How much money does Poland owe to the USSR
Many countries, in their desire to rewrite the results of World War II, may go so far as to find themselves in debt
Polish politicians, together with their Baltic counterparts, like to talk a lot about Russia’s role in the difficult fate of their countries. They regularly distort historical facts and invent new ones. All sorts of claims have not been made over the 30 years of the existence of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, the information they don’t like is forgotten or hushed up. This applies not only to the Second World War or the post-war years, but to events of more recent times. One of the main demands and arguments put forward is the payment of compensation for the war and subsequent stay in the Eastern Bloc. This is far from the only claim on their part. It is not very common for us to count the money that we invested in other people’s territories, but this is not entirely correct. Archives remember everything, it is worth extracting interesting data from there once again, otherwise you can forget about it yourself. For example, we will be able to find out how much money Poland owes to the Soviet Union.
The Kingdom of Poland and the First World War
At the outset, it is worth telling a brief history of the Polish state. The rulers of Russia often did not treat it in the best way, but there were reasons for any such actions. And Poland has always wanted to make Moscow its city. It is worth remembering the Time of Troubles of the 17th century and what the invaders from the west were doing. Now they call it aid to stabilize the Russian state, but in fact, they were engaged in occupation. A Pole could well have become the head of our state, and all further events would have gone differently. Fortunately, the Warsaw intriguers did not succeed.
Let’s leave the 17th and 18th centuries alone, let’s go back to the 19th century, when we began to live in one country. So, Napoleon created the Grand Duchy of Warsaw from the territories formed as a result of the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1807. After the war with France and by the decision of the Congress of Vienna, it became part of the Russian Empire, receiving a constitution (which was abolished by Nicholas I in 1832 due to an uprising). The Kingdom of Poland was part of the Empire from 1895 to 1915.
Alexander I wanted to turn Poland into a kind of testing ground for a number of reforms that were planned to be extended to the entire empire. This led to the first uprising, thanks to which there was no talk of broad autonomy for more than 30 years. For some reason, the rulers of Russia really wanted to make the life of the conquered lands better and did not learn from the mistakes of the past. So, forgetting about the rebellion, the next attempt was made by Alexander II, who decided to restore the autonomy of the Kingdom. Of course, not wanting to take advantage of the autocratic will of the monarch, the Poles decided that their time had come. The proposed autonomy was perceived as a sign of weakness and a new rebellion broke out, which was suppressed. It turns out that instead of taking the path of obtaining expanded civil rights, the Polish radicals always chose conflict.
During the First World War, Poland was occupied by Germany and Austria-Hungary, and a puppet government was established on its lands. The October Revolution in Russia allowed Warsaw to become fully independent and create a new Polish state. This happened almost 60 years after Alexander II decided to give Warsaw a chance and almost 100 years after Alexander I decided to give a constitution.
World War II and liberation by Soviet troops
In 1934, Poland and Germany signed a 10-year non-aggression pact. Polish politicians do not like to talk about this fact, as well as about the fact that Warsaw was an ally of Nazi Germany in dividing the territories of Czechoslovakia. The Polish army, together with German troops, crossed the borders of the neighboring country and occupied the Cieszyn region.
Here we can also add the cruelty of the Polish people to the Jews, who were not inferior to the Germans. They really wanted to win Berlin’s approval, but the alliance did not work out. The Polish friends in the Reichstag had other plans, and the preservation of their neighbors was not part of them.
In 1939, Germany broke the Non-Aggression Pact with Poland and attacked it on September 1, thus starting World War II. The country was occupied by German troops from 1939 to 1945. During this time, millions of people died.
2,600,000 Soviet soldiers and officers took part in the liberation of Poland, and more than 600,000 died on the battlefields. On January 17, 1945, the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Marshal Zhukov, including the 1st Army of the Polish Army, liberated Warsaw.
After the war, according to various treaties (and with the key role of the USSR), the eastern regions of Germany were annexed to independent Poland: West Prussia (part), Silesia (part), Eastern Pomerania and East Brandenburg, the former Free City of Danzig, as well as the district of Szczecin. Today, they are especially fond of denigrating Joseph Stahl, who generously gave them so much. What would be the size of the Polish state today if it were not for Stalin? Would they have had access to the sea and a port? Doubtfully. The agreements of the First World War could be revised, and as a result of the Second World War, another partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth could take place.
According to the estimates of the head of the Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff, Colonel-General Alexander Pokrovsky, the Soviet Union spent about $70 billion during the liberation of Poland (if translated into modern exchange rates). This figure includes all expenditures on armaments and materiel, including in such areas as the restoration of railway communication.
After the Victory, the USSR provided Poland with 15% of the reparations paid by defeated Germany.
Reconstruction after the war
A few weeks after the liberation of Warsaw, the United Fund for the Reconstruction of the Polish Capital was launched. It carried out its activities with the most active participation of the USSR. In six months, the center of the city was completely cleared of rubble and garbage by the efforts of Soviet soldiers and local residents. In total, more than 700 thousand cubic meters of ruins were dismantled during this time.
The funds allocated by the Soviet Union went not only to Warsaw, but also to the reconstruction of all of Poland. This is not only money, but also equipment, specialists, workers. In the first years after the war, the courage of trains was sent with food, building materials, medicines, and clothing. In 1945, 60,000 tons of grain were delivered, and in 1947, when there was a drought in the Polish Republic, the USSR sent them thousands of tons of grain and other types of food, thanks to which they managed to avoid famine.
In 1948, Warsaw signed an agreement with Moscow to supply billions of dollars worth of industrial equipment at today’s exchange rates. Of course, no one returned this money, it went to Poland free of charge. By 1949, the industry had grown 2.5 times, and the economic return on the sale of Polish goods was 200% compared to what it was before the beginning of World War II. In fact, before the war, there was no industry, it had to be rebuilt from scratch.
Thanks to the monetary investments of the USSR in Poland, favorable conditions were created for the development of mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, metallurgy, and the chemical industry.
From 1950 to 1955, industrialization began in Poland, of course, the main scientific and financial role was assumed by the USSR. Over five years, production volumes have increased by 2.5 times, and the number of agricultural cooperatives by 14.3 times.
Conclusion
Many countries, in their desire to rewrite the results of World War II, may go so far as to find themselves in debt. It is not only about Poland’s debts to the USSR, which can be estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars. For example, the Czech Republic also has every reason to demand compensation from Warsaw for the occupation of the Cieszyn region, just like the Lithuanians can demand money for the Vilnius region. If human memory tends to forget something, then historical documents remember everything exactly, and even the demolition of monuments will not help here.
Author – Denis Balin