德国前东部领土（德文：ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete）是指位于奥得河-尼斯河线以东，曾经得到国际公认属于德国领土一部分的所有省份或地区。
从1919年到1990年，这些领土的部分或全部，受到许多外交活动的支配。在两次世界大战之间，德国许多人，特别是纳粹党党员，声称这些根据凡尔赛条约割让的德国领土应当归还德国。这一要求是第二次世界大战的重要前因。战后，所谓“德国问题”一直是战后德国历史与政治的一个重要因素。争论在对冷战政治与外交的谈判中扮演重要角色，也为1990年德国重新统一做了准备。
第一次世界大战之后，德国在1919年的《凡尔赛条约》中统一放弃这些领土。入侵波兰后，德国收复并合并了这些领土。1945年，第二次世界大战结束时，德国突然失去了所有奥得河-尼斯河线以东领土，这时国际公认的领土完整权利被弃之不顾。
1990年，德国正式承认了它重新统一时的东部边界，终止对奥得河-尼斯河线以东领土的主权要求。
用法
波茨坦协定将这次转让的领土称为“德国前领土[奥得河-尼斯河线以东]”，通常将这种描述称为“奥得河-尼斯河线以东的前德国领土”。
德国东部领土 1871-1945
德意志帝国的建立
在1871年德意志帝国成立时，普鲁士是帝国内最大的、占优势的部分。因此，东勃兰登堡、西里西亚、波美拉尼亚、普鲁士省和波森这些领土成为构成德意志帝国的领土中的initial领土。后来，这些领土将要称为德意志帝国的东部领土（Ostgebiete des deutschen Reiches）。
在一些地方，例如波森和上西里西亚南部，大部分人口是波兰人，而其他地区都以德国人占绝对优势。德国人和波兰人的杂居引起关于这些领土应属于德国还是波兰的争论，这一争论在二战以前至少持续了四分之三个世纪。
凡尔赛条约
第一次世界大战结束后，凡尔赛条约迫使德国将部分领土交给其他国家。在中欧地区包括：
第二次世界大战
第二次世界大战开始时，德国入侵波兰，并合并了在凡尔赛条约中失去的东部领土
1939年侵入波兰以后，第三帝国将这些土地并入德意志帝国 放弃给波兰第二共和国
波茨坦协定
第二次世界大战之后，根据1945年7月13日到8月2日商定的波茨坦协定，所有奥得河-尼斯河线以东的地区，不论是国际社会公认的德国领土，还是德国在二战中占领的领土，主权全部交给其他国家。波茨坦协定中的相关段落如下：
五、哥尼斯堡市及其邻近区域.
The Conference examined a proposal by 苏联政府 to the effect that pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement, the section of the western frontier of the 苏维埃社会主义共和国 which is adjacent to the 波罗的海 should pass from a point on the eastern shore of the Bay of Danzig to the east, north of Braunsberg-Goldap, to the meeting point of 立陶宛边境，波兰共和国以及东普鲁士.
The Conference has agreed in principle to the proposal of 苏联政府 concerning the ultimate transfer to the 苏联 of the 哥尼斯堡 and the area adjacent to it as described above subject to expert examination of the actual frontier.
美国总统和英国首相 have declared tggghat they will support the proposal of the Conference at the forthcoming peace settlement.
八、波兰
...
英国和美国政府 have taken measures to protect the interest of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity as the recognized government of the Polish State in the property belonging to the Polish State located in their territories and under their control, whatever the form of this property may be.
...
In conformity with the agreement on Poland reached at the 克里米亚条约 the three Heads of Government have sought the opinion of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity in regard to the accession of territory in the north and west which Poland should receive. The President of the National Council of Poland and members of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity have been received at the Conference and have fully presented their views. The three Heads of Government reaffirm their opinion that the final delimitation of the western frontier of Poland should await the peace settlement. The three Heads of Government agree that, pending the final determination of Poland's western frontier, the 前德国领土 cast of a line running from the Baltic Sea immediately west of Swinamunde, and thence along the Oder River to the confluence of the 尼斯河西岸 and along the Western Neisse to the Czechoslovak frontier, including that portion of 东普鲁士 not placed under the administration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in accordance with the understanding reached at this conference and including the area of the former free city of Danzig, shall be under the administration of the Polish State and for such purposes should not be considered as part of the 苏联军事占领区. (Emphasis added)
同盟国也作出了以下的协议:
XII. Orderly transfer of German populations.
三国政府（苏联、美国和英国）, having considered the question in all its aspects, recognize that the transfer to Germany of German populations, or elements thereof, remaining in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, will have to be undertaken. They agree that any transfers that take place should be effected in an orderly and humane manner.
because in the words of Winston Churchill
Expulsion is the method which, in so far as we have been able to see, will be the most satisfactory and lasting. There will be no mixture of populations to cause endless trouble
第二次世界大战以后
在1945年到1990年之间，关于这些领土的最终部署一直是国际争议的主题
西德（德意志联邦共和国）政府倾向于使用“波兰和苏联统治下的前德国领土”。这是波茨坦协定中使用的措辞，但只有德意志联邦共和国这样使用，因为波兰和苏联政府拒绝使用这个说法，因为这暗示这些领土有一天将归还德国。
波兰政府倾向于使用的措辞是收复领土（Recovered Territories），强调这些领土过去曾经属于波兰，是在1945年将其从纳粹德国收复。
遣送德国人
位于奥得河-尼斯河线以东，尚未逃离（1944年冬-1945年）的大部分德语人口均被苏联红军无条件驱逐，不管他们是已经在此居住了几个世纪，还是在二战中新近移民来此。同时，数以百万计的波兰人也被从并入苏联的前波兰东部领土填充这一区域。战后初期，德国资料通常引用的撤退和驱逐的德国人数据为 1600万，
东方政策
重新统一和东部领土地位的最终解决
Former eastern territories of Germany (German: Ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete) is a term that describes the territories that comprise collectively those provinces or regions east of the current eastern border of Germany which were internationally recognised as the territory of Germany after the formation of the German Empire in 1871 and were lost by Germany during and after the two world wars. These territories include the Province of Posen (lost in World War I) and East Prussia, Farther Pomerania, East Brandenburg and Silesia (lost in World War II); and other, smaller regions. In present-day Germany, the term is usually meant to refer only to the territories lost in World War II.