This picture depicts children refugees from Poland that immigrated to Iran. Many children’s lives after World War 2 was like this because of the government. Following the end war each government had their own reasons and ways on how to handle displaced peoples driven by their morals, and religion to protect all races, ethnicity and nationalities. Different groups of people such as children and Jews were the biggest groups of displaced people.
The French wanted as many people as possible because of their need to boost their industrialist economy. At the end of WW2 french birth rates were low and the government believed that children would be able to assimilate the best into society. According to Raymond Bousquet 1,400,000 to 1,500,000 children were needed for the work force. Pierre Pfimlin stated the children were “blood transfusions”, as in the children were a much needed part of society to accomplish their goal. The children that both men were talking about would preferable to German because the German society was growing at an alarming discomforting rate, and the Germans were closest to French according to genetics and children were the best to assimilate. The French depicted the German mothers as negligent and told societies that they would raise the child with fascist tendencies. The Frenches best interest for the orphaned children was for the children to be raised by French families so that their economy could be boosted. Because of their interest they had the most refugees.
The Germans stole children so that they could rebuild their population. Orphaned children were taken and so were children with families. They assimilated the children so much that they could not even speak their native tongue. To the rest of their world it was the Nazi’s worst sin. The west aka the US and Western Europe saw this as a problem because everyone viewed Germany as the most immoral country.
Most governments wanted orphans and displaced peoples for their own advancement. The children were good for the economy and boosting the population. Governments such as the French and Germany destroyed original birth certificates so that their was no proof of the child’s origin allowing the child to stay in their country. The best interest of the children was never discussed from a humanistic perspective. Children that were stolen from their homes in Poland and taken to Germany at the age of two knew nothing besides their German name and when they were abducted with the aid of the US and publicized through out the world some children still identified as Germans and would not denounce their German side. The child had no memories of their home or origin or even their native tongue.
The United Nations made task forces to help; their best interest was to get the people back into their correct countries and the use of force was allowed. The UNRAA and IRO was created to aid children and displaced children into their correct places. Regardless of whether or not the family was still around children were forced to return to their home country. They believed that the children were better in their home country and in nationalism then in a family of a foreign nationality. Soon laws were set in place the child could not be adopted by those of a different nationality. Education is important but children placed in rehabilitation homes were taught about their origin and their native tongue.
The United States had a huge hand in displaced people. They had the most power especially thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt who made it her missions to help refugees. The Marshal plan gave countries money. Laws were made to protect minorities and children however in France if the child was from a colonial background they could not be adopted. The United States best interest was to win in the Cold War meaning keeping displaced children and people our of Communist ran counties such as the USSR. The Truman administration did not care about displaced people because their best interest was winning the could war. The Johnson-Reed act of 1924 kept out immigrants.
The United Nations helped with displaced people the most. Their best interest was to place people in the right country. Sometimes forced had to be used. Later after noting the fact that some children did not want to return to their home of origin they made a law stating the peoples did not have to go to their homeland. For the U.N. anti-communism, then anti-fascism then displaced persons was the order of importance that legislation and troops went to.
Every country, and group had their own reason for helping refugees. Most were to benefit the country and neglected human rights. People are power. Some countries such as South America did not help with the refugees because it was not offered to them. Others that could help didn’t want to because there was no incentive for them. Even though the best interest should be to make the refugees of war feel loved and protected by a government no one properly stepped up to the plate.
Before this reading I had never heard about the “children-stealing” that France and Germany did to boost their populations. It also shocks me that Polish Jewish refugees would immigrate to Iran but I guess that 1940’s Iran was a much different place than 2010’s Iran.
That’s why I choose the picture. It’s shocking to me that immigrants would choose to go to Iran especially since now in days that would be the last immigrants would want to go.
I thought your quote of, “The UNRAA and IRO was created to aid children and displaced children into their correct places.” was interesting. Because I read it as these Displaced People were moving to where the UNRAA and IRO determined what was right, not the Displaced People themselves. Although, I have a feeling that you may mean something else or I may have just understood. What I interpreted as the “correct places” was what the Allies thought was best for the West in terms of post-war reconstruction. Great article that makes me wonder what the process of selecting or determining what was the “correct” place for Displaced People was.
*may have just misunderstood
I also thought of the “right/correct place” was where the Allied Troops deemed of importance to better themselves political means.
That’s why I choose the picture. It’s shocking to me that immigrants would choose to go to Iran especially since now in days that would be the last immigrants would want to go.