You don't need to defend me. I don't care about know-nothing bloggers with strong opinions. I'm more concerned with my own intellectual boundaries.

As to your message: No, just delve a little bit into history textbooks. It was not at all about any "SOFT" power. Germanization was extremely brutal in the XIXth century (still, I wouldn't look for evidence in Western textbooks....uhmm). The German nation is relatively very young, and it had completely derailed under Bismark (once again, I wouldn't look for much evidence in Western textbooks).

The second part of your post is more correct, however, I definitely disagree with the term "predominance". Colonisation is really a better one. Societies of vassals and slaves ...Demise....All that was so well planned...under the cover of historical factors

Yest, no matter the costs. And the costs are tremendous. At multiple levels.

Aristotle said that education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. Indeed, nothing can protect you better than knowledge. It"s a great refuge in this folly world. Comfort, pain, serenity, and incredible strength. Incredible. A rescue from the madness of this world...

Study history and don't sin any more!

that was addressed to Jack

From some of your posts on other threads, you seem to be nostalgic for the good old pre-capitalist days of over-staffed enterprises making goods no one wanted kept afloat by government decree. Perhaps you'd like to see the Lenin Shipyard come back. That's not happening. Either Polish enterprises will pay their own way, or they'll go under.

Communism went broke, and its assets are being liquidated by those who can afford to buy them. An industrial workforce cheap by German standards is what gives Poland (and Hungary, Slovakia and the CR) an economic advantage over the former DDR in attracting foreign investment. If German capital didn't find Polish factories attractive to buy and run with capitalist efficiency, they'd be empty. At least the EU gives industrious Poles the chance to find work legally all over Europe.

Mental illness isn't quite right. It's just that Polish sense of having been screwed over and cheated by history despite being very, very special -- a feeling of grievance and entitlement felt by others than the Poles. And to be fair about it, the Poles had a pretty tough 250 years at the hands of their Russian and German neighbors. On the other hand, when Poland was independent -- both before the Partitions and between 1920-39, it didn't demonstrate a particularly high standard of good sense and good judgment.

"Compared to the US, modern Germany and Japan are indeed model world citizens but you have to forgive the other people of Europe and Asia for still experiencing some discomfort toward them in the context of past history..."

It's not really an issue in Western Europe except maybe for a few old-timers who were there. Eastern Europe seems to be a different matter, partly I expect because the German occupation of Poland was far worse than other countries, but also because of the Soviet influence.

You're spouting "classical" rubbish. Unfortunately, the top guys are well aware of the pools of smooth-speaking usefeul idiots that want to make an easy career, and mercilessly take advantage of it.

I don't know how they can look at the mirror when they wake up in the morning....

Now the situation looks like the end because when there were brutal invasions and brutal occupations, there was very heavy resistance among ordinary citizens. At present, one observes what I call the "culture of poverty" and more British-style colonisation (no cultural oppression). That's smart. The Germans have learnt history lessons and have drawn conclusions thereform, our politicians have not. One can basically find beta and gamma males that don't understand anything....Deplorable....

Pax regnet in Varsavia. [You remember who said that and under what circumstances?]

You don't seem to be very knowledgeable.

Or quite to the contrary (?). Eh: Hmm, they get manipulated so easily that you may actually have good fun and do business at the same time...I hope you're a happy and fulfilled individual (surely "productive"). Eh:(

Oh, dear. Read this an tremble for poor old Blighty! Why oh why did we not just surrender? It would have saved time.

I like Germany so much I wish there were two of them. Germans have an obstacle rather greater than the history of the 20th century to overcome. Today they no not have an enemy in the world and none of their friends likes them.

I'm going to stick with mental illness, there's just too much paranoid crap about the 'top guys' of Germany etc.

It's an inflated sense of Polish worth. Frankly Magdalena, and this may come as a shock to you; no one in Europe outside of Poland really gives a shit about Poland, apart from the economic opportunities it may hold, or the problems its joining the EU may bring. The EU is made up of countries that have been screwing each other for hundreds of years. My own country, Britain, has fought both with and against pretty much every other country in Europe at some time or another. The same has gone on everywhere else. Get over it. No one owes Poland a living, Poland is no more special than Czech or Romania or Bosnia or Greece or any other of the developing basket cases Britain, France and Germany donate billions of euros to every year. If you want to be in the EU, take our money and enjoy the benefit then you need to both put up and shut up. That's the reality.

I said that German poltics was smart. Some guys know very well what I'm talking about. People have bought the story.

not sarcastic;