Greater Poland Uprising - Book Picks - Veteran Care I BEYOND THE GREAT WAR

It's time for another episode of Beyond The Great War where we answer questions from the community. This time we take a look at the Greater Poland Uprising and the situation of Poland in early 1919, Jesse recommends a few of his favourite history books and we also talk about how veterans were treated after the 1918 armistice.
» SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
Patreon: / thegreatwar
Become a member: / @thegreatwar
» OUR PODCAST
realtimehistory.net/podcast - interviews with World War 1 historians and background info for the show.
» BUY OUR SOURCES IN OUR AMAZON STORES
realtimehistory.net/amazon *
*Buying via this link supports The Great War (Affiliate-Link)
» SOURCES
Boysen, Jens. “Polish-German Border Conflict,” in 1914-1918 online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. encyclopedia.1914-1918-online...
Davies, Norman. White Eagle, Red Star. The Polish-Soviet War 1919-1920 and the ‘Miracle on the Vistula’ (London: Pimlico, 2003 [1972]).
Gattrell, Peter. Russia’s First World War (Pearson, 2005).
Gerwarth, Robert. The Vanquished. Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923 (Penguin, 2017).
Horne, John. “The Living,” in Jay Winter, ed. The Cambridge History of the First World War, vol. 3: Civil Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014): 592-617.
Leonhard, Jörn. Der überforderte Frieden. Versailles und die Welt 1918-1923 (CH Beck, 2018).
Pawlowsky, Verena/Wendelin, Harald. “Government Care of War Widows and Disabled Veterans after World War I,” in: Contemporary Austrian Studies, XIX: From Empire to Republic: Post-World War I Austria, eds. Bischof, Günter/Plasser, Fritz/Berger, Peter (2010): 171-191
Prost, Antoine. „Les anciens combattants,” in Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau and Jean-Jacques Becker, eds. Encyclopédie de la Grande guerre 1914-1918 (Paris: Bayard, 2013): 1025-1036.
Snyder, Timothy. The Reconstruction of Nations. Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999 (Yale University Press, 2003).
Vogt, Dietrich. Der Grosspolnische Aufstand 1918/1919 (Marburg: Herder-Institut, 1980).
» MORE THE GREAT WAR
Website: realtimehistory.net
Facebook: / thegreatwaryt
Instagram: / the_great_war
Twitter: / ww1_series
Reddit: htpps://reddit.com/r/TheGreatWarChannel
» OTHER PROJECTS
16 DAYS IN BERLIN: realtimehistory.net/pages/16-...
»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Maps: Daniel Kogosov ( / zalezsky )
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Alexander Clark
Original Logo: David van Stephold
Contains licensed material by getty images
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2020

[@murrayaronson3753]

Paderewski was not only a Polish politician, he was very well-known as a classical concert pianist. Paderewski was a star, a superstar who had enormous PR value for the rebirth of the Polish nation.

[@justcarcrazy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mV7dfYyul9p6eLc

[@groherzogtummapping867]

@@Vitloable Why is it funny?

[@maciej5640]

1:28 "...for the first time in more than 200 years" But the partitions lasted 123 years.

[@poiuyt975]

I was just about to right the same thing :)

[@ShHeMiLeRe]

Well Russia had Poland under control for at least several decades more as a sphere of influence.

[@Nonamearisto]

@@ShHeMiLeRe Still not "more than 200 years" altogether.

[@KAPALONDON]

Well, it's not that sweet. Since 1717 we were not independent. First partition 1772...i would not argue on these 200 years much

[@emigrandaTV]

@@ShHeMiLeRe True, but it was still recognised as an independent country...

[@menitobussolini659]

When Russia signs the Brest Litovsk treaty and loses all its Polish Lands and A-U collapses and Germany loses WW1. *It's Polish Republic Time!*

[@philippinecircularflag2023]

O Kurwa

[@davidbenedict5617]

We will invade poland soon...

[@luxembourgishempire2826]

@@davidbenedict5617 Make Poland Russia again!

[@stahu_mishima]

And now, time has come for *Kingdom of Poland* ! (or Empire)

[@astrobot4017]

@@davidbenedict5617 Knock knock who's there? NATO nukes

[@confusedwolf7157]

altogether now..."and the Bolsheviks wanted it too!" lmao

[@davidrosner6267]

Its impossible to come up with borders that please everyone in disputed regions with mixed populations.

