What were the short and long term effects on Poland and the Poles during and after World War 2?

Answer 1

* Poland suffered more damage in WW2 than any West European country. Warsaw, the capital, was almost completely destroyed. * About six million Poles (mainly civilians) out of a pre-war population of about 35 million were killed, about half of them Jews and the other half Gentiles. * The Soviet Union kept that portion of Poland that it had invaded in 1939. Many of the inhabitants were Ukrainians, but the Poles living there were deported westwards. * As a kind of compensation for this loss, Poland acquired most of Silesia, Pommerania and about two-thirds of East Prussia from Germany, despite the fact that these areas were German. The Germans living there were expelled, amid considerable loss of life. * Poland became a satellite of the Union of Soviets. * During the German occupation Poles were forbidden to receive any schooling beyond age of men. 13 or older. * The country's intellectuals and the military �lites were systematically slaughtered. * The country's long-standing tradition of anti-semitism continued during and after the war, and some Holocaust survivors were slaughtered by Poles in 1945-46.

Answer 2

• Short Term Effects:
• Warsaw leveled.
• Jews and Poles were killed and/or sent to ghettos and concentration camps to be killed or used as slave labor.
• Poland lost their nation and self governing ability.
• The Poles grew to hate the Brits, French and Soviets for failing to help them fight against the German Nazis.

Long Term Effects:

• The Poles were forced to live under the oppression and control of the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years.
• They were the first country to truly gain their independence from the USSR.
• The Poles to this day still hold some hostilities toward the US and the UK. Some do not. They still hold anger toward the Russians.
• They have overcome the effects of WW2 and communist rule. WARSAW is now restored to the beautiful and highly cultured city it had been before 9-1-1939.
• They are now part of the world trade system after being suppressed by the Soviets.
• See link below.

Answer 3

The application of weapons, the destruction of structures and oil fields, fires, military transport movements and chemical spraying are all examples of the destroying impact war may have on the environment. Air, water and soil are polluted, man and animal are killed, and numerous health affects occur among those still living. This page is about the environmental effects of wars and incidents leading to war that have occurred in the 20th and 21st century.