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The German Russians:

By James R Griess

Available now while supplies last

About the book.

This is the epoch story of a group of German peasant farmers totaling some 39,500 souls who migrated to Russia in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. They settled in 300 German-speaking villages, which, as the results of population growth, became 3000 German-speaking villages by 1914. By that date, the German population of Russia totaled more than one million.

Failing to find the freedoms which they sought in Russia, an additional 900,000 had migrated from Russia to North and South America by 1914.The book examines the political, economic and religious forces that caused the original migration to Russia as well as those same forces that caused many to leave Russia for the western hemisphere. It also describes the political, social, economic, and religious life of these German colonists while in Russia.

The events surrounding the lives of these German colonists are played out against the backdrop of the religious and political wars plaguing Europe in the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries. The book also examines the events associated with the fate of the German colonists who remained in Russia under the Czarist government, the effects of World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution, the Stalinist purges of the 1930’s, the Soviet Slave labor camps, WWII, and events since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Later chapters examine the settlement of these “pioneers on two continents” in the US on the Great Plains in the post-Civil War period and the role of the railroads in attracting European farmers to settle on the land. These German colonists are excellent examples of the people who built the American West. Three hundred and thirty five pages in length, the book is richly illustrated, many in full color.

What others are saying about the Book

“[I want to] tell you how impressed I was with the book. It looks absolutely great, the photos are crisp and nice, the information presented so cleanly… You just did a wonderful job on it... You have to be very pleased.” –Linda Hein Nebr. State Hist. Soc.

The book “is well-done, and is very readable.”The Editorial and Publications Committee of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Lincoln, Nebraska

"[Individuals interested in] German Russian [history] of either Volga or Black Sea heritage [will] encounter a gold mine of information. The book will answer a host of Frequently Asked Questions. Why did the Germans go to Russia in the first place, then emigrate to the Americas a century or so later? What is the full text of the Manifesto that drew them to Russia? What is the difference between the Volga and Black Sea Germans? What was the nature of their religious life? What kind of cultural and economic life did they have in Russia?” –Edna Boardman, German Russian Heritage Collection.

"I received your book a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoy it. I haven't read it completely yet, but what I really like about it is the big picture approach which will help my children and grandchildren understand a lot about their ancestors. Thanks again."--Joe Gertge

“Congratulations! I just finished reading your book and found it most informative and interesting. I came away with increased knowledge of European & German history in the 18th & 19th century and greater appreciation for the difficult life for our ancestors in Russia and those who settled in Nebraska and the Dakotas.”—Tom Youngworth

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THE GERMAN RUSSIANS

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