>

I'm guessing that doesn't sell quite as well as fear mongering in Poland?
Is it already election time? >

Parliamentary elections in autumn, yes. >

It’s funny how predictable this is. >

In Australia, someone always rolls out a vague plan for high speed rail before every election. It then gets packed away after the votes are cast and not mentioned again for 4 years. >

In Turkey, our government finds a few trillion dollars worth of oil, gas, gold, or plutonium and threatens Greece before every election. >

Can confirm. Am Greek, feel mildly threatened as scheduled. >

u/Khutuck and u/pathanb Made my day. 
Would listen to the podcast. >

Khutuck and pathanb in the moooorning! >

What you doing? There are no cameras here >

That we know where this is from shows that there were indeed cameras. >


Poland estimates its World War Two losses caused by Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.4 trillion) and has demanded reparations 

For context: A bit less than one-third of Germany's GDP. >

Didn’t making Germany pay crippling reparations help cause WWII? >

Yes, it was one of the biggest issues of the Weimar Republic and the economic damage it caused was a major factor in the German people shifting to support the rise of the Nazi party. >

So much so that the allies made sure not to do the same crippling reparations the second time, and instead opted for a more reasonable structure under the Marshall Plan. >

Did Poland get the Marshall plan? If I remember right, the regimes in the Soviet Bloc rejected it. >

That is correct and since Poland was under soviet occupation after wwii, soviets rejected it on behalf of Poland >

So maybe they should sue the USSR? Oh wait, it doesn't exist any more...
Could sue Russia, but good luck with that. >

Russia would generously offer to give all Poles the rights and privileges of Russian citizens to right this historic wrong. >

Feel free to begin making your way to Russia new citizen.
But we must implore, on your trip make a quick stop in Ukraine ... we have a favor to ask >


we have a favor to ask

we have favor to ask
(with accent)
FTFY >

Is it election time in Poland already? Its like clockwork. Yes, of course Germany refused just like they refused the last 100 times you've asked and they will refuse the next 100 times too. >

It’s not even a “refusal” but rather it was already settled. After WWII Germany was in complete financial ruin and didn’t have the money to pay. The Soviet Union was effectively in control of both Germany and Poland and so the USSR took some of Germany’s land and handed it over to Poland as reparations. Today Poland is trying to argue that that “deal” was invalid because Poland couldn’t really consent at the time and so Poland should get to keep the land AND Germany should still have to pay reparations. They’re trying to have their cake and eat it too. >

None of the Axis powers were forced to pay reparations other than land ceded to the Soviets. That roll was more or less adopted by the US through the Marshall Plan, though Poland was forced by the Soviets to reject that aid.
If Poland has valid claims then a looooong list of countries would have claims too, and not just against Germany. It was settled when the victors said it was settled and that's really all there is to it. >


It was settled when the victors said it was settled and that's really all there is to it.

Yep. Pretty much. >

Who holds the ledger on history?  How far back do we go to ‘repair’ everyone who has a claim? >

Germany needs to pay for the sack of Rome for sure >

Time to make the Mongolians pay back for Genghis Khan! >

No chance Greece will be able to pay Turkey off for the Trojan War >

Egypt should pay reparations to Syria for the battle of Megiddo 1500 BC. >

Homo Sapiens should pay reparations for the Neanderthal genocide in 40,000 BC. >


Neanderthals

The Welsh aren't getting a dime from me >

Germany lost like all of Prussia and any other reparations went through the political system of the USSR.   
They're barking up the wrong tree... >

German american, my paternal grandfather's farm is now in poland, and my maternal grandfather died from working in a french coal mine for reparations. >

RIP. Another fellow German American, family history and lineage is around what was Konigsberg. That ended after WW2 >

Poland estimates its World War Two losses caused by Germany at 6.2 trillion zlotys ($1.4 trillion) and has demanded reparations, but Berlin has repeatedly said all financial claims related to the war have been settled.
A bit less than one-third of Germany's GDP and stupid like making the present generation of Germans pay for their grand/great-grand fathers fought wars. It means they are doing this for nearby elections. >

I mean, Warsaw has also repeatedly said all financial claims related to the war have been settled. >

Probably the elections are near >

Well, PiS has problems getting money from the EU because of their disliking of democracy. >


Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party says that agreement is invalid because Poland was unable to negotiate fair compensation. It has revived calls for compensation since it took power in 2015 and has made the promotion of Poland's wartime victimhood a central plank of its appeal to nationalism.

