An inferno of human misery in the smallest space.

[**The following is in regards to the living conditions in Eastern Germany immediately following the conclusion of the Second World War.**] >A ‘travelling trade inspector’ described to the Central Administration for German Resettlers for the Soviet zone in Berlin what he saw among the homeless arrivals from the east in Schwerin in October 1945: ‘No opportunity to wash. No possibility to warm oneself. No warm drinks, not even soup for refugees and returning soldiers. The filth at every corner and on the roadsides piled up into little mountains. No one was on hand who would have ensured order and cleanliness. An inferno of human misery in the smallest space.’ >This was what was left of the German east. ________________________ **Source:** Bessel, Richard. “The Loss of the East.” *Germany 1945: From War to Peace*. New York, NY, HarperCollins, 2009. 244. Print. **Original Source Listed:** Quoted in Schwartz, ‘Integration und Transformation’, p. 136. ___________________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**