Angol
Little has been written about the important aspects§for international relations of the private property§restitution issue in Europe and, in spite of its§salience, this issue did not receive extensive§coverage in the relevant literature. This thesis aims§at filling some of the gap in the relevant literature§as it explores the case of the Sudeten Germans§expelled from Czechoslovakia between 1945 and 1948§with their property being expropriated under the§Bene Decrees. The analysis concentrates on the§relations between Germany and Austria (as the host§states for the Sudeten minority) on one side and the§Czech Republic on the other. Despite the fact that it§would be natural for Austria and Germany to promote§rights of its citizens, the Sudeten German§restitution claims has never been a priority in the§foreign policy of the two countries. To resolve this§apparent contradiction the thesis argues that§advocates of the Sudeten German rights have possessed§low degree of influence on the domestic level.§Nevertheless, manipulation of the issue by the§political forces in all three countries has been§complicating interstate relations.
