Ostforschung

Ostforschung was a complicated word that started to be used in the 19th century in Germany. It means "research about the East" and refers to the study of the people, cultures, and languages from the countries in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Think of it this way: Imagine you want to learn about your friend's favorite food, but your friend lives in a different town, speaks a different language, and has different customs than you. You would need to do some research to learn more about where they come from, what they eat, and how they live. This is what Ostforschung was trying to do- figure out more about the people who lived in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

But here's the thing: some people who were doing Ostforschung were doing it for the wrong reasons. They wanted to learn about these people so they could control them or take over their lands. They thought that Germans were better than people in the East, and they wanted to make sure that Germans stayed in power. This is not a good reason to study people and treat them differently.

So, Ostforschung is an important topic that teaches us about the past and how we should not research people and cultures for the wrong reasons.