One fascinating outcome of this thread is that much of it now comes down to the validity, or rather lack of it, of the Curzon Line.
It was Stalin in 1945 who managed the almost unique feat of actually moving the location of Poland.
Suddenly Eastern Poland was annexed by the USSR, as follows:
1. Vilnius and surrounds joined the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic - and became its capital, and is now the capital of independent Lithuania.
2. The Belarussiam Soviet Socialist Republic only became a viable future nation by having half of Eastern Poland annexed to it.
3. What we now call western Ukraine - places like Lviv - was actually Lemberg in Poland, where Simon Wiesenthal was born.
Stalin basically seized these lands from Poland and in exchange he ethnically cleansed the German population out of East Prussia - which was the key part of Germany - and moved the displaced Poles there (as well as keeping Koenigsberg for Russia and moving Russians there).
The irony of this thread is that people like [MENTION=143290]Reddy[/MENTION] and [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] say, with some justification, that the transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine within the USSR was unfair and must be corrected.
The thing is, if that USSR switch of sovereignty is up for renegotiation, then why doesn’t Germany get East Prussia back and why doesn’t Poland get Eastern Poland back?
It seems like Russia only recognises territorial disputes - and security guarantees - when it is the side with something to gain. Their neighbours have no such rights.
It was Stalin in 1945 who managed the almost unique feat of actually moving the location of Poland.
Suddenly Eastern Poland was annexed by the USSR, as follows:
1. Vilnius and surrounds joined the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic - and became its capital, and is now the capital of independent Lithuania.
2. The Belarussiam Soviet Socialist Republic only became a viable future nation by having half of Eastern Poland annexed to it.
3. What we now call western Ukraine - places like Lviv - was actually Lemberg in Poland, where Simon Wiesenthal was born.
Stalin basically seized these lands from Poland and in exchange he ethnically cleansed the German population out of East Prussia - which was the key part of Germany - and moved the displaced Poles there (as well as keeping Koenigsberg for Russia and moving Russians there).
The irony of this thread is that people like [MENTION=143290]Reddy[/MENTION] and [MENTION=43583]KingKhanWC[/MENTION] say, with some justification, that the transfer of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine within the USSR was unfair and must be corrected.
The thing is, if that USSR switch of sovereignty is up for renegotiation, then why doesn’t Germany get East Prussia back and why doesn’t Poland get Eastern Poland back?
It seems like Russia only recognises territorial disputes - and security guarantees - when it is the side with something to gain. Their neighbours have no such rights.
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