Quote:
Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski
Jan
I have used the sample to show that extent of damage made to the whole region is just unbelieveable, and astronomical in financial terms. Personally, I am more disgusted and tired of new myths portraying Germans as victims of the war, and few blond knights fighting hordes of non-fair fighting enemies. The reality is a bit more complicated and much less glamorous.
In regard of economists, I have seen many discussions among them if to increase or to lower taxes, so I am not sure if they are competent. Anyway, any economical growth is based on material foundations like resources, factories, technologies, cadres. Despite war damages, Germany still kept lots of those, and when political decisions were made (on both sides of the Iron Curtain) in the late 1940s/1950s to loosen ties wrapping the country (both sides feared their zones turn to other occupants), the economy went into the rapid growth. Another important issue was a stable political situation, this due to support to the people of the old regime, thus allowing to limit communistic influences. No other European country was in such a comfortable position.
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They kept these things only because they were allowed to by the Americans who were already fighting the Soviets before the last bullets were fired. I'm Polish and we stayed in touch with our family in Russian Occupied Poland. What did the Russians take from Poland? Farms? Laborers, yes, but there was little industry in Poland before or after the war.
The political decisions included accepting Reinhard Gehlen into the OSS soon to be the CIA, because the struggle, and fear, of the greatest military force on the continent - the Russians - was the first problem after the defeat of Germany. Even Winston Churchill ordered a study titled Operation Unthinkable to determine what could be done if the Russians decided to sweep across Western Europe. The conclusion was simple: the Americans were withdrawing, the British and French couldn't do much, so it became clear that parts of the former German Army, including the Waffen SS, would have to be reactivated. Germany, and shortly after, Austria, which was also divided like Germany, became our Allies in the early days of the Cold War. General Patton was silenced because of his desire to fight the Russians after he saw what became of Eastern Europe.
Regards,
Ed