The Kingdom of Poland during WW1

Watch Sam Aronow's video here: / @samaronow
If you like my videos and want to make sure that I make more of them, you can support me here: ko-fi.com/sirmanatee
In this video, we take a deep look at the strange history of the Kingdom of Poland which was proclaimed in the middle of the First World War. It was supposed to become a German puppet state, but eventually went nowhere and destroyed the hopes of many people. We will discuss, how the German Empire developed the idea of an independent Polish state, why it failed to deliver up on its promises and why it still mattered in the creation of an actually independent Poland.
Literature:
- Borodziej, Włodzimierz: Geschichte Polens im 20. Jahrhundert, Munich 2010.
- Davies, Norman: God's playground. A History of Poland, Volume 2 1795 to the Present, Oxford 1981.
- Dowling, Timothy C.: Eastern Front, in: International Encyclopedia of the First World War, encyclopedia.1914-1918-online... (accessed on 25.01.2024).
- Kauffman, Jesse: Elusive alliance. The German Occupation of Poland in World War I, Cambridge (Mass.) 2015.
- Kühn, Hartmut Michael: Polen im Ersten Weltkrieg. Der Kampf um einen polnischen Staat bis zu dessen Neugründung 1918/1919, Berlin 2018.
- Lemke, Heinz: Allianz und Rivalität. Die Mittelmächte und Polen im Ersten Weltkrieg, Vienna et al. 1977.
- Shubin, Aleksandr: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Russia and Ukraine, in: Lithuanian Historical Studies 13 (2008), pp. 75-100.
- Spät, Robert: Für eine gemeinsame deutsch-polnische Zukunft? Hans Hartwig von Beseler als Generalgouverneur in Polen 1915-1918, in: Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung 58 (2009), Nr. 4, pp. 469-500.
- Steglich, Wolfgang & Winterhager, Wilhelm E.: Die Polenproklamation vom 5. November 1916, in: Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift 23 (1978), Nr. 1, pp. 105-146.
Sources:
Deutsche Warschauer Zeitung, 10.11.1916
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:17 Germany and Russia at each other’s Throats
3:30 The Occupation of Poland
5:15 Austro-Polish Solution
7:27 Mitteleuropa
8:37 The Proclamation of the Kingdom of Poland
9:57 Hans von Beseler
12:30 Political Problems
16:29 Disappointment
18:30 The End
20:33 The Kingdom of Poland in German Memory
21:50 Outro

[@user-qk5mm1yw7y]

As a Pole thank you for shedding more light on Polish history. It is mostly overlooked

[@SirManateee]

Unrightfully so

[@Rapture-nv5vj]

Actually, I have great story from my middle school librarian. He was this older guy, very nice, friendly, etc. He allowed us to play old games on school PCs, if we were quiet. So, his grandpa was a soldier during WW1, on the western front. One way, his comander ordered that he, a Pole and 3 other Germans will go and look for French artillery. So, they go there, just before sunrise. There was nothing, but single tree. Because he was only non-German, they made him climb it. And after like 5-10 minutes, base of this tree was struck by artillery. All Germans died, tree falled, but he survived. Yes, with injuries, but survived and he crawled back to his unit. They gave a high military award, i don't remember now which exactly.

[@renaatsenechal]

The award of survival, the only one everyone wanted to have

[@UbimubimOsas]

Probably the Iron Cross,The Medal of bravery and honor

[@TheGeneralGrievous19]

Two interesting things about this topic: 1. If one wants to be precise Poland actually regained it's independence as the Kingdom, on 7th of October 1918, when the Regency Council declared Polish independence & later established Polish army under general Rozwadowski & government under Świeżyński. So independent Poland was a monarchy for more than a month until the Republic of Poland was officially established on the 22nd of Novemeber 1918. 2. One of the proposed candidates for the Polish throne was archduke & admiral Karol Stefan Habsburg who actually new Polish quite fluently & declared his branch of the family Polish in 1907. Two of his sons were later officers in the Polish army, fighting in the i.e. Polish-Soviet war while his third son identified himself as Ukrainian & fought in the Sich Riflemen. The eldest son - Karol Olbracht Habsburg - was arrested and tortured (got partially paralized from it) by the Germans during WW2.