[@matimatimati1992]

Poland after first world war is like "NOT! DEAD! YET!"

[@stahu_mishima]

Yet

[@Jesse__H]

"I think I'll go for a waalk..." "Oh no you dont you'll be stone dead in a moment."

[@itsjustmint5211]

Second Poland Republic: *exists* Nazi Germany: *I'm about to end this man's career*

[@anathemebouffon5983]

@@itsjustmint5211 And after 100 years from that time, we are still here. Not dead yet.

[@DarthVader-yq5iz]

@@itsjustmint5211 Soviets: I'm about to restore this man's career. Little notes at the bottom: Under my management.

[@briansmith9439]

Great show. It was 1921 before the US Bureau of War Risk Insurance started paying $8.00/month for a 10% disability from war injuries to my grandfather. The'Bonus' for US Vets that you mentioned was deliberately misnamed; it wasn't a bonus. It was for pay owed to the soldier for wartime service $1.25 for every day overseas and $1.00 for every day stateside. The scheme the US government came up with would not see the soldiers get their back pay until 1945! He was eligible to borrow half of the pay he was due in 1932, which amounted to about $450.00. He sunk that into a nightclub just outside Princeton, NJ, the Tyger Inn (for the Princeton Tigers), that lasted all of 4 months! It took over 5 years, but I managed to get him a Purple Heart awarded in 2005 - the last WW I vet to receive a Purple Heart.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Well done on getting him his overdue service recognition!

[@matijas9989]

Could You explain the Three Silesian Uprisings of 1919, 1920 and 1921 ? I am Silesian myself and that's very important case for me and also as it is part of the Treaty of Versaille. Cheers!

[@sherk3286]

Hey. . You're not the real Chef Boyardee

[@matijas9989]

@@sherk3286 Ye I know. But I like this guy!

[@AmorFati99]

@@matijas9989 Cheron wracaj na Ligę

[@TheGreatWar]

Will talk about these in the future.

[@matijas9989]

@@TheGreatWar Epiiiiiiiiiiiiiic

[@przygodykatanki]

Amazing video but there is a little mistake in 1:25 Poland wasnt independent from 1795 to 1918 - it was 123 years not more than 200. Thanks for sharing Polish history :)

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

Yes I was going to point out the same. Also the Duchy of Warsaw which fell in 1813 or the Free City of Krakow which was annexed by Austria in 1846 have claims to being independent Polish entities, especially the former.

[@ericcarlson3746]

they were also "independent" during the Napoleon era "can we have some troops for the march on Moscow?"

[@feltzer-fo3dr]

Pehaps he means Russian Empire's influence over polish politics throughout most of the XVIII-th century. At least I want to belive that's the reason why he said 200.

[@zepter00]

@@feltzer-fo3dr its bullshit. Foreign influence is onow even Today..aka elections in USA and Russian influence.

[@YourTypicalMental]

The more I learn about Poland and it's history, the more rad it sounds.

[@robertwhinnen5602]

Mate, I have no Polish ancestry, despite living in South Australia which has a rich old history of Silesian ( Prussian ) history. I recommend that you get a copy of James A Michener’s “Poland”. I have read every book that he wrote, not one bad one but Poland is an absolute masterpiece of his unsurpassed research of the subject of which he writes. America gave the world some amazing contemporary authors, Michener, Hemingway, Ruark and Uris are among my favourites. Cheerio, Bob.

From winged hussars to plumbers, it's quite an evolution. ;-p

[@YourTypicalMental]

@ Okay, well, yes. There's a bit of a stigma attached to them. But from winged hussars to Solidarity makes Poland pretty rad.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@ Winged plumbers? 😂 🤣 😅

[@SirAdrian87]

Another great WWI fiction book is The Forest of the Hanged which describes the horrors on the Austrian-Romanian front and the drama of Austrian nationalities forced to fight against their own people.

[@christopherellis2663]

Mare România 🇷🇴 1918

[@vlad-andreicavescu2324]

@@christopherellis2663 The book is about a Romanian officer from Transilvanya enlisted in the Austrian Army. At the start of the war, Romania is neutral, but then Romania joins against Austro-Hungary. The officer will face internal turmoil, having to choose between his people or the ones he swore an oath to protect and fight alongside.

