The Assimilation of German Expellees into the West German Polity and Society Since 1945 formatIsbn:Softcover 9789024716500 fundamental problems as well as O.P fundamental problems as well as very recent devel opments were discussed and the participants appreciated the opportunity to exchange ideas which were long treated as two separate fields this group formed nearly a fifth of the total population of the new West German state which emerged in 1949 and presented a grave threat to its early stability The principal reason for this seems to lie in the belief that the process has been success fully completed at these lower levels and may be considered a 1 The classic treatment of the first decade and a half of the assimilation process from the national level is Eugen Lemberg and Friedrich Edding