Convened to define the future of defeated Germany and the postwar order in Europe, the conference in fact marked the beginning of the Cold War. It established the division of Germany and Europe for nearly half a century.
In Potsdam, the issue of Poland was a considerable point on the agenda-the questions were discussed what territories to allocate to the country and how to determine its western border. Following long disputes and heated bargaining between the Big Three, finally the border was established on the Oder River and the Lusatian Neisse. Poland also obtained the southern part of former East Prussia. At the same time, a decision was made concerning displacement of the German population from the territories incorporated into Poland. Notably, that decision was made by the powers, not by Poland, hence the country cannot account for the relevant adjudication.
From the Polish perspective, the Yalta/Potsdam decisions meant that Poland's border shifted 250-300 kilometers westward. In all, besides the general dependence on the Soviet Union, Poland lost more than 70,000 square kilometers because its area was reduced from 385,000 to 312,000 sq km, despite the incorporation of the western territories. That shift entailed many complications. It was necessary to relocate nearly 20 million people, Poles from the eastern territories and the German population from Poland's western territories-a fact ignored by the victorious powers. Everything was decided by Stalin, who secured the most favorable terms for him.
|