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Death marches
Forced marches of concentration camp prisoners carried out by the SS in the final months of the war, as Allied forces advanced. Guards evacuated camps and marched prisoners westward to prevent their liberation, killing those who fell behind. Tens of thousands died from exhaustion, exposure, and shooting.
Displaced persons (DP) camps
Temporary camps established after WWII to house people who could not return to their home countries. Run by Allied forces and later by the International Refugee Organization (IRO), the last DP camps did not close until 1957.
Emigration
The act of leaving one's own country to settle permanently in another. After 1945, many displaced persons emigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Latin America because they could not or would not return to their countries of origin.
Migration
The movement of people from one place to another, whether within a country (internal migration) or across borders (international migration). Migration can be voluntary or forced, temporary or permanent.
Scorched earth
A military strategy of destroying resources (food, transport, housing) to prevent an enemy from using them, often with severe consequences for civilians.