The Austrian Centre was established in London in 1939 by Austrians seeking refuge from Nazi Germany, of whom 30,000 had reached Britain by the outbreak of World War II. It soon developed into a comprehensive social, cultural and political organisation with a theatre and a weekly newspaper of its own. A Communist-influenced organisation, it also followed a distinct political agenda. In the first book on the cultural and political life of Austrian refugees in Britain, 'Out of Austria' assesses and evaluates the Austrian Centre's activities and achievements, while also examining the Austrians'...

This volume gives an extensive overview of current developments in the field of archival collections relating to German-speaking refugees located in Germany, Austria, the USA, Ireland and the UK. The contributions illustrate the three interlinked areas of refugee archives, Exile and Migration Studies research and related databases and other resources. The articles investigate their interrelationship as well as the future challenges facing all three areas by focussing on larger archival holdings as well as collections relating to individuals and organisations and more recently established...

This volume fills an important gap in research on the refugees from Nazism who settled in Britain, by giving a full and wide-ranging account of the organizations that they established. The contributions cover these organizations chronologically, from those that did not outlast the war to those still active today, and in terms of their function, as cultural or religious institutions, as historical resources for the study of Nazism and the refugees, or as all-purpose representative refugee associations. Any scholar or student working in this field needs to have an understanding of the...

"Political Exile and Exile Politics in Britain after 1933 "brings together a number of scholarly essays that shed light on a hitherto neglected aspect of the experience of German and Austrian refugees in Britain - their political activities in their country of refuge and how these were viewed (and used) by the British government and its Secret Service. This volume does not claim to be exhaustive. However, it offers a range of case studies on various issues concerning political exile and the possibility of the continuation of political engagement in exile, even in the internment camps. Most of...