How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
It wouldn't change anything, and it would be morally wrong (as in the case of Sudetenland). That was homogeneously populated by Germans territory.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
BTW, couldn't Poland have claimed Danzig on historic grounds similar to France's claim on Alsace-Lorraine, which France was able to acquire in 1919 without any plebiscites? If the partitions of Poland were illegitimate, then technically speaking, Poland would be entitled to get back as much of its 1772 territory as it would desire, no? This would include Danzig.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Can't see how Poland getting Gdansk in 1919 would make any difference. Surely it it would have been just as populated by Germans and just as desirable to Hitler for inclusion in the Reich.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
It depends - I believe that we would have significant influx of Poles to Gdańsk: in partially similar manner as it was with other ex-German cities. Many would have left and all new group of the officials, soldiers etc. would have moved in. For example - even personnel of the Polish fleet needed to live somewhere. While for sure Gdańsk would be "very" German, I am not sure whether it would be still German majority there - see how the numbers change for Bydgoszcz in the meantime.
But from the policy perspective - no change here. Poland was still holding "corridor" and the excuse for Hitler would be more less the same.
But from the policy perspective - no change here. Poland was still holding "corridor" and the excuse for Hitler would be more less the same.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
As Delwin said, I could certainly see Danzig becoming much more Polish between 1919 and 1939 in this scenario since the Polish migration that was directed towards Gdynia in real life could be directed towards Danzig in this scenario.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
It wasn't like that; the Allies divided Europe according to their own political needs - full stop.Futurist wrote: ↑10 Sep 2020, 00:57BTW, couldn't Poland have claimed Danzig on historic grounds similar to France's claim on Alsace-Lorraine, which France was able to acquire in 1919 without any plebiscites? If the partitions of Poland were illegitimate, then technically speaking, Poland would be entitled to get back as much of its 1772 territory as it would desire, no? This would include Danzig.
The fallback rules were; (our beloved) possession is nine-tenths of the law, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Poland could have claimed (and claimed) lots of things, but such arguments were of secondary importance.
The British wanted Dazing for Germany to weaken France and her allies; France wanted Polish Danzig to strengthen her ally. There wasn't really much more to it.
Nobody was going to pay attention to historical or any other arguments.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
So, if Britain would have instead decided to support a Polish Danzig, Poland would have indeed gotten Danzig for itself in 1919?
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Of course, who was going to oppose the victorious duo of France and Britain.
Even disregarding their armies - all the relief, all the food for suffering Europe was delivered from the Americas.
A simple blockade would have convinced even their most hardened opponent (see Germany) of its wrong ways.
Even disregarding their armies - all the relief, all the food for suffering Europe was delivered from the Americas.
A simple blockade would have convinced even their most hardened opponent (see Germany) of its wrong ways.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
So, what does happen afterwards (as in, over the next couple of decades) if Poland gets Danzig back in 1919?
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Hitler is going ask the city to be handed over to Germany. His goal was to achieve the great power status for Germany.
A great power can't afford to be humiliated like that.
A great power can't afford to be humiliated like that.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Even if Danzig becomes Polish-majority by 1939?
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
And probably more exactly, if Lloyd George had not opposed a Polish Danzig. The British members of the committee dealing with Danzig fully supported a Polish Danzig but Lloyd George vetoed the initial proposals of the committee, much to their dismay.So, if Britain would have instead decided to support a Polish Danzig, Poland would have indeed gotten Danzig for itself in 1919?
Yes undoubtedly Danzig would have become more Polish but that is not the question that has been posed. The question is how would Hitler's policy have been different. I would suggest, given that his master plan was to invade and turn into Germany vast tracts of land where there were, for all intents and purposes, not a single German resident and never had been (I know, that is not entirely true, it's just a demagogic flourish), that it would not have made a jot of difference to him whether Danzig was more or less Polish.
Last edited by gebhk on 11 Sep 2020, 10:33, edited 1 time in total.
Re: How would Hitler's policy towards Poland have been different had Danzig been outright given to Poland back in 1919?
Did the other British delegation members at Versailles also support giving all of Upper Silesia to Poland?