Recently one of my friends told me to watch The Greatest Story Never Told and so I decided to even though I've never really cared about it and one of the things shown in the video was about how Poland was exiling, discriminating, and killing Germans in their former lands where there was still significant German populations. It also described how the Polish were calling for the murder of Germans on a radio station right before Germany invaded. Now I have always been a huge history fan since I was young particularly Roman and WW2 history so I knew that the radio tower thing was German propaganda where they snuck in and broadcast that as to make it seem like the Germans there were in an immediate threat so they could invade right away.
I also know that Poland was mobilizing troops before that and could be seen as an act of hostility that way but so were Germans around the same time so it's hard to determine who was mobilizing first. But one thing I thought that was common knowledge was that the Polish were treating Germans like crap prior to WW2 and did end up killing at least some of them while pushing them out or having public outcries against Germany after Czechoslovakia.
I recently got into an argument with someone and brought that up as a prelude to WW2 and to explain partially why it happened and they told me it was false but I remember reading about it even in high school through history books back in the 90s and any readings on WW2. Well I went back to research to see if it was true and now I can barely find anything, most of it is just neo-Nazi sites and forums of people saying its just not true propaganda but I can not find anything from around that time period or even slightly after discussing those claims or disputes. And from what I remember when I was younger and read or looked things up for WW2 I swear it was something was taught as the prelude, but it was never taught as an excuse for the horrible things Nazi Germany did afterwards.
The closest thing I can find to mentioning it now on a "normal" source (wikipedia so we all know how that goes) is this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Corridor
Which talks about a large exodus of Germans and occasional violence and discrimination but gives no definite and even says that it's not an excuse. Am I crazy, did I actually learn about that as common and its been slowly faded out or is it something that was always never true? I swear I remembered it years and years ago being taught with Poland German relations but now I honestly have no idea?
Parker Rivera
>Recently one of my friends told me to watch The Greatest Story Never Told
Brandon Ross
>knew that the radio tower thing was German propaganda where they snuck in and broadcast that as to make it seem like the Germans there were in an immediate threat so they could invade right away.
Do you have a single source for that? Other than allied propaganda. The invasion of Poland was an act of self defense.
Nathaniel Ross
Why is that? Right away I point out something that is false with it, if my post makes me seem like a Nazi in any kind of way I feel sorry for you. I couldn't even get halfway through that thing because now I'm stuck trying to figure out even something that should easily be proven from there is wrong but it is something I swear I remembered learning way before that video.
Asher Wright
>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Corridor You are thinking about two completely different things. Most Germans left Poland right after WW1, some others decided to emigrate to Germany after 1925 Land Reform.
That's long before WW2.
David Stewart
That was directed more towards your friend.
Cooper Jenkins
Yeah that's the only thing I can find from a semi normal post even relating to tension between Poland and Germany after WW1 prior to WW2 and it doesn't even match up with what was claimed in 1939. I honestly just have no idea where any sources on that are, the only thing there are is videos and forums from neo-Nazis or people calling everything propaganda.
There is no sources I can find that are reputable calling it true or false and nothing around this time period but I thought I remembered being taught it happened that way back when, before Veeky Forums even existed. Now I'm trying to figure out if it was just something that I thought I heard in passing or if I'm not crazy for thinking that was what was taught but seeing as there are no sources I seriously can't figure out and it's bothering me.
Thomas Wilson
Oh yeah he's a huge fan of the Nazis so I debate facts with him all the time, I try to be more impartial towards every side and just use the facts and wade out the propaganda but it's tough. He's my friend because we just have the same hobbies and talk about many things but I'm not judgmental so I don't really care that he's a loony.
Luis Sanders
>But one thing I thought that was common knowledge was that the Polish were treating Germans like crap prior to WW2 and did end up killing at least some of them while pushing them out or having public outcries against Germany after Czechoslovakia. You thought wrong.
Just think for a moment.
Weimar Republic - Poland - really bad relations, land reform, customs war, Germans sending thousands of complains to League of Nations
Hitler - 1934 - German-Polish Non Aggression Pact - we friends now! Poland loves its German minority!
