Volga German ASSR reestablished

Valdemar II

Banned
The Volga German ASSR was dissolved in 1941, and the Volga Germans together with other German and suspected pro-German groups deported to Sibiria and Central Asia. After Stalins death many was allowed to return, but Germans wasn't and German was illegal into the 60ties. What if after Stalins death the Volga German ASSR was reestablished and the German language was made legal, while many Germans would likely stay in their new homes, a significant part would likely return to the ASSR.
 
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I don't think very many at all would remain in Siberia or Central Asia. It was a barren, harsh, miserable place and the poor Germans (plus Poles and whoever else were sent off) hated it.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
I don't think very many at all would remain in Siberia or Central Asia. It was a barren, harsh, miserable place and the poor Germans (plus Poles and whoever else were sent off) hated it.

But after they was allowed to move more freely in USSR, the majority stayed in the area, and much of northen Kazakhstan (where they was mostly deported to) aren't that different from their former homes. So I think a significant part of german-Russians are going to stay in their new homes. But even if only half return it at the very least close to a half million, and they will likely end up either in majority or at least as plurality in the Volga German ASSR. With them centred in one area and with German as official language, German will survive to greater extent than in OTL. As a ASSR it won't become independent in 1991 with USSRs collapse, but with OTLs German-Russian birthrate they will double in number. So in 1991 we have around a million German speaker centred around the Volga, not a big deal but interesting. Likely we will see the start of a exodus of them to Germany after the reunification. But I think it will be stopped for several reason, a official German speaking territorium would likely be centre for German investment in the former USSR, which mean that it will be easier to upkeep a somewhat acceptable standard of living. Of course for Russia this will also be a benmefit with German capital enter the Russian market one place will likely push for investments other places.
 
I don't think very many at all would remain in Siberia or Central Asia. It was a barren, harsh, miserable place and the poor Germans (plus Poles and whoever else were sent off) hated it.

It's not that much worse than the upper Volga, actually, with proper infrastructure. Take it from a guy who lived 2 hours from the Kazakh border. And Siberia was full of Poles and Germans right until the 1990s.
 
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