[@Flavius_Theodosius]

Karol Olbracht was also, as a Polish officer, the Commander of Grudziądz fortress for some time after WW1 where parts of my family come from. And he was tortured by the Germans because he refused to sign the Volksliste and refused to abandon his Polishness (similar to Admiral Unrug). Wish he actually became King. A true patriot!

[@charmyzard]

What could have been?

[@hofnarrtheclown]

Nice to See a Factual Comment by Someone after Having Watched a Villainization of the Germans in Poland

[@unrelatedcamri]

I feel like people often forget how awful the German Empire was, especially for Poles, just because Nazi Germany was a thousand times worse.

[@dereinepeterpan5637]

Their treatment of minorities doesn't differ much from the other Empires in Europe.

[@rct3LP]

Forget or just ignore because many somehow romanticise the Kaiserreich still

[@unrelatedcamri]

@@rct3LP Young people who see big German borders on a map and base their entire personality on them. Shame they aren't this interested in parts of history not involving warfare.

[@enragedkaiser237]

The amount and scale of historical revisionism that people do online just because they think that old prussian/german military uniforms look cool is hilarious.

[@goscodfilmow]

The shit that German Empire has done to Hereros and Namaquas in Namibia was a straight up forecast of the Nazi crimes.

[@TheGeneralGrievous19]

As a Pole, thank You for another video about my homeland.👑🤍❤ Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła! ✌

[@Mrcoffe-xw8gz]

I really like the Polish history videos, becuse you often talk about topics that often aren't even mentioned on Polish youtube. Keep up the good job.

[@johnsnow9941]

As a Polish German, I want to thank you for making this video! I'm very fascinated by Interwar Polish history and the German occupation of Poland during WW1 is something that is not often talked about.

[@Grafkoks2]

Polish German? So pole leeching off welfare in Germany

[@SamAronow]

Wow, thanks for the shout-out! I wasn't expecting it to be so heartfelt! For the viewers: I brought up this collaboration because I'd come across so much information about the Polish Kingdom during my Judenzählung video that I suggested it to SM as a video idea. Luckily, Samuel Schwarz's younger brother Alexander served in the army of the Polish Kingdom, so it worked out.

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

I would also add that the prospect of an Austro-Hungarian-Polish empire would have likely provoked a storm of protest from the Hungarian side of the empire, whereas not doing and annexing it to Galicia would have likely proven deeply unpopular with the Poles both in Galician and those in Congress Poland - the furious response of the Galician poles after what happened in 1917/18 with respect to the treaty with the Ukrainian republic gives a taste of the kind of problems it would run up against. The fact that Austria was itself deeply divided over what to do with the territories internally and the fact that there were doubts if it could even successfully and peacefully annex these territories I think meant there was no chance of Germany being convinced into accepting an Austro-Polish solution.

[@SirManateee]

Yes, you're absolutely correct. Whether Poland should be ruled directly from Austria or as part of a triple monarchy was a huge discussion point and no solution ever really convinced anybody.

[@chrismath149]

The Cislethanian half of the Empire possessed greater industrial strength and industry (and maybe manpower but I couldn't find population numbers for Cislethania) so I wonder if a military solution could have fixed Hungarian opposition to a more representative government in Translethania (which already had taken great leaps in Cislethania).

[@DanielWW2]

I can't help but once again conclude that the German senior military officers, where absolutely terrible strategists who often used a strategy to achieve lesser aims, often then failed to achieve those lesser aims, and caused more problems trying. Not just during WW1, also WW2.

