"""Nothing endures like the provisional"": American policy toward the Oder-Neisse line, 1945-1990"

The victorious Allies of World War II agreed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945 to finalize Germany's eastern border at a future peace settlement, but provisionally established the Polish-German border along the Oder and Neisse Rivers, placing under Polish administration territory which had been controlled by Germany in 1937. As the Cold War developed, the Warsaw government, with Soviet backing, contended that the Allies had intended the line to be permanent, as evidenced by their approval of the removal of millions of German inhabitants from the area. In contrast, Washington emphasized the provisional nature of the Potsdam agreement, and refused to officially recognize the Oder-Neisse territories as belonging to Poland. This position, however, offered challenges to the conduct of U.S. foreign policy as the European scene changed and adjusted between 1945 and 1990. This study examines the attempts of the Department of State to deal with the question of American recognition of the Oder-Neisse border throughout the forty-five years of the Cold War.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Allen, Debra Jean

Contributors dc:contributor

• Widenor, William C.

• History, European
• History, United States
• Political Science, International Law and Relations

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9305448

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72321