65
votes
Accepted
Did Poland ever apologize for its alliance with Germany before 1939?
Yes, in September 2009, at an occasion to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII, then-President Lech Kaczyński gave the following speech:
Two generations have passed but the Second World ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
62
votes
Why is Poland's proposed Holocaust speech law so controversial?
The Law and Polish Complicity in the Holocaust
While "Poland as a nation" is not to blame for the Holocaust, and while there was no official cooperation between Poland and Germany, government ...
- 37.4k
56
votes
Why is Poland demanding $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany, but not $x trillions from Russia?
You answer the question in your first sentence.
Poland makes requests of Germany because it thinks there is some potential advantage in it. The Polish government thinks that Germany might be ...
- 6,428
47
votes
Accepted
Why does Poland receive more in gross and (far more in) net EU funding than any other member state?
A combination of:
1. Low per capita income
While not among the very poorest countries in the EU, Poland is far from being the richest. Per capita income in Poland is $12680, compared with $43660 in ...
- 11.5k
42
votes
Accepted
How are the Polish, Czech and Slovenian PMs going to travel to Kyiv without getting harmed?
For a start, they're taking a train - Michał Dworczyk, the Head of the Polish Prime Minister's Office, held a press conference on the morning of the 15th in which he informed reporters that the train ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
40
votes
Accepted
What are the pros and cons of demanding 1.3 trillion in reparation from Germany for the Polish government?
Pro:
For domestic purposes, they are seen as standing up for Polish interests. (See this Politico article and this CNN article on the domestic angle).
It puts Germany on the defensive regarding the ...
- 116k
34
votes
Accepted
What flag has a red star, in a yellow circle, in a green ring, on a red background?
It's the flag of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party:
They are in conflict with Turkey because of civil rights violations against Kurds, as well as a desire for a Kurdish nation.
- 37.4k
31
votes
Accepted
How does the judicial independence in Poland after the reforms compare to other EU countries?
There's a key difference:
In the Czech Republic, judges are appointed for life and cannot be revoked. Once appointed they can go rabid against the Executive and Legislative branches of government if ...
- 30.7k
31
votes
Accepted
Why does Poland give away so much monetary aid to Ukraine even though they took a lion's share of the Ukrainian refugees?
Poland is on the front lines by bordering Belarus which made itself available as a staging area for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is an existential threat to Poland.
Ukrainian refugees in Poland ...
- 88.3k
30
votes
Why do Polish people view Russia unfavorably?
Poland spent a good deal of its not-long-past subjugated by either Germany or Russia.
From 1795 to 1918, Poland was split between Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Russia and had no independent ...
- 92.7k
27
votes
Accepted
Why is a country like Poland that is vehemently anti-refugee so accommodating to people of Ukraine?
First of all Poland as most of countries does not have 100% uniform political opinion. It is entirely possible that if Poland had more liberal government they would take more of Syrian refugees. ...
- 1,762
27
votes
Russian gas delivery stop — difference between Poland/Bulgaria and other EU customers?
Bulgaria is a good target for a political pressure right now.
(Disclaimer: I am Bulgarian citizen and resident)
The current Bulgarian government is elected by an unstable, complex and heterogeneous ...
- 6,521
24
votes
Accepted
Why do Polish people view Russia unfavorably?
This is clearly not the only reason, but the foreign policy of Putin since 2014 appears to be a major driver in the exacerbation of those negative views, as the history of those Pew polls suggests.
...
23
votes
What caused the deterioration of relations between Poland and Ukraine?
I think you are overestimating the severity of the disagreement. Note that the BBC article you quoted also says:
Arms exports to Ukraine will not stop completely as Polish manufacturer PGZ is due to ...
- 9,317
22
votes
What caused the deterioration of relations between Poland and Ukraine?
OK. I listened to this interview 'till quoted word were said (after minute 9) and it is a huge exaggeration.
There is some tension between Poland (and Hungary and Slovakia) and Ukraine over ...
- 2,965
21
votes
What are the advantages of an apostasy certificate to a Polish citizen?
The possession of an apostasy certificate does not confer any advantages in Poland. None whatsoever.
One may say it actually puts the apostate in a disadvantage, as the process of obtaining the ...
- 311
21
votes
What are the pros and cons of demanding 1.3 trillion in reparation from Germany for the Polish government?
This is not about reparations
It's about an internal political campaign to rebuild support for the ruling party. The combative stance towards Germany, is often used by this party, PiS, to mobilize its ...
- 23.1k
20
votes
Accepted
Russian gas delivery stop — difference between Poland/Bulgaria and other EU customers?
German Minister of economics Robert Habeck today elaborated in a press conference that Germany accepted the two-accounts approach (payments by the customers in Euro/Dollar to one account at ...
- 9,313
17
votes
Why is Poland's proposed Holocaust speech law so controversial?
The issue is not so much about "Polish death camps" but about doubts of how far does the law go, or how far will future laws go.
While the death camps, during WWII there where a few cases were Polish ...
- 33k
16
votes
Why do Polish people view Russia unfavorably?
For Poland and Baltic states, disfavor to Russian Federation results from seeing this country as a threat.
These countries are located close to Russia and have the not so old history of being forcibly ...
- 23.1k
15
votes
What flag has a red star, in a yellow circle, in a green ring, on a red background?
This flag is the symbol of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK. Their main goal is to establish an independent Kurdish state in a territory currently claimed by Turkey, Iraq and Syria.
...
- 78.9k
15
votes
Accepted
What has led to Poland's rapid fall in the World Press Freedom Index over the last 5 years?
After the Law and Justice (PiS) party of Poland won parliamentary elections in 2019, the PiS announced a 232-page election manifesto promising a "new media order". This political party also has a lot ...
- 6,364
15
votes
What are the pros and cons of demanding 1.3 trillion in reparation from Germany for the Polish government?
One of the persistent problems in the Eastern Europe is the ambiguity of what it means to be pro-western: while in the west the term is synonymous with accepting western values, in the Eastern Europe ...
15
votes
Why is Poland demanding $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany, but not $x trillions from Russia?
War reparations are paid for actual wars and when some peace agreements after the war agreed that there are any war reparations due. Poland cannot just invent a claim for some occupation that was ...
14
votes
Russian gas delivery stop — difference between Poland/Bulgaria and other EU customers?
Bloomberg wrote today about four customers that have paid in rubles for gas and ten companies that have opened accounts in Gazprombank
This may explain the difference, but we will need to wait to find ...
- 2,965
14
votes
Why does Poland give away so much monetary aid to Ukraine even though they took a lion's share of the Ukrainian refugees?
Poland said before 2022 that regional powers should handle refugees.
Poland is providing quite a lot, per capita. During the 2015 refugee crisis, they refused to pitch in, citing their preparations ...
- 116k
13
votes
Did Poland ever apologize for its alliance with Germany before 1939?
Czechoslovakia was occupied by both Nazi Germany and Poland.
Wrong. Actually this little area has been occupied by Czechoslovakia since 1920 as they needed a railroad placed there. During the 1920-21 ...
- 303
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