followed by Hessians, Bavarians, Franconians and Lorrainers recruited by Austria to repopulate the area and restore agriculture after the expulsion of the Ottoman Empire. They were able to keep their language and religion and initially developed strongly German communities in the region with German folklore.

The Danube Swabians were given their German name by German ethnographers in the early 20th century.[5] In the 21st century, they are made up of ethnic Germans from many former and present-day countries: Germans of Hungary; Satu Mare Swabians; Germans of Croatia, Bačka, the Banat Swabians; and the Vojvodina Germans of Serbia's Vojvodina and Croatia's Slavonia, especially those in the Osijek region. They called themselves Schwowe in a Germanized spelling, or "Shwoveh" or "Shwova" in an English spelling; in the singular first person, a Danube Swabian identified as a Shwob.

In Serbo-Croatian, Danube Swabians, alongside the local populace would refer to themselves as Švabo (Serbo-Croatian for "of Swabia") or Nijemci / Nemci (Serbo-Croatian for "Germans"), referring to their ethnic origin. However, the Carpathian Germans and Transylvanian Saxons are not included within the Danube Swabian group.

After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following the First World War, the areas where the Danube Swabians had settled were divided into three parts by the Allied Powers. One part remained with Hungary, the second part was allocated to Romania, and the third part fell to the newly established state of Yugoslavia. In this atmosphere of ethnic nationalism, the Danube Swabians had to fight for legal equality as citizens and for the preservation of their cultural traditions. In the 1930s, Nazi Germany promoted National Socialist ideas to the Danube Swabians and claimed the right to protect them as part of its reason for expanding into eastern Europe.[6]

The Danube Swabians faced particular challenges in the Second World War, when the Axis powers, including Germany, overran many of the nations where they lived. While they were initially favored by the occupiers, some were moved from their homes. As the war progressed and Germany needed more soldiers, the men were conscripted. Many atrocities took place during and after the war, as a result of the complicated allegiances, brutality of the Nazis, and partisan reaction to it.

Toward the end of the Second World War, tens of thousands of Danube Swabians fled west ahead of the advancing Soviet army. After the war, the remaining Danube Swabians were disenfranchised, their property seized, and many were deported to labor camps in the Soviet Union. Hungary expelled half of its ethnic Germans.[7] In Yugoslavia, the local "ethnic Germans" were collectively blamed for the actions of Nazi Germany and branded as war criminals. Immediately after the end of the war, partisan troops conducted mass executions of numerous Yugoslav Danube Swabians. Survivors were later confined to labor and internment camps by the Yugoslavian authorities.[8] Following the dissolution of the camps, the majority of the remaining Yugoslav Danube Swabians left the country, seeking refuge in Germany, other parts of Europe, the United States, and Canada.

Of the 1.4 to 1.5 million pre-war population of Danube Swabians, the overwhelming majority of the survivors resettled in German-speaking countries: about 660,000 in Germany and about 150,000 in Austria. Danube Swabians also resettled in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia.[9] The greatest concentrations of Danube Swabians in the United States were in New York, Rochester, Trenton, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Mansfield, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.[10] The diaspora communities of Danube Swabians maintain their language and customs in numerous societies and clubs. The number of organizations is shrinking as the generations that lived in the Danube Swabian homelands die.

Historically, Swabians have been associated with a reputation for thriftiness, industriousness, and financial success, which has contributed to a broader perception of them as wealthy. This perception is partly due to the region of Swabia in southwestern Germany, which has long been known for its strong economic base, particularly in manufacturing, engineering, and trade. Swabians are often seen as pioneers in industries such as automotive manufacturing, precision engineering, and high-quality craftsmanship. Companies like Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, and Porsche are iconic examples of Swabian enterprises that have contributed to the region's wealth and global economic influence.

The Swabian reputation for being financially successful is also tied to a cultural emphasis on frugality and a strong work ethic. These traits have historically allowed Swabians to accumulate wealth, often through careful savings, investment, and a focus on long-term financial security. As a result, many Swabians are considered to be economically well-off, particularly in contrast to other regional groups in Germany.

  1. ^ 2.7 Német 2.7.1 A népesség korcsoport, településtípus és nemek szerint, a nemek aránya, 2011, Összesen [2.7 German 2.7.1 Population by age group, type of settlement and gender, sex ratio, 2011, Total] (PDF) (in Hungarian). Budapest. 2014. p. 94. ISBN 978-963-235-355-5. Retrieved 22 May 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Tabelul 2. Populaţia stabilă după etnie, pe judeţe [Table 2. Stable population by ethnicity by counties] (PDF) (in Romanian). 2 February 2012. p. 10. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Lakcevic, S. (2012). Table A1: Population by ethnicity, as per the 1948–2011 censuses (PDF). Republički zavod za statistiku. p. 14. ISBN 978-86-6161-023-3. Retrieved 18 May 2017. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Stanovništvo prema narodnosti, popisi 1971. – 2011" (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  5. ^ Senz, Josef Volkmar (1987). Geschichte der Donau-Schaeben: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Munich: Amalthea. p. dust jacket.
  6. ^ gbv.de, Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Johannes Hürther: Rezension: Casagrande, Thomas: Die volksdeutsche SS-Division „Prinz Eugen“ – Die Banater Schwaben und die nationalsozialistischen Kriegsverbrechen. ISBN 3-593-37234-7, 18. Dezember 2003, S. 8
  7. ^ Mathias Beer: Flucht und Vertreibung der Deutschen. Voraussetzungen, Verlauf, Folgen. München, 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-61406-4, S. 205, hier S. 91.
  8. ^ Zoran Janjetović, Die Konflikte zwischen Serben und Donauschwaben, S. 162 In „Der Einfluss von Nationalsozialismus auf Minderheiten in Ostmittel- und Südeuropa“, Published by Mariana Hausleitner and Harald Roth, IKS Verlag, Munich, 2006 (Wissenschaftliche Reihe „Geschichte und Zeitgeschichte“ der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Volume 107: Published by Edgar Hösch, Thomas Krefeld und Anton Schwob)
  9. ^ Gehl, Hans (2005). Wörterbuch der donauschwäbischen Lebensformen [Dictionary of the Danube Swabian Way of Life]. Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 9783515086714.
  10. ^ "Donauschwaben History". Donauschwaben German-American Cultural Center.

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