[@Joyful_End]

I'd be really interested in hearing more about post war Poland, and about Pilsduski in particular I've only heard about both of those in Timothy Snyder's book about the early modern nationalitism of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, and it sounded like a very interesting period

[@SirManateee]

I will definitely make one episode about Piłsudski in the near future

[@metanoian965]

Many Parts Documentary: - The Struggles for Poland (1986). A history of Poland in the Twentieth Century. Episode 1: 1900 - 1923

[@Macion-sm2ui]

Very interesting person, but also very controversial. Today in Poland most people see him as hero and one of builders of independent Poland, but from the other side he was also a polititian and because of that every political side have diferent opinion of him. Because in interwar period he was in constant conflict with nationalist and Dmowski, modern nationalists also don't like him and try to diminish his achivements. Because of him stopping bolsheviks from spreading revolution across Europe and because of his anti-communit actions he is not liked by modern leftist enviroment, which derives from communist PZPR party, which ruled Poland in times of comunism. The third group that don't like him are proeuropean, cosmopolitan liberals, because of two reasons. Firstly, he was supporter of strong head of state position and he was de facto dictator in years 1926 - 1935. Secondly, many polish people are very attached to history and tradition, which include isolationism and xenophobia (especially strong anti-german and anti-russian sentiments) so liberals try to discredit traditional look of polish history and instead promote the critical one, wchich includes critique of traditional heros (so it is likely to hear from them justifications of polish communists, which are traditionaly considered traitores and immoral people, and critique of peoples like Piłsudski). Probably the only group that fully supports Piłsudski are conservatives and those peoples, who are not strongly politically biased.

[@halnywiatr]

@13:36 "Mucha" is a worthy topic of study and perhaps Sir Manatee will do a video on Polish weaponization of satire.

[@skurt9109]

Great video as always👍

[@GaryDeeks]

I'm surprised someone outside of Poland even decided to cover this. Absolutely fantastic video! Also, your pronounciations of polish names is spot on. As of the whole idea, I think it was doomed from the start, given the years of Germanisation. Even if Central Powers won the First World War, at best, the Polish kingdom would be an Imperial puppet, at worst, it would return to the state from before the war.

[@MaxentiusFrankius]

Another splendid video Sir Manatee. He always finds interesting parts of history that have yet to have well crafted videos about them.

[@camkennedy7220]

Such an underrated channel - great content bro! Big love from Aotearoa New Zealand!

[@zoltankiss1533]

You make such good videos mate, really underappriciated channel!

[@Artur_M.]

I was excited about this video since I've heard from Sam Aronow that it's coming, and I'm not disappointed! Especially since Łódź was mentioned twice. 😉 It's great to hear there's going to be a part two.

[@mattkaczmarek1152]

Very good video! Pretty good pronunciation of Polish names, too. One correction I would note is that stress should always be on the second-last syllable. For example: LU-blin MOD-lin etc

[@soyingerchad7128]

great choices in background music, great video

[@SirManateee]

Thanks a lot :)

[@jcoker423]

from 15mins it's the Vlatava/Moldau by Smetana. A Czech ! Good music though.

[@gdoublell1002]

I really appreciate your diligence in labeling the photos such as at 20:08

[@ShadowSkryba]

Splendid overview

[@richardheath3923]

Another fantastic video about an under publicised period of history that is of such interest to me

[@zelda99011]

Babe wake up.

[@rct3LP]

I’m awake what happened?

[@Artur_M.]

@@rct3LP Sir Manatee uploaded, duh.

[@wenchbyatt]

Fun fact: 4:35 that bridge in Przemyśl was designed by Gustave Eiffel, of Eiffel tower and Statue of Liberty fame. It still stands today and is used for rail traffic

[@lynxrufus2007]

I'm glad I've seen this video. It's surprisingly good :) ("surprisingly" because of your accent... Well, you know what I mean. Good job!)

[@KoziPLUS]

0:40 it can be argued that it was the first time that this particular Polish flag 🇵🇱 know by all of us today, was flown as the official flag of the Kingdom of Poland (or Regency Poland) and latter adopted as the national flag of Second Polish Republic. Before then the white and red was never a flag of the Polish state.