[@KantraWulf]

The personal connection to the Great War by way of Jesse's great grandfather makes for a compelling narrative. Good to see the post war world is in good hands. Thank you for continuing to bring this chaotic history to life!

[@randomclouds4404]

Not only did the veterans have to see so much horrible stuff, many were not even able to get full relief after the war. Even then, countriew such as Russia are still fighting. You all did a good job on the video.

[@kaczynskis5721]

One unemployed veteran of the Somme appeared before a means test board in Britain during the Depression. He was interviewed by a fat woman with a Pekinese. She said everyone had to tighten their belts. He replied, 'Your words belie your appearance. That bloody dog's had more to eat today than I've had.' One word led to another and he spent time in Wormwood Scrubs jail, London, charged with assault.

[@anameofsomesort959]

Fascinating change up of the response videos. Glad to see Jesse is coming into his own more and more. Been here since 191... 2014 and I'm glad to see the team and Jeese are doing a better and better job. Also, I like John Keegan's the First World War for a great in depth look at the war, and can't go wrong with Ernest Jünger's Storm of Steel.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, glad you liked it. And yes, Jünger is always a good read but one should always be aware of the different editions and alterations that Jünger undertook through the years.

[@clazy8]

Agreed about Jesse, he's definitely getting more comfortable as a presenter, and I must say, his pronunciation has always been very pleasing. Good episode. Great images, as usual.

[@anameofsomesort959]

@@TheGreatWar that's true the editions that came out after the Nazi's rise to power did censor much of the violence and some of that censorship has lasted to today. Also, not all translations are created equal either.

[@WJack97224]

@@anameofsomesort959 , Never read any of those books but I know that the Magna Carta was altered a few times following the original version of June 1215.

[@GAndreC]

Have yet to come across anything by keagan that isn’t worth recommending

[@wienczysawbykowski1631]

Hi! As usual, nice job! I would like to correct a few things and make some comments, as my grand-grandfather fought in this uprising and it is an interesting topic for me :) First about mistakes: → Technically Poland was independent until 1795 so “over 200 years” is an exaggeration. It is not fully incorrect though, because since 1717 Russia had some limited control over Poland. Eastern Pomerania, known in German as West Prussia or Pomerelia, was taken by Prussia in 1772 (except for cities of Gdańsk/Danzig and Toruń/Thorn), while Prussians took Greater Poland mostly in 1792, although easternmost part around Kalisz was granted to Russia in 1815. Russia formed then a small “Kingdom of Poland” that was nominally separate, but united with the empire until 1832 and even if it was later incorporated, it was the core of the Polish state formed in 1916 that you mentioned. → The territory around Vilnius was and is until today, mostly Polish speaking. The complexity was that even if the lands around Grodno and Vilnius were ethnically Polish, they were never part of Poland, as they were the historic core of Lithuania and newly formed Lithuanian state claimed it on this basis. → There are several errors on the maps, for example, Provinz Posen has wrong borders to the south, Territory controlled by Polish rebels to the north is too large, you are forgetting Romanian Bessarabia in the “cordon sanitaire” (sadly, not the first time), etc. Now some comments: → Pomerania/West Prussia had a complex ethnic structure and the lands granted to Poland had many Polish speakers, Germans weren’t dominant in all the area. If you look into the census results in the counties there is a clear “corridor” of land that is mostly Polish/Kashubian. Germans during the census treated regional subgroups of Cassubians and Masurians as separate nations, so this is one additional reason why the results didn’t look so good. Not all West Prussia was granted to Poland, and most of the German-dominated areas stayed outside of the new country. Also, Germany, especially under Bismarck, was trying to settle new Germans in the area to make it less Slavic. I would add, that this region is historically strongly linked to Poland, and local heritage is extremely mixed and it is a pity that nationalisms of last century destroyed a lot of it... → Paderewski was also a famous pianist :) → Greater Poland is the historic core of Poland and the town of Gniezno was the first Polish capital! → There was a justified fear among Poles that Germans will try to keep the region Cheers!

[@ericcarlson3746]

what did the Poles do with the Kashubians?

[@jankubiak324]

@@ericcarlson3746 The Kaszubians partly-assimilated with the Polish population in the area. My grandfather is Kaszubian. :)

[@maciejhammer2681]

@@ericcarlson3746 Assimilated them as a minority. There's a Kashubian proverb saying there's no Poland without Kashubia and no Kashubia without Poland.