I'm polish, PiS can fuck right off, but sadly too many people think they're the good guys... >

Some of my family are heavy nationalists and it's a pain. >

A country is made of people, and sorry to say that with very very few exceptions everyone involved in that war is dead.
Making the current generation of Germans pay for the war fought by their great grandparents is downright silly. >

And forcing the German descendants of German victims of the Nazis (German Jews, Roma, etc) to pay such reparations seems particularly cruel. >

And yet here in the U.S. they still want slave reparations for things that happened hundreds of years ago. Silly world we live in >

Yeah, I can't get behind that either considering a large portion of the US population has roots in immigrants who came to the US post Civil War...and who were often targets of persecution as well. >

Not to mention chunks of the US immigrant population came from countries that didn't take any part in the slave trade either. >

Not to mention that the Americans alive today had no influence on Slavery at all, and it's quite insane to make someone pay for a crime they had no part in that was committed 100+ years before anyone alive today was born. >

They just want handouts >

It was settled with the 2+4 treaty. It states that Germany is free of all ww2 reparations >

Poland is not a signatory of that treaty >

Poland also lost the war against Germany. >

Poland also “occupied” a big part of Germany after WW2. >

The Soviet Union moved Poland to the left in Europe after it occupied the majority of the original polish land. It has been the UDSSR, GB, USA and France who drew the new boarders of Europe >

France was not part of the Teheran Conference where the decision to move Poland to the left was made. >

Am I crazy to think Germany is in their rights to refuse this? They already paid these for years? >

We are absolutely right to refuse this, since Poland has officially waived any further reparations twice, once in 1953 and once in 1991. >

I dont stand behind this reparation claims but in 1953 poland was under a soviet occupation and was not sovereign country. All political decisions were made by soviets aka russians. Good to keep that in mind… >

If they want to claim that then they should start these negotiations by offering to return the territories they received from Germany that were meant to be the compensation. >

the german proto facists would love this idea. >

And the Polish proto-fascists hate it, which is why they aren't offering it. >

Polish government is making country look bad with these ridiculous propositions. >

The polish government has sadly been making the country look bad for years now. >

Why does the photo look like they’re both pissing on a wreath? >

Why aren't they try to get money from Russia? >

Russia would probably tell them to ask Ukraine since they are holding former polish territory. It's eastern Europe, Every square foot of land probably had at least 3 owners. >

Thumbnail makes them look like they're peeing. >

To open reparation discussions again, we all would have to go back on the "Treaty on the FINAL Settlement with Respect to Germany" of 1990. 
In this Treaty, "Germany also agreed to sign a separate treaty with Poland reaffirming the present common border, binding under international law, effectively relinquishing these territories to Poland."
These territories were majorly inhabited by Germans before 1945, and those who didn't flee were expelled from the country. 
I think if they want to open reparation negotiation again, they would have to give back these (substantial) territories and compensate the expelled germans.
I kinda don't think Poland wants to give back East Prussia, most of Lower Silesia,West Upper Silesia, Farther Pomerania, and parts of Western Pomerania, Lusatia, and Neumark, Danzig, Posen-West Prussia Border March, Lauenburg and Bütow Land, and Ermland.
What are these territories worth? >

A big deal, wanna war about it? >

Best I can do is make hollow demands to stir up the easily manipulated to get them to vote based on emotion rather than sound logic. Oh wait... >

"sorry the old company already filed for bankruptcy we no longer have to honor that debt" >

Technically the Allies made sure to never formally dissolve the German Reich so we couldn't just pull this card and be done with it. Thus, the Federal Republic of Germany is not the legal successor to the German Reich, as a subject of international law it is identical to the German Reich, despite being an entirely different country by characteristics. >

Give it up already >

Sounds like election season to me >

Lol. It's the same as pre Trump U.S. rolling out black reparations every single midterm election.
Not sure why they gave it up for our last one. >

The third of germany you took is your reparations. Duh >

And Poland refused to give back the former Prussia.
No, really, this can work both ways. I don't think anyone truly wants to open this Pandora's Box. >

Wasn't the time to do that 70 years ago? >

Didn't Germany, as part of reunification, give up all claims on Polish land that had been traditionally occupied by Germans, one of the issues that faced both countries due to their actions in WWI/WWII and post WWII? And in return Poland would dropped demands for reparations. >

This is exactly how World War Two started... >

2 old men pissing on a wreath? >

Seems they missed the memo, the entire thing had already been settled and both sides agreed to no further reparations. At some stage you just gotta let go, it's been nearly 85 years... >

I mean fucking duh.  Reparations are a dumb concept with except of in a court.  Let's punish the sons for the sins of the father.  Yeah, no, get fucked. >

My brother in Christ is this really a good time? >

Elections in Poland are coming up, and PiS doesnt really have anything to appeal to people apart from "germany bad" and "gays evil", so thats what they'll try to appeal to for the coming months >

Can't they use their excellent record in helping Ukraine to win votes instead of falling back to their old lazy tricks?