[@galaxypl7756]

What about Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw? Wasn't it the one to actually introduce the white-red flag?

[@stachwel5547]

@@galaxypl7756 White and red were used as national colors since 18th century, appearing in various combinations (sometimes with blue), but before 2nd Republic Poland has never had an official state flag

[@jcoker423]

The Czechs decided on the same flag. When it was pointed out it was the same as the Polish one, they added the blue triangle.

[@Polska_Edits]

​@@jcoker423also to represent Slovakia

[@Brian-----]

Love your videos! Your splash screen intro says (5 Nov) 1918, which is... ...confusing considering what the Kaisers say next! 🙃

[@SirManateee]

My biggest weakness of being unable to type numbers has once again returned. That is of course meant to say 1916

[@Maxflay3r]

Love your videos on polish history. If you'd find it interesting enough, I'd be really curious about your take on the history of Łódź. Despite the bad rep it gets nowadays, I think things are looking up for it, and the story of how it came to be is pretty interesting.

[@wojtekwoyciechowski5385]

The one of the few Germans I can forget their past. Nice vide, thanks for mentioning forgotten parts of history of my country. Keep doing!

[@lempereurcremeux3493]

He at least acknowledges that the _Polish Border Strip_ was a thing, even if he doesn't actually name it, but he is very much underselling the extent of German plans for it and just how seriously they were taken. It wasn't just a Ludendorf thing, it was something the entire Prussian junker establishment was thinking about. The "a small strip of land along the border" which Sir Manatee mentions was to be at minimum a territory about the size of Belgium, entailing the expulsion of at least 3 million Poles and Jews. There were also versions calling for Lithuania to get the same treatment as well, an additional 3 million people expelled, btw. And the less mentioned about their plans for serfdom 2: electric boogaloo in Ober Ost and the Baltic, the better. Beseler is also presented _very_ sympathetically and his full-throated support for the Border Strip plan and resulting expulsions is given _one_ very ambiguous line. "Every Propaganda Technique in 11 Minutes" has a word for this: _Limited Hangout._

[@Hadar1991]

I have read on some blog post (unfortunately no sources were attached) that during 1870-1871 up to 40% of Prussian army was Polish and in the 1700s up to 50% of Prussian officer cadets identify as Poles or Wends. No sure if is true although there were some famous generals of Polish origin at least during WW2 (von Lewinski a.k.a. Manstein, von Oppeln-Bronikowski). If this is true I think it could be a fascinating video how Prussia went from relying on Slavs to build it's military power to actively oppressing them.

[@johnappleby405]

I remember taking a walking tour of Warsaw several years ago. The guide asked us who we thought was the most important Polish national figure in the 20C. I answered Pilsudski. He immediately contradicted me and said Pope John Paul II.

[@niepowaznyczlowiek]

Haha, what an imbecile that man was. Not even letting another person have a different view.

[@michaekrynicki8330]

sad times brother figthing brother and dying in the name of forigen nations

[@starkillerdude1914]

I love how your cut out of Franz Joseph is yellow

[@SirManateee]

He's contracted jaundice. RIP

[@TenOrbital]

Thanks! You have access to information not easily found in English! So many Anglophone sources cover this topic in only the vaguest terms. It is worth noting that colonial expansion to the east was an ambition of Wilhelm’s circle, a break from Bismarck’s conception that Germany was a ‘sated state’ that should preserve the peace. This led to Germany not renewing Bismarck’s Russian alliance and planning for war with Russia. You hint at it at the end, but the German military administration in the East (Ober Ost), tightly under the control of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, was a law unto itself. Its legacy as an exploitative colonialist enterprise greatly influenced German opinion and ambitions on the right in the interwar period and under the Third Reich. Many German soldiers and officers were shocked by how backward Poland and Russia were and this fuelled negative attitudes. Finally, Austria-Hungary’s loss of independence over the course of WW1, shown by humiliations like the rejection of its Polish plans by Berlin, the placing of Habsburg forces under German command in late 1916 and Karl’s failure to make a separate peace, heavily influenced Piłsudski in his dealings with Hitler. He was afraid an alliance and joint German-Polish war against the USSR would reduce Poland to the same fate as Austria-Hungary, a German satellite state. Shaping the course of events leading to WW2.