[@Tomenable]

Some mistakes in the video. In the north Gdansk/Danzig was mostly German-speaking but other areas of the so called "Polish Corridor" were mostly Polish, even based on 1910 German census. 1911 data that is mentioned in the video was the census of school children (which showed higher percentages of Polish children than expected based on 1910 general census). German censuses of 1890, 1900 and 1905 should also be taken into consideration, as well as the Polish census of 1921. In Eastern Poland there was a Polish census in 1919 as well. Jakob Spett made an ethnic map of eastern German territories including the "Polish Corridor" based on 1910 census and that map was used in Versailles. Also, countryside around Vilnius/Wilno (except to the north of it) was majority Polish (just like it still is today - see: the Polish minority in Lithuania).

[@failedleopard3685]

Possible for you guys to do a few special episodes on the poetry of WWI, especially on non-English poetry since it is impossible to find any translated works of soldiers from AH, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, or even Germany? Love the show, keep at it!

[@TheGreatWar]

We did a few episodes on Literature and writers from various countries. Thing is they take a lot of work and then no one is watching them. So, it's a bit of a resource issue for us.

[@failedleopard3685]

Thank you for the answer! That's a shame. Guess poetry kind of fall short in the whole grand scheme of things of the war.

[@calebhobden719]

Awesome video guys! Keep up the good work

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Thanks for the literature recommendations! I remember watching "Radetzkymarsch" as a mini series made for television back in the middle of the nineties. That helped spark my interest in history.

[@lancetennenbaum2509]

Been watching this show since early 2015. I swear I have watched loyally every week because you guys simply have the best content. Indy was amazing for the few years I got to watch him. Now I can see him doing his WW2 show. Now we have Jesse, and he is incredible too! Just please keep it up, I look forward to this show every week!

[@JohnSmith-dc3jt]

Great Episode! Thank you very much for your efforts.

[@LisenToLevel]

longer episodes> weekly episodes, keep it up I appreciate it.

[@TheGreatWar]

thanks, glad you appreciate the new direction

[@christopheromeara1442]

Jesse is doing better each episode. Keep up the great work!

[@sammybarnes9511]

Jesse, you and your team are doing a wonderful job. Keep up the good work.

[@KapnKrowe]

This was the video that caused me to order "The Radetzky March" off Amazon. I read and used Isaac Babel's works in my senior thesis in undergrad

[@zepter00]

There is no souch word it is „Radziecki” not radetzky 😆

[@ghgfjfgkghdfh]

Love the book recommendations!

[@jmc7034]

I would love to see you do an episode on how the veterans coped with returning back home as I know very little about it here in Britain. Love the way you’ve continued so keep up the good work👍

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Your research was thorough (as always).

[@ralphshmalph1460]

This new format and approach of the show (fewer episodes but longer in length) really seems to be working, the show isnt as rushed now, is delivered with a much more user friendly pace and is more interesting and informative, as for Jesse he has rapidly got to grips with hosting and is a pleasure to listen to, fantastic all round

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks Ralph, glad you like the new approach.

[@Alopex1]

Superb episode as usual. Keep up the amazing work guys. And I'm seriously impressed by Jesse's language skills. His French and German pronunciation is sometimes almost flawless to the degree that one might believe he's a native speaker. And while he lacks Indy's fiery, loud delivery, his voice is clear and soothing and great to listen to.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, he reads the comments too and will be thrilled to get support from the community.

[@mengoingabroad8576]

i had no idea that poles had fought for those boundaries. thanks for enlightening me.

[@mad8585]

Another great video thanks guys.

[@szymonpioterek4565]

My great grandfather was conscripted to german artillery during WWI. In 1918 he fled German Army and join Greater Poland Uprising. Later as POW he was in camp in Żagań (during WWII there was camp for allies airmen, famous from Great Escape movie). In Poland popular culture recognizes French as cowards, but without French nation perhaps there were not Greater Poland in Poland. Great thanks to marshall Ferdinand Foch.

[@ericswain70]

Looking forward to the next episode

[@TheGreatWar]

don't forget to enjoy the current one in the meantime.

[@evanames5940]

Outstanding, really learned a lot.

[@christophe5954]

Great video ! Great work !

[@JasonSputnik]

Great episode once again, thanks guys! Getting to know more of Poland's rebirth waqs something I was looking forward. Even more obscure was the veterans programs matter, I can only imagine the struggles they went through; surprising to see that Austria recognized non married couples living together, they were more progressive back then than many nations today...

[@acosorimaxconto5610]

Great overview of Poland post-WW1, thanks

[@nirfz]

To the book recomendations i would add 2 non-fictional books: "Isonzo the forgotten sacrifice or the great war" war by John R Schindler as you had nothing about the Italia Front in your recommendations and "Sleepwalkers" by Christopher Clark for the leadup to the War itself. The first one is a very accurate description of the Italian Front, the battles there, who did what there (inlcuding a certain former Journalist later "Leader" on the italian side) the geographical and other difficulties... The second one is very interesting as it gives insight in what happend in the Main participating countries before the start of the war and what they knew, expected, intended. (For example how the annexation of Bosnia came to be ect.)

[@ProPatriaPL]

Thanks! Good job!

[@busterbucky8444]

Awesome video!

[@Custerd1]

Excellent work.

[@cactusproductions6531]

Thanks for defending my eastern border I think I can finally win the war by Christmas now

[@Julianna.Domina]

You damn cactai. I went to LA and tripped face-first into one of you!

[@peterlynch1458]

This channel has become unbelievably good.

[@Squirrelmind66]

Years ago I read a novel written by a Yiddish author from the 1920s or 30s, writing from the point of view of a veteran of the Great War who becomes homeless on the streets of Lvov. The only work he could find was reading out the subtitles of silent movies for illiterate audiences. It was a book that really captured the desperation of life in those times, but I can’t remember the title or the author.

[@weltvonalex]

good video and thanks for the book tipps, there is also a Radetzky Marsch mini series

[@peluchinperez4856]

Nice video, I like this new concept

[@rafalsamek1486]

Cool video thanks 😁👍👍👍

[@robertwhinnen5602]

Truly an excellent production! Comprehensive, concise and stimulating. Australia was probably one of the better nations to be a Returned Soldier with our Repatriation act of 1917 and 1920. As a child I well remember all the old men missing arms, legs and other obvious injuries. Little did I know that Vietnam would be waiting for me and many of my playmates in the 1960’s. Cheerio, Bob.

[@TheGreatWar]

We will try to squeeze in the Australian repatriation efforts in a future episode.

[@robertwhinnen5602]

The Great War The Australian effort was quite comprehensive, added to the Repatriation act was a Soldiers settlement scheme for British Commonwealth Returned Soldiers that made virgin land available for development. Regrettably despite real commitment and hard work on behalf of the Returned soldiers many were doomed to failure, a combination of at best marginal land, drought and the Depression was too much for many. Yet, despite all of the set backs many did prosper. The scheme was repeated postWorld war two with much the same results. Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam Returned Soldiers were, if not treated with contempt were at best ignored in the nation’s conscience. Cheerio, Bob.

[@kaczynskis5721]

Even then, 'Snowy' Evans, an Australian machine-gunner and perhaps the man who shot down the Red Baron, became a drifter after the war and died in 1925. I doubt whether his sad end was unique.

[@robertwhinnen5602]

kaczynski S you are too right. The best of our new nation was destroyed, we can but wonder what Australia could have become if we had their youth and talent. Cheerio, Bob.

[@ConradSzymczak]

I like your style. Good show ol' chap....

[@LiqnLag]

Whoa there Jesse, those are some complicated names you just effortlessly breeze on through!

[@timflatus]

As an armchair linguist I have to say it's a relief to have a presenter who can pronounce European proper names. It makes a huge difference

[@Tonks143]

The US veterans march, the 'bond army', did not march to determine what they would get but when they would get it. The government didn't want to pay anything till 1942.

[@davidhaaijema4521]

If WW2 wouldn't have started, I doubt they would have paid in 1942.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

@@davidhaaijema4521 A lot of them weren't, since by then they had died [whether from delayed f/x of wounds rec'd. during WW1, wounds rec'd. in the attack on the Bonus Army camp in D.C., or hardship from The Great Depression;] it's all a matter of statistics, which removes the human element from that sad fact of history. Ironically, Keynesian economic theory that fueled most of the bad Roosevelt's policies backed the Bonus Army's position...

