alexander koryagin wrote to Robert Bashe on Friday August 11 2017 at 12:17:

RB>> You're confusing WWI with WWII. And ignoring the fact that Stalin's
RB>> "reward" for being on the allied side (What choice did he have? And
RB>> he had the advantage of a mortally ill Roosevelt, who overruled
RB>> Churchill) in WWII was around half of Poland. Poland was "rewarded"
RB>> by German territory. Why do you think Koenigsberg is now isolated
RB>> "Kaliningrad"?

ak> Both WWars ended with a division of German heritage. After WW1 Germany
ak> lost its vast overseas territories...

"Vast overseas territories"? Like what? Madagascar and Southwest Africa?
Compare that to the British Empire or even France. The Kaiser was jealous and
wanted to get a piece before the others took all of Africa and the Far East -
but he was too late.

ak>...and many other territories.

You mean the western part of Poland, most of which Germany took by force with
Stalin's enthusiastic cooperation.

ak> Russia didn't participate in the afterWW1 pie division. Russia itself
ak> was chunked by Poland as if Russia was a German ally. ;-)

I suppose that's why there was a secret addendum to the Molotov-Ribbentrop
treaty allowing Germany and Russia to split up Poland between themselves.
That's probably why Stalin was so supprised when Hitler attacked Russia - he
thought both Russia and Germany had arranged quite a nice deal for themselves.
But only Russia got to keep it's share.

ak> After WW2 Poland as a country who fought Hitler had got some German
ak> territories as a reward. The USSR for its efforts in WW2 got
ak> Koenigsberg.

And just a little more, namely the part of eastern Poland it had taken after
Hitler had taken the western part. Poland was merely "reimbursed for the
Russian takeover by giving it part of what had been eastern Germany before the
war.

Cheers, Bob

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