[@LitD]

Taking into accoount how poorly Bismarcks (and other politicians) approach to treating the Polish territories fared for Prussia (aka mass German migration to the west and strengthening of Polish identity) the creation of a Polish kigdom was probably one of their better ideas, throw them a bone, make them economically dependent on the Reich and you get the chance of pacifying the "problem" of Polish national identity for a while. On the note of potential kings I've heard of the following candidates; Charles Stefan Habsburg Albrecht Wustremberg John Hochberg Joachim Hohenzollern Luis Wittelsbach Zdzislaw Lubomirski Janusz Radziwil Fryderyk Wettin Wilhelm von Urach Cyryl Koburg Not sure how seriously any of them were considered though.

[@Natpad_027]

Ah another video from my favorite semi poland centric history channel by a german yoituber made a video about poland. Lesgo!

[@mithrandil420]

Great work! Your topics are very interesting and I hope you will continue with them!

[@CatarigMaTt]

🇵🇱🇵🇱

[@dragoe7441]

Dark mode german flag

[@ThomasBoyd-yf5wm]

Awesome. Brilliant content Danke. 🇦🇹🇦🇹🇦🇹🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏.

[@SirManateee]

Bittesehr :)

[@James_72302]

A cool video honestly, but i would rather named it as Poland during WW1 as the second name. Anyway great job!

[@davidevarese4876]

Babe wake up, a new Sir Manatee video just dropped

[@sator3946]

What font do you use for the texts in the video?

[@SirManateee]

Bahnschrift and Chantilly Serial Heavy

[@Luxnutz1]

I wonder about the Area that was under the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and then from 1772 and then from the 1790's and if all of the area that spills into Ukraine are intact to a degree or did all of the generations since 1945 eliminate what was in this whole area? This is another fantastic video and I will find myself watching again and again like the others. Thank You Sir Manatee

[@rozkaz661]

If you ask about if the areas in the east of 18th century poland which are now in belarus, ukraine and lithuania are and their polish heritage then there is some but less than you would imagine. There are some polish minorities especially in lithuania but they are insignificant all things considered. Most poles were after 1945 shipped out of all those teritorries and moved to east prussia, pomerania and silesia. It was a huge deportation effort that has ramifications to this day. There are still some cultural marks of poland in cities like lviv or vilnius but they are more historical curiosities rather than a real link between the nations. The post ww2 order has changed this part of europe forever and there is no way or reason to think about going back in any way to what was before.

[@Luxnutz1]

@@rozkaz661 I hope Sir Manatee will make a video about this. I was alway interested in Brick Gothic Architecture and thought it sad that the culture and people and their ancestors are erased from the areas history.

[@michalsawa881]

Much changed since and after World War 2. But thil outbreak of the war 40% population was Polish in Galicja

[@michalsawa881]

My grandparents were deported from Lwów in 1947 to Zamość

[@niepowaznyczlowiek]

@@michalsawa881 Very sad, at least they weren’t deported that far from their homeland, better Zamość than Szczecin.

[@lonelychameleon3595]

“A century and a half has passed since the living flesh of Poland was torn in pieces…” My brother in Christ your forefather was the one who tore the flesh

[@rozkaz661]

Looking down on mistakes of our forefathers is what allows us to progress as a species. Good that he doesnt condone it

[@jackster2568]

​@@rozkaz661It's recruitment propaganda l, surely you're not taking it seriously?

[@hashkangaroo]

*foremother

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

@rozkaz661 It doesn't seem like they acknowledged mistakes of their forefathers, does it? They don't name the people who were responsible for it. Someone caused this horrible tragedy. Who? Idk. Probably Russians. Join our army

[@dzejrid]

6:19 - "and that their business with Russia would be disturbed". Hmm... I get the feeling of deja vu. Can't quite put my finger on it though....

[@kjams1914]

Will you be discussing more about the Polska Siła Zbrojna (Polnische Wehrmacht)?

[@SirManateee]

Most likely not as I am not well versed in military history at all. But who knows

[@kjams1914]

⁠​⁠@@SirManateeeI completely understand. Your content is fantastic and I’m glad someone discussed the Kingdom.

[@wo0t7]

Where is the source of the picture where the woman is holding a sword and another in red next to her? On the thumbnail?

[@SirManateee]

It is the cover page of the Magazine "Der wahre Jacob" from 17.09.1915

[@wo0t7]

thanks boss @@SirManateee

[@Deailon]

Oh, a book I did research for is in the citations :)

[@SirManateee]

That's amazing! Which one was it, if I may ask?

[@Deailon]

@@SirManateee I was a research assistant to Jesse Kauffman in Poland. You can find mention of me on page 282 of 'Elusive alliance' ;) I took such jobs for international studies before and just after PhD when I still thought there will be need for me in the academy.

[@Czaroslaw]

My great grandfather served in the Polnische Wehrmacht during WW1. It is a pity that our history classes did not teach anything about this episode of our history, considering that the Regency Council was crucial to the formation of our independence, yet is completely overlooked. Instead I was told as if Piłsudski did everything. Speaking of Piłsudski and the Regency Council, I am rather mad that Piłsudski decided to turn Poland into a republic, instead of letting the council elect a king for us.

[@janaussiger4111]

Why is Smetanas Moldau playing in a video about Poland?

[@saperek7975]

Very good video. One thing I would add is that the Germans needed Poles to join the military, because under law of that time you couldn't conscript peoples from occupied territories.

[@jimtaylor294]

07:20 "Berleen" 😌👌

[@SirManateee]

Böörlin

[@glitch42]

Sam sent me

[@charmyzard]

Game said we can't be at war to do any focus to select a king.

[@dpwXXIPolskaPolak]

The polish flag is in fact white red with yellow elements. So there are even white pink flags or white orange flags or white red yellow flags in Poland as well

[@ItsJustCartier]

6:39 😂 “I’m just gonna thrown in the silhouette of the monopoly guy as his new photo and call it a day”

[@SirManateee]

Trust me, I looked for a picture of this bloke for ages until I just gave up

[@ItsJustCartier]

@@SirManateee It’s all good most of those guys look like him anyway lol

[@Prometheus-dt7nr]

Mach doch mal ein Video über das Königreich Litauen im ersten Weltkrieg.

[@SirManateee]

Jo, sollte ich

[@komczr]

The bread treaty killed pro-central powers orientation in Poland. In Austrian parliament Polish deputies from Galicia announced their switching to opposition towards Austrian government. They wanted from emperor to sack foreign minister Czernin and prime minister of Austria from their offices.

[@gt7507]

Your foreign words pronunciation is astounding

[@tropics8407]

Which occupying empire was in he worst ? German or Russian ?

[@Polska_Edits]

Depends on what you see as worse

[@dpwXXIPolskaPolak]

Thank you for this video but three things.First off all you published something about Poles conected with Entente cordial it is good, Especialy it was so in the last year from late spring 1918 It is something necesery to talk something about polish forces in the west and in the east faighting on the said off ententa or even White Russia.Second thing you did not told the whole thruth allthe polish politicns that earlier or later become conected with the western powers like Ignacy Paderewski, Sikorski Daszyński .Witos and later Korfanty. and dispiet Austrian origin general Jozef Haller, Third and last thing it is nice thath despite many tragical events between German Reich, German states and Poland especialy in warld war two German powers can bee someties so kind...

[@nacelnikprosiak1260]

I hate how western youtubers always show German Empire and Bismarck in good light as if It was a fair and just empire keeping bad nazi racists in check, while in reality germans nazis were just old german monarchists but just wearing new uniforms. Bismarck for example played crucial role in germanisation of western poland. Poles weren't allowed to speak polish in the public, it was very difficult for them to buy houses and land. To this day poles celebrate memory of children of Września who protested german attempt to force them to pray in german

[@jcoker423]

Interesting point. But also consider Bismarck was trying to create a nation from a patch work of German states. Bismarck's KulturKampt was also directed at RC Germans, Danes and Elsass. The Poles doubly suffered as Catholics, esp when due to the Pope's Ultramontaine policies there was fear about the disloyalty of Catholics. The Protestant Kashubians and Masurians did not appear to be such a target. PS. I'm RC Anglo, just with an interest in this era.

[@Ghreinos]

It's called consolidation of the state, so stop whining every nation did that! The most brutal country to enforce these actions was France! Also, Nazis =/= monarchist. Some were, most weren't, the Nazis mostly came from a lower background. That''s why figures like Göring and Ludendorff (although he later distanced himself from Hitler (but only because he thought that Hitler conspired together with the pope)) were so important for the NSDAP.

[@tomskonieczka2385]

whether in Prussian or SS Uniforms the attitude towards Poles was the same.

[@hannovonbahrenfeld5986]

Sag mal wie kommst du darauf dass dieser Mitteleuropa Kram jemals Regierungspolitik war?

[@asamniewiem3040]

I am from Poland.

[@Kiritanpo_Nabe]

Fun fact, during ww1 the German Kaiser, French King and Russian Tsar were cousins...

[@Werty715_25]

*British King

[@The_New_IKB]

Ask a Polish soldier if he would shoot a German or a Russian first he will say the German, when asked why he will say 'business before pleasure'.

[@PakBallandSami]

Note:The Polish state authorities responded with severe pacification measures under Piłsudski and his successors. In addition to other causes like the actions of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, this resentment left a legacy in the events of the 1940s. Although the Nazis gave Ukrainians the same inferior status as Poles, in many actual ways, they were treated better.

[@artkl494]

and because of polish pacification on Ukrainian population,Ukrainians were happy to do anything what Germans told them to do(can’t blame them)

[@niepowaznyczlowiek]

@@artkl494 They even went out of their way and murdered whole villages with fanatical brutality. I wouldn’t be apologetic towards people who commit genocide. Piłsudski’s dictatorship was rather tolerant towards minorities, his successors did enact repressionist policies, but it was not a genocide and isn’t comparable with Ukrainian attrocities.

[@artkl494]

@@niepowaznyczlowiek I am not apologetic,there is a reason why they commited such atrocities. And no,Pilsudski's dictatorship wasn't tolerant at all to minorities. Ukranian language was supressed and whole villages were destroyed with their population sent to concentration camps afterwards. Thousands died there because of poor sanitary conditions which resulted in sickness. All of this by Pilsudski's orders in 1930.

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

Divide and conquer. A very old tactic

[@paulgaskins7713]

7:33 this gentleman looks severely constipated. Jokes aside pictures and video of people who lived part of their lives without the technology existing always look a little awkward and uncomfortable on camera

[@jcoker423]

There's a video in the Cz Museum showing Franz Ferdinand having a laugh on film

[@raptus.]

Vivat Corona Regni Poloniae! Vivat memoria Rex Stephanus Secundus!

[@Walsinats4]

Just short of 30 years later Germans turned that same castle, and all of Warsaw into rubble.

[@hedgehog3180]

Gotta love that the Austrian solution was just “give us all of it”.

[@alexandermalinowski4277]

Austrian solution was we demand all, we contribute none.

