🧵On this day in 1939, exactly 85 years ago, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Some two weeks later Soviet Russia also attacked it from the East. The Poles fought bravely but were overwhelmed. France and Britain, Poland’s allies, declared war on Germany but did nothing to assist. 1/6
The German/Russian invasion of Poland started World War II-a war that cost millions upon millions of lives, leveled cities, caused untold suffering and when it was all said and done left Germany occupied and divided and all of Eastern Europe enslaved under Soviet communism. 2/6
Volumes have been written about the causes and consequences of WWII. To me there are two key lessons: (1) national security is the irreducible function of the state. In the end nothing can replace your own military readiness and your societal resilience—no treaty, no paper. 3/6
And (2) that appeasement in the face of aggression will always exact a higher price—maybe not right away, maybe in a year or two, but it always will. France and Britain appeased Germany in the 1930s, they abandoned Poland in 1939. Soon after they paid that higher price. 4/6
Today those lessons of 1939 are again as true as they have always been. And they apply not only to @NATO flank countries threatened once again with Russian aggressions. They apply to all European allies, and yes also to the United States. We need to remember them and learn. 5/6
WWII happened in part because democracies tried to appease predatory states to avoid facing up to the danger, hoping against hope that once concessions have been made, peace would be preserved. Those who believed it then were wrong. Those who think that now, are wrong as well.6/6
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