Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently told the media that Poland is currently preparing a "very comprehensive report" on the losses inflicted on Poland during the Nazi German occupation. The report not only accurately expresses the war crimes committed by the Germans but also describes the scope of the destruction, and according to the report can accurately calculate the monetary value of Poland lost under Nazi occupation.
Matusz Moravitsky
My claim is valid
Morawiecki believed that it was in the interest of Poland, Europe, and the world to demand reparations from Germany, and that only morally depraved people would say no. As early as last year, Mateusz Morawiecki revealed to the media that Poland's final claim may exceed 800 billion euros, equivalent to 807 billion US dollars.
The gate of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland
But germany says the right to claim compensation was waived as early as 1953 in agreements signed between the Polish government and East Germany, and in contracts with the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France when East and West Germany merged in 1990. The Polish government then claimed that it had been coerced by the Soviet Union in 1953 and that Poland had not participated in the 1990 contract negotiations.
You can't find a claim in Poland
But when the same Jews from Israel demanded their assets in Poland during World War II, Poland's attitude changed and it explicitly rejected them.
On August 14, 2021, Poland signed a bill to limit the claim period to 30 years, so that Jews from Israel could avoid claiming assets they left in Poland during World War II.
Israeli Foreign Minister Rapid protested against Poland's withdrawal of the ambassador on legislation on the duration of property claims
In response to such a despicable measure, the Israeli foreign minister recalled the ambassador to Poland after issuing a statement condemning Poland, and also refused to return to Israel after the Polish ambassador to Israel, who was on leave.
Rapid
Those things in 1953
After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into two countries, East Germany and West Germany, with East Germany occupied by the Soviet Union and West Germany occupied by Britain, France, and the United States.
Since the Soviet Union occupied East Germany and continued until 1990, everyone became their own people, and naturally the Soviet Union was exempted from war reparations against East Germany. At that time, Poland and the Soviet Union were also in the honeymoon period, and it was naturally difficult to claim compensation from Germany. In 1953, the Polish government signed an agreement with East Germany to renounce its right to war claims against Nazi Germany.
In 1979, Soviet leader Brezhnev and GDR comrade-in-arms Honecker kissed
Things were even better in 1990
In 1990, a major event that shocked the world was the merger of East and West Germany. The merger of East and West Germany was the result of an excellent opportunity provided by the progress of the world situation, and was also the result of the pursuit of interests of the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, and France. Helmut Kohl, then Chancellor of West Germany, seized this historic opportunity and demonstrated his diplomatic prowess that led to the reunification of Germany.
Helmut Kohl, then Chancellor of West Germany
First Cole won the consent of the United States. He promised the United States that a reunified Germany would remain within the NATO system and maintain American leadership. Due to the presence of the Soviet Union, the position of the United States in Europe has been precarious, and it is natural to be happy to get a commitment from Germany.
Helmut Cole
Kol then turned to the Soviet Union. At that time, the domestic situation in the Soviet Union was becoming increasingly unstable, and many member countries were trying to seek independence, and the Soviet Union also intended to withdraw 300,000 troops stationed in East Germany to maintain stability in the country. Kohl seized the opportunity to promise the Soviet Union to give up and transfer its territory of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), and the Soviet Union, which benefited from it, agreed to the unification of East and West Germany. After Germany paid a $60 billion "Soviet army resettlement fee" to the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia completely withdrew its troops in Germany.
On July 15, 1990, German Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl negotiated with Gorbachev in the Caucasus
Only Britain and France were left. At that time, France had withdrawn from NATO and was planning to dream of being the boss of Europe, so together with Britain, it had always opposed the reunification of Germany. Cole's approach was to fully support the French resolution to establish the European Union and maintain France's dominance at every turn. This strategy made France feel that a unified Germany would not pose a threat to itself, and it slowly changed its attitude.
The rest of the British family is already alone and powerless to oppose. Britain had just experienced a disgraceful War in the Malvinas Islands with Argentina. Although the war was won overseas, the domestic decay caused was so great that it could not resist the reunification of Germany.
War of the Malvinas Islands
On 12 September 1990, the delegations of the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union, having acquired their respective interests, signed the Treaty of final settlement in Moscow, which ended the occupation rights of the aforementioned countries in Germany after World War II.
Signing of the Treaty on the Final Settlement of Germany
On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were merged and reunified, and the two sides signed a unification contract with a thickness of 1100 pages. I don't know if there are any provisions on Polish reparations, but throughout the process of the merger of Eastern and Western Germany, there is no public information showing Poland's involvement.
German reunification
The largest Jewish community
Before World War II, the world's largest Jewish community was in Poland. During World War II, Nazi Germany destroyed all the Ghetto in Poland. About 6 million Poles died during World War II, half of them Jews.
Displaced Jews who survived World War II
The Jews who survived the war were scattered around the world, but the vast majority lived in Israel. Today, the descendants of these Jews and their relatives are clamoring to reclaim the property that was plundered in Poland. But with the introduction of the Polish government's relevant programs, the road to property claims for Jews has become increasingly elusive.
The Jews in front of Israel's Wailing Wall
epilogue
This is Poland in the world today. Is it because of the experience of being divided three times that the Polish government thinks that it is the darling of the world, and that only Poland can take advantage of it and not suffer losses?