Today, I came across a YouTube video (in Polish) recounting the meeting between the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Józef Beck, and Adolf Hitler in 1935. Jan Szembek, who served as the Undersecretary of State in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanied Beck during the visit. Following the Second World War, Szembek published his memoirs, which included notes he took during the meeting between Beck and Hitler in 1935. He refers to Hitler’s words (in Polish):
Kanclerz [Hitler], badając historie, a w szczególności historie sporów i wojen, badał take szczegółowo stosunek wartości terytoriów zdobywanych i traconych do strat ludzkich poniesionych prez państwa europejskie. Z podnieceniