The Second World War may be a thing of the past for all other countries, but for Germany and Poland it is still a current and sensitive issue. Right now, as the 80th anniversary of the start of the war approaches, the Polish Prime Minister spoke out. He said that up to this point Poland had not received adequate compensation for the over 6 million war victims and the destruction in Polish towns and villages.
The foreign minister of the neighboring country also spoke of discrimination. He explained that other countries with less casualties and destruction were paid more money and gave France as an example. In view of the more than 6 million people who died (more than 20% of the population lost their lives during the military attacks), the level of Polish reparations is simply not fair. Now the Polish government wants to get together and decide on a sum. The Polish Prime Minister wants to address the issue again during the German Federal President's planned visit on September 1st.
The issue actually seemed to be closed for a long time. Poland had already officially waived compensation at the beginning of the 1950s. The Two Plus Four Treaty, which was signed in Moscow on September 12, 1990, does not provide for any further reparations. But 10 years ago the Polish government contacted us again with requirements. The Second World War and its consequences still seem to be putting a strain on German-Polish relations. The question now arises as to what the country would do if attempts at reconciliation during the September 1 commemoration fail. Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz did not indicate in his statement whether he would also take legal action.
Over 1,000 Polish towns and villages were completely destroyed during the Second World War
During the German occupation between 1939 and 1945, more than 1,000 Polish villages were razed to the ground. The army not only destroyed numerous works of art at the time, but also bombed the capital Warsaw so heavily at the end of the war that it was almost completely in ruins. Many residents died in these attacks. Numerous cultural monuments, museums, churches and hospitals were also completely destroyed. After the end of the war, the country was in an extremely poor economic situation.
In addition, 6 of the 7 extermination camps were set up in Poland, in which almost the entire Jewish population of the country was killed.
Greece also has similar requirements for Germany
The new requirements come four months after the Greek parliament demanded around 290 billion euros from Germany. The federal government resolutely rejected these demands. In Greece, politicians were unable to agree on what to do. The opposition accused Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of using the requirements to win votes for the upcoming European Parliament elections in October.
In 2015, Russia also demanded three to four billion euros in compensation for the approximately 27 million war victimsin the Soviet Union. The Russian population suffered greatly from the consequences of the Second World War. Some Russian experts even claimed that had it not been for the war, Russia's population would have almost doubled. Instead, poverty and famine prevailed in many Russian cities, especially those that were partially or completely destroyed.
Germany has already paid over 70 billion euros in reparations
After the end of the Second World War, the Federal Republic of Germany paid over 70 billion euros to the affected states. This involves not only payments directly to other governments, but also payments to private individuals, for example family members of victims of the Second World War. In Italy, for example, over 120 people were shot by German soldiers in a village. The victims' relatives had sued the Federal Republic of Germany before the European court for compensation, and it awarded them compensation of over 1.5 million euros.