[@amotaba]

Didn't know Pilsudski was such a puppet

[@polskaarmata9498]

Roman Dmowski

[@Radonatorr]

Neither of them was a puppet lol At that time you simply had to allign yourself with one side of the war to achieve anything

[@bruhmoment3478]

Little bro they literally taught this in history class, that Dmowski aligned with the Ru**Ian's and Piłsudski with Austrians and by extension Germans, we know who succeeded in the end...

[@Polska_Edits]

You fail to remember the fact he and his army refused to swear loyalty to the Germans, and fought a couple battles against the Austrian army afterwards....

[@kaiserchan4683]

First

[@swampyoasis7198]

I am a simple man. I see Jozef Piłsudski, I click.

[@susangoaway]

I hate the parallels that I see nowadays to that. Once again we are ruled by Germans and their cronies.

[@moonman9227]

WHAT 😂

[@derrcirno9490]

average polish L

[@zaddychan5942]

source: I saw it in a dream

[@susangoaway]

@@zaddychan5942 If you live here, you would have to be delusional and denying reality to not see that. Poland is not an independent country anymore, once again colonized by German companies and further humiliated by their EU cronies.

[@Grafkoks2]

All that you have, Germany gave you. Poland is the biggest benefactor of German EU money. Your country would collapse immediately without Germany throwing dough down your greedy throats.

[@blueowlclassic]

Austria? Irrelevant rump state. Germany? Goodbye, Silesia and Pomerania. Russia? Go there and see how it’s doing, I don’t even have to say it. Poland? Happy, healthy, wealthy! 🇵🇱 🇵🇱 🇵🇱

[@nopeoppeln]

do you unironically think that Poland between 1919 and 1939 was a wealthy and a healthy state?

[@blueowlclassic]

Clearly, by calling Austria a rump state, I am referring to the state of things today. You know that silesia and pommerania were occupied by germany in that time?@@nopeoppeln

[@crocodileguy4319]

​@blueowlclassic if modern Austria is a rump state, then modern Poland is also a rump state. They are quite equally irrelevant.

[@crocodileguy4319]

​@blueowlclassic also you call Poland wealthy, but Austria is far richer, so overall your comment sounds quite like cope from the funny partitioned country.

[@hopfinatorischerkuchenkrieger]

@@blueowlclassic "Occupied Pommerania" What are you even talking about at this point? Pommerania has never been Polish! I get that Silesia is debatable as even the Czechs lay a claim to it, but Pommerania only ever became Polish, because of Stalin, the Polish government, and ethnic cleansing.

[@rod9829]

Babe, stay asleep

[@Miichal_K]

its 2 pm, huh?

[@sithersproductions]

Pilsudski was a traitor

[@artkl494]

not just that,genocidal authoritarian

[@_________5610]

​@@artkl494what genocide did he commit?

[@artkl494]

@@_________5610I’m talking about genocidal tendencies, like persecuting non polish peasants(“pacification”,which was in reality just a series of ethnic cleansing and in form of massacres.) ,throwing activists into prisons(it didn’t matter if you are a member of OUN or not , if you’re not polish you’re fucked)

[@artkl494]

@@_________5610 his “pacification” was a one big ole ethnic cleansing in form of massacres and sending people to prison(basically a concentration camp)

[@Polska_Edits]

​@@_________5610fictional Russian invented ukranian genocide

[@Some-random-Scythian]

As an American of Polish ancestry I would like to say that I proudly renounced the inferior Polish culture of my parents for superior Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture.

[@sheridansherr8974]

You are just so uneducated.

[@jackster2568]

No one cares about the opinions of a mongrel, much less one that looks like a real life version of 4chans la creatura

[@metanoian965]

lol. Zyd, you ?

[@Some-random-Scythian]

​@@metanoian965Last time I checked my religion is Animism not Judaism. So last time I checked I'm not a Zyd. You're probably a Roman Catholic though, which is just as cringeworthy as being a Zyd.

[@metanoian965]

@@Some-random-Scythian no cringe, here. you Zyd show off ?