The sense of safety, security, and freedom in the United States offered comfort to a population that had grown accustomed to escaping harm and confined independence.
"I felt much safer. I really didn't feel like getting hit with bombs and stuff or shot by an airplane."
![Picture](/uploads/2/0/7/0/20702754/1371437461.jpg)
The period after the war left Germany in a state of confusion, due to the reconstruction of the country and foreign occupation. Many Germans sought out a better life in the U.S with opportunities of freedom and prosperity. After all, the U.S was the land of the free and home of the brave. Immigrants spent hours traveling on boats to the center of U.S immigration: Ellis Island, located right off the coast of New York and neighboring the symbolic Statue of Liberty. Once they arrived, immigrants would typically fill out paper work and go through intelligence tests to gain citizenship to the U.S. If worthy, they would pledge allegiance to the flag, and rightfully call themselves Americans. All this hard work paid off as immigrants were now promised freedom under the Constitution, and safety, unlike their previous Nazi rulers. A process otherwise known as 'denazification', was instituted to ensure the extinction of Nazi power worldwide, adding to the safety immigrants were promised in their new home.
The transition from a normal day in Germany to a normal day in the U.S was drastic. Under Nazi control, people generally feared walking in the streets day to day with the risk of being killed or kidnapped by Nazi soldiers. In addition, Germany was a high target during the war, so attacks by the Allied forces were constant. In the U.S however, children could roam the streets carelessly and be expected home safe and sound by dinner time. The U.S was often considered a "safe zone", since a majority of the war took place overseas. Interviewee Anna Zielinski confirms this contrast, saying, "I felt much safer [in the U.S]. I really didn't feel like getting hit with bombs and stuff or shot by an airplane [in Germany]." The fact that safety had become a norm in U.S society made it much more attractive to immigrants, especially those escaping post-war zones.
The transition from a normal day in Germany to a normal day in the U.S was drastic. Under Nazi control, people generally feared walking in the streets day to day with the risk of being killed or kidnapped by Nazi soldiers. In addition, Germany was a high target during the war, so attacks by the Allied forces were constant. In the U.S however, children could roam the streets carelessly and be expected home safe and sound by dinner time. The U.S was often considered a "safe zone", since a majority of the war took place overseas. Interviewee Anna Zielinski confirms this contrast, saying, "I felt much safer [in the U.S]. I really didn't feel like getting hit with bombs and stuff or shot by an airplane [in Germany]." The fact that safety had become a norm in U.S society made it much more attractive to immigrants, especially those escaping post-war zones.
![Picture](/uploads/2/0/7/0/20702754/207525052.jpg)
Another promising perk to the U.S was the power of democracy. During the 1950s, the spread of Communism was making its way across Europe under Soviet rule. In a frantic rush, many people left European countries to avoid Josef Stalin's iron fist. Upon reaching the U.S, immigrants could exercise their rights to vote, and actually had a say in what was to be done with the country, unlike the dictatorship they experienced in Germany. Years later, Germany constructed the Berlin Wall, which completely cut off West Germany from democratic East Germany. This left many immigrants thankful that they had left while they did and avoided controversy in Germany all together.