Ostforschung

Ostforschung (German: [ˈɔstˌfɔʁʃʊŋ]; "research on the east") is a German term dating from the 18th century for the study of the areas to the east of the core German-speaking region. At its core, Ostforschung postulated that Germans were responsible for bringing civilization to eastern regions like the Baltic, and that Germans was superior to other groups like Poles. Concepts of German superiority, and Prussian stereotypes about various eastern european peoples, were core beliefs to this field of research.

History

The area gained particular interest in Germany after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Proponents of Ostforschung, with instutional support, wanted to undermine the historical legitimacy of the new eastern nation states created by the treaty, such as Estonia, and support Germany's claims to dominance over the region. The idea underlying Ostforschung (as opposed to more standard studies of eastern european regions) was that German colonists were the predominant source of civilization to areas like the Baltic, and therefore held a legitimate dominance over the regions. At the same time the German settlers also maintained a unique connection with the rest of German Reich. Such ideas contributed to Nazis plans for conquering of Baltic states, legitimizing such attacks as a return to the historical subordination of the Baltic people to the Germans.

Traditional Ostforschung has fallen into disrepute with modern German historians as it often reflected Western European prejudices of the time towards Poles. The term Ostforschung itself remained in use in the names of some journals and institutes throughout the Cold War, but was replaced by more specific terms by the 1990s (e.g., the journal Zeitschrift für Ostforschung, established in 1952, was renamed Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung in 1994).