We can't follow the trend when we look at problems, we can't follow the crowd, and we can't just look at one point and fall short of the rest; if we don't look at the problems comprehensively, it is difficult to avoid going into a misunderstanding. When most people answer this question, they condemn Poland in unison, as if the Germans have sincerely apologized, and the Poles have not spared. And it has already been compensated, why not head? Poland is a scoundrel, making unreasonable trouble and blackmailing people!
Let's review why Germany apologized and why Poland compensated.
Why did the German president apologize?
According to Deutsche Welle reported on September 1, at 4:30 a.m. on the same day, German President Steinmeier delivered a speech at the World War II commemoration event held in Virón, a small town in central Poland, saying that on behalf of Germany, I bowed to the victims of Villón during the invasion war launched in Germany that year, and to the victims of Wielong in the atrocities committed by the German army. I ask for the forgiveness and forgiveness of the Polish people.
The German President's apology mentioned Wielong is a city in central Poland, and in the early morning of September 1, 1939, the German Nazis suddenly launched an attack here, and the Luftwaffe was so distraught that it dropped thousands of tons of bombs in an instant, razing almost all the buildings of the town to the ground, and thousands of innocent civilians died in air raids. The air raid is considered the starting point of World War II.
There is no doubt that Steinmeier's apology was sincere, saying that Germany was the most hurtful to Poland during World War II, where countless villages and cities were destroyed by artillery fire and tens of thousands of civilians were killed. We cannot think that the past is over because it has been a long time, and if it does, Germany will repeat the mistakes of the past. After the German president's speech, Poland's leaders accepted his apology, but at the same time suggested that Germany should go further and show sincerity to compensate the victims of the war.
Why does Poland want German reparations?
Poland was the biggest victim of World War II, and by the end of the war much of Poland had become a pile of rubble.
During World War II, a quarter of Poland's population died in the fighting, of which 3 million Polish Jews were systematically slaughtered by the Germans, and millions of Polish civilians were killed in the fighting.
At the same time, countless antiquities in Poland were looted by the Nazis, resources were plundered, production equipment was transported to Germany, factories were destroyed, more than a quarter of the houses were destroyed, and more than half of the public buildings and facilities collapsed. So, the Poles said, Germany should compensate.
Isn't it compensated?
In 1945, the Allied triumvirates, Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, without the consent of the Polish government, assigned the territory of eastern Poland to the Soviet Union and the territory of eastern Germany to Poland, which was a clear insult and contempt for Poland.
On the issue of reparations, they were even less likely to take into account the opinions of the Poles, did not respect Poland's demands, and did not fully assess Poland's losses. They thought only about the interests of the Soviet Union, only about how to divide the spoils, and Poland was once again a victim. The Polish people have suffered so much and suffered so much, what power do they have to overstep their bounds and ignore the rights and interests of Poland? Is it possible to ignore morality simply because they are victorious? In doing so, what is the difference between them and Hitler?
Poland received World War II reparations from Germany for just half a billion marks, or $320 million. And most of these reparations were distributed to the victimized Jews, many of whom were not penned.
The Polish people have never agreed to such a compensation scheme, nor has the Polish Government endorsed it.
Why did you propose compensation again today?
In fact, successive Polish governments did not recognize the compensation plan of that year and have been seeking compensation from Germany.
The French were paid, the Jews were paid, and many other countries were paid for the losses suffered during World War II. Why poles alone do not get what they deserve, and poles never give up and have been fighting for their rights and interests, is not only a matter of reparations, but of morality and dignity.
In March 2017, Polish lawmaker Arkadius Mlarkyk again stated that the exact amount of their claim against Germany was $850 billion.
Although no amount of money can erase Poland's memories of destroyed cities, countless graves and German occupation. But for a country that continues to defend its dignity and justice, the very important symbolic significance of reparations is self-evident.
As early as the 1980s, there were many civil society organizations in Poland that claimed compensation from Germany. In the 1990s, the Polish Parliament also established a special committee to deal with the matter, which submitted a detailed list of claims, which was detailed to every Polish family.
One of the commission's heads stated that their claim was well founded. And said it would submit a final report soon, expecting to claim $850 billion in damages from Germany, which is expected to be published as early as September 1 local time.
Polish Prime Minister Mikhail Morawiecki also confirmed on Wednesday that there was no reason not to consider such a request.
It can be seen that Poland's compensation claim is different from South Korea's compensation for Japan last year, the latter was negotiated on an equal footing, and the rights and interests of the former were not fully respected at that time.
People who do not understand the darkness of the day and night, who have not suffered aggression, cannot empathize with the situation of the injured.