[@davidhaaijema4521]

@@nunyabidniz2868 I meant it more of a "If we don't start paying now, nobody will join up to fight this next war because they'll expect to be stuck over like we did these poor saps". This had nothing to do with a certain view of economics. This is the same type of basic human greed modern day Libertarians think will never happen again if we deregulate markets.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

@@davidhaaijema4521 Don't be ridiculous: Libertarians are fully aware that human greed happens whether markets are deregulated or not; they just have more faith in Adam Smith's invisible hand than they do in politically-driven regulators... ;-) But your point that they only got paid off in '42 because of perceived fallout on morale if they weren't is pertinent; I didn't see that was what you were getting at in your 1st reply.

[@davidhaaijema4521]

@@nunyabidniz2868 Really ? because if I hear the proposals they make about removing regulations on investment banking, when that said banking caused the 2008 economical crash. And funny, didn't Adam Smith have to fight a war and see dozens of his countrymen die to even be able to put his theories to the test ? It's funny that Libertarians object more to donations in money than in blood.

[@lefteris7402]

When are you going to show us the aftermatch of the Greek campaign in Minor Asia?

[@TheGreatWar]

Later this years.

[@lefteris7402]

@@TheGreatWar ok then..... I will be waiting😁

[@efe9446]

You mean Turkish war of independence

[@ericcarlson3746]

Wikipedia = quick answer

[@nebachiv]

great episode thank you. in general I really enjoyed your channel last month. greetings from Ukraine

[@clydecessna737]

Very useful stuff.

[@kaczynskis5721]

Although its scope is limited, Martin Middlebrook's 'First Day On The Somme' is a classic.

[@JagerLange]

The Bonus Army was put down by (among others) a certain officers by the names of MacArthur and Patton. Just saying, in case this isn't covered later.

[@TheGreatWar]

Talked a bit about that in our MacArthur/Patton double episode.

[@JagerLange]

@@TheGreatWar Ah yes, there was that episode - so even if it doesn't get featured in due course, at least it's been noted before :)

[@nunyabidniz2868]

And Eisenhower, iirc. But they were junior officers then, following orders. What is surprising is that after that wholly unwarranted attack upon peaceful protestors, none of them turned around & started voting from the rooftops, nor were any wrongful death suits ever filed. Can you imagine that sort of scenario today? The flurry of civil suits alone would keep the courts busy for decades!

[@kaczynskis5721]

@@nunyabidniz2868 Chaplin's film 'Modern Times' in 1936 has the unemployed father of Paulette Goddard's character killed during a protest. This is seen as unfair but also as something that just happens, given the social relations in force.

[@kaczynskis5721]

@@TheGreatWar MacArthur and Patton were upper-crust types who felt personally threatened by social unrest. MacArthur later referred to his favoured but incompetent intelligence chief Charles Willoughby as 'our house fascist'.

[@eifelitorn]

10:10 wow I'm reading that book right now, what a coincidence. Great book indeed!

[@mikoajbachosz3673]

It is also worth to point out that Ignacy Paderewski was not only a politician, but a worldwide famous composer and was close to president Wilson closest adviser Edward House. It is said that Paderewski convinced House to convince the president that independent poland is needed. Paderewski also became the first polish prime minister.

[@carsoncasmirri3874]

“ I got my arm blown off in the trenches.” “We have determined that your injuries are not service related”

[@gtfanatic]

Would you guys bring up Soviet Polish war in your videos

[@JacobPikulski]

Mistakes : the region which was known as the corridor had in 1910 (German census) 528,000 Poles and 385,000 Germans, cities were in general majority German with a polish minority ( the German empire goal was to make the « eastern province » German and one efficient way to do it was to settle germans in cities, on the other hand most of these cities already had a big German population before the partitions of Poland but then the province had an even bigger polish majority). After the treaty of Versailles many Germans started to flee Poland and went to Germany there numbers dropped enormously the first years after the treaty but then they became stable, this was due to many reasons such as : - the fact that Poles were persecuted in the German empire and they now feared that they may want to take revenge, - Germany was more developed than Poland and those Germans didn’t want to lose their quality of life in a country that had to restart from the beginning, - the polish Soviet war (although won by Poland) was very frightening for everyone and many Germans fled in fear of living in a communist state. Also the city of Gdańsk (or Danzig) and its surroundings had a very big German majority and were therefore not incorporated into Poland. The region of Minks had lost much of it polish population and even polish nationalist didn’t want it because it would cause Poland to have a big Belarusian minority, Almost all of The cities that were in the polish 2nd republic ( between ww1 and ww2) had a Polish and Jewish majority even in regions that were surrounded by Ukrainians or Belarusian for exemple.

[@Markovite]

Hey Jesse and The Great War team! I love the work you’re doing and this episode. I was wondering if in the future, you could do an episode regarding special units of the Russian civil war. Units like the Kornilov regiment and immortal regiment of the white army, maybe the Kronstadt sailors for the reds, the west Russian volunteer army and the iron division! Thanks again, and keep up the great work!

[@TheGreatWar]

Hi Jackson, this is certainly something we could do, yes.

[@Markovite]

The Great War thank you very much!

[@LmgWarThunder]

I'm really liking the new intro

[@frankmueller2781]

How about a full episode on Pilsudski? Another perhaps on Mannerheim?

[@halfcantan1208]

This show and the presenter just keep getting better more power and subs to ye for the hardwork ye have put into this show it outshines any competition

[@Languslangus]

Hey can we get an episode on the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs

[@TheGreatWar]

yes, that will happen further down the road this year.

[@stahu_mishima]

[Mazurek Dąbrowskiego intensifies]

[@TapOnX]

*Rota

[@imaginezycie5833]

@@TapOnX nie xD

[@jankubiak324]

*Rota ;)

[@lobstereleven4610]

Great vid, glad to see it continue. Keep it up 😊

[@principitomili]

I recommend the collection of Prit Buttar for the eastern front

[@JobberBud]

I was really glad for the answers on the veteran care question, because I'm writing an article on that subject. I was stunned that Germany was spending 20% on disabled vet care as opposed to Britain's 6%!

[@TheGreatWar]

Check out some our sources to learn more.

[@_Steve_W]

All quiet on the western front is one of my favorites of all time

[@nikolapetrovic3502]

Jesse you are amazing just keep going

[@douglasvantassel8098]

To be honest I have not loved the changes but this was a fantastic episode!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, we know that change not always easy, but we will try our best to make it work.

[@CloseUp1961]

One topic that may have been overlooked by Indie and Flo on the colonial regiments, was that of Trinidad & Tobago's Merchants & Planters Brigade. It was comprised of the scions of the island's white elite, and some of its members later rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for the Independence of Trinidad & Tobago, as well as that of Barbados.

[@skykingusa]

Really interesting stuff guys, thanks for putting it together. Where is your set located? I mean, what city/country? Just curious.

[@TheGreatWar]

We are based in Berlin, Germany.

[@skykingusa]

@@TheGreatWar Cool. I'm living in the Los Angeles, California area but originally from Toronto, Canada. Did I hear that Jesse is French Canadian? I luuuv poutine. Go Canada! :-) Keep up the good work guys - I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy watching after Indy left, but I like the new format and I like Jesse's delivery and his mastery of the different languages (at least compared to me).

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

You should have included the chronology of the War by Janusz Piekalkiewicz for your german audiences. It may not be quite as gripping a read as novel style retellings, but the day by day approach gives a lot of context to the fighting and there are also included extended reports on important events, persons etc. His Second World War is even better, but wouldn't be fitting here, would it? ;)

[@QALibrary]

A very interesting video

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

Can you guys do a sequel to the Prisoner of war episode you guys did, this one focusing more on things like escape attempts, different types of camps (officer camps, enlisted men camps, civilian camps, medical camps, ect) and also treatment of different racial and ethnic groups.

[@davidrosner6267]

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is another "great" book about the Great War.

[@brianoneil9662]

"The Face of War" really is an excellent book. Very readable for history buff or casual reader.

[@steelhammer103]

This is Great. Good job guys.(No pun intended).

[@mrperson0140]

Im starting to like this host. No one can ever replace Indy but this host is perfect to describe post war years. Indy was great for describing the action of war.

[@christofferjeffers8460]

Cool intro!

[@o-pitamask4698]

Viel Glück Jesse! Weiter so.

[@HectorVII]

jesse alexander is a great host

[@historyhouse9151]

hey, great video, and great job Jesse and team! I would like to ask, was there anyone that actually wanted the Austro-Hungarian empire? As it looks like EVERYONE wanted to break it into a million pieces

[@TheGreatWar]

Great question!

[@paulx7540]

I like well-written narrative history of the Great War. My favourite books include:Dreadnought ( R. Massie ) - the prelude to war; Castles of Steel - the sequel to Dreadnought, about the war at sea; The Guns of August - a classic account of 1914; Catastrophe ( M. Hastings ) - as Churchill said, nothing in the Great War compared to the first few months; The Price of Glory ( A. Horne ) - the classic account of Verdun; Death's Men ( D. Winter ) - the experience of British soldiers on the Western Front ; The Great War in Africa ( B. Farwell ) - Geoffrey Spicer - Simpson has my vote as most eccentric character of the war; A Mad Catastrophe ( G. Wawro )- about the fascinating Austro-Hungarian army and its misfortunes in 1914; The White War ( M . Thompson ) - the war in the Alps . Books by Martin Middlebrook and Peter Hart are also worth reading.

[@TheGreatWar]

Castles of Steel was great, gave us a good idea just how much we underestimated the naval topic.

[@paulx7540]

The Great War Robert Massie is superb at describing the personalities of the main figures in the naval war. You could say the Royal Navy had a mediocre war. There was the successful blockade but also Antwerp ( RN Division ), Gallipoli, Jutland and Zeebrugge

[@levikiener6099]

Nice video

[@Sentekuu]

Not "over 200years" Poland lost its independence in 1795. It took 5 generations of Poles and 123 years to regain that independence. So it was just over 100 years and not 200 like youve said. (With all respect ofc)

[@gus23a]

Could you do an Episode on Freikorps and their role in the German Revolution?

[@davidjankobear4478]

So I have a weird question... Both of my parents are from Poland and growing up, I would spend every summer in Poland. One summer, I found out that my great grandfather fought for the Germans in WW1 because that part of Poland was occupied by Germany. That got me thinking... Later on... After the 1939 invasion, what happened to those Poles? Did they get special treatment? Did the Germans even care? Etc etc Thanks for the videos

[@stanisawkowalski4804]

Millions of Poles fought in Germany's,Austrio-Hungary's and Russian's armies during I WW. They were citizens of these 3 empiries in 1914 so they had no choice

[@ciapatyciapacz5354]

@@stanisawkowalski4804 Thousands of Poles from Silesia were also forced to fight for the Wehrmacht as Germans

[@JoeMama-dp3pd]

Quick question, where do you find these photos?

[@TheGreatWar]

From a variety of public and private archives.

[@linusblattner6060]

Can you do a episode about the involvement of japan france usa and other foreign powers in the russian civil war and about the different withe generals(koltchak,ungern-sternberg, kappel semjonow denikin...) and about the different independence movements in russia, great show, you are the best.

[@mitchelltiefenthaler2582]

Can you go further in-depth on what happened on the western front when the armistice occurred? (e.g. did the soldiers stay in the trenches for a while?, Where there any skirmishes between the sides?, ect.)

[@nirfz]

I may be mistaken here, but i think i remember that they had episodes that covered the end of the fighting and one contained the quote of one allied soldier who noticed with amazement that the german soldiers oposing him at the agreed time layed down their weapons and just walked homewards. In the west it was pretty peacefull, on the italian front not so much...

[@colinwolf9730]

Any more who did whats? Would be very interesting to see how you cover Joffre or Nivelle!

[@stuffystuffclub]

English language learners may be interested to learn that American and British English tends to differ in the usage of the word “veteran”. While Americans such as Jesse will use the word in any case to mean a former member of the armed forces, Brits such as myself prefer the term “ex-serviceman/woman” for this general purpose. However, Brits will use “veteran” in reference to specific conflicts or theatres, e.g. “a veteran of the Great War”.

[@nirfz]

So if i got that right in short: on the eastern side of the atlantic this term is reserved only for active participants of conflicts. What about ANZACs? Do they use the term in the british fashion?

[@theodorelopez8971]

I would like to see an episode about the Kronstadt Uprising of 1921. It's not terribly well known but I think it would make a very interesting episode.

[@danielovercash1093]

Hi I live in NC in the US. If I find any unique source material, how can I send it to you?

[@TheGreatWar]

Can you get in touch via Facebook and then we can talk about it?

[@VictorRodriguez-2]

Among the first few!!