Animosity and opportunities weigh against peaceful coexistence....next only to human nature.
German general Guderian, leader of panzer divisions, wrote in his book:
1. ""Mankind is arming on all sides, and it will go ill with a state that is unable or unwilling to rely on its own strength. Some nations are fortunate enough to be favored by nature. Their borders are strong, affording them complete or partial protection against hostile invasion, through chains of mountains or wide expanses of sea. By way of contrast, the existence of other nations is inherently insecure. Their living space is small and in all likelihood ringed by borders that are inherently open, and lie under constant threat from an accumulation of neighbors who combine an unstable temperament with armed superiority."
"Achtung Panzer!" By Heinz Guderian
Of course, on one side of the quote is the United States.
The other is Poland.
Imagine being a citizen of Poland in 1937. How could one not be anxious, fearful?
The above is from Alan Furst's novel, "The Spies of Warsaw."
Silesia - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
2. Poland is bordered by two traditional enemies, Germany and Russia, allies of one another in 1937.
"..it was not so good to speak German in this city [Warsaw, Poland], 1937. Germany had absorbed the western part of Poland in 1795-Russia ruled the east, Austria-Hungary the southwest corner-for a hundred and twenty-three years, a period the Poles called the Partition, a time of national conspiracy and defeated insurrection, leaving ample bad blood on all sides. With the rebirth of Poland in 1918, the new borders left a million Germans in Poland and two million Poles in Germany, which guaranteed that the bad blood would stay bad. So, for a German visiting Warsaw, a current of silent hostility, closed faces, small slights:we dont want you here."
Furst,"The Spies of Warsaw," p. 3
Toward whom could the Poles, in this vise of hostility, look for help?
The League of Nations?
Hitler swore never to become a member...Russia was in it but used its membership to support Hitler. Later, Russia was expelled.
Poland had one ally. Know who it was?
In this dialogue from the novel, we see the the limits of the League.....
3. " What do you do for the League [of Nations]?
Report on legal claims, mostly, a form of arbitration. When the League redrew the Silesian border in 1921, after the third uprising, tens of thousands of Poles and Germans were in a new country, and private citizens continued to submit claims to the League, seeking satisfaction they couldnt get from local courts. Its the same up in Danzig, declared by the League a Free City, but what you have is a German population governed by Poles. All this led to local disputes-land ownership, unfair administration, tax problems. We don't have legal standing, but we try to arbitrate, and sometimes the local courts are responsive. Anyhow its a last resort, for Poles and Germans, even though Germany left the League when Hitler came to power. The League is, if nothing else, persistent: war doesnt work, try the courts."
.... now youll be in it again. Spain is just the beginning, itll spread from there.
Inevitable, you believe?
From the people I talk to, yes. Eaten up with grievance, especially the Germans. Getting even is what they think about."
Furst, Op. Cit., p.61
Poland was a poor nation, and it's military and armaments were no match even for one of the enemies....much less, both.
German general Guderian, leader of panzer divisions, wrote in his book:
1. ""Mankind is arming on all sides, and it will go ill with a state that is unable or unwilling to rely on its own strength. Some nations are fortunate enough to be favored by nature. Their borders are strong, affording them complete or partial protection against hostile invasion, through chains of mountains or wide expanses of sea. By way of contrast, the existence of other nations is inherently insecure. Their living space is small and in all likelihood ringed by borders that are inherently open, and lie under constant threat from an accumulation of neighbors who combine an unstable temperament with armed superiority."
"Achtung Panzer!" By Heinz Guderian
Of course, on one side of the quote is the United States.
The other is Poland.
Imagine being a citizen of Poland in 1937. How could one not be anxious, fearful?
The above is from Alan Furst's novel, "The Spies of Warsaw."
Silesia - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
2. Poland is bordered by two traditional enemies, Germany and Russia, allies of one another in 1937.
"..it was not so good to speak German in this city [Warsaw, Poland], 1937. Germany had absorbed the western part of Poland in 1795-Russia ruled the east, Austria-Hungary the southwest corner-for a hundred and twenty-three years, a period the Poles called the Partition, a time of national conspiracy and defeated insurrection, leaving ample bad blood on all sides. With the rebirth of Poland in 1918, the new borders left a million Germans in Poland and two million Poles in Germany, which guaranteed that the bad blood would stay bad. So, for a German visiting Warsaw, a current of silent hostility, closed faces, small slights:we dont want you here."
Furst,"The Spies of Warsaw," p. 3
Toward whom could the Poles, in this vise of hostility, look for help?
The League of Nations?
Hitler swore never to become a member...Russia was in it but used its membership to support Hitler. Later, Russia was expelled.
Poland had one ally. Know who it was?
In this dialogue from the novel, we see the the limits of the League.....
3. " What do you do for the League [of Nations]?
Report on legal claims, mostly, a form of arbitration. When the League redrew the Silesian border in 1921, after the third uprising, tens of thousands of Poles and Germans were in a new country, and private citizens continued to submit claims to the League, seeking satisfaction they couldnt get from local courts. Its the same up in Danzig, declared by the League a Free City, but what you have is a German population governed by Poles. All this led to local disputes-land ownership, unfair administration, tax problems. We don't have legal standing, but we try to arbitrate, and sometimes the local courts are responsive. Anyhow its a last resort, for Poles and Germans, even though Germany left the League when Hitler came to power. The League is, if nothing else, persistent: war doesnt work, try the courts."
.... now youll be in it again. Spain is just the beginning, itll spread from there.
Inevitable, you believe?
From the people I talk to, yes. Eaten up with grievance, especially the Germans. Getting even is what they think about."
Furst, Op. Cit., p.61
Poland was a poor nation, and it's military and armaments were no match even for one of the enemies....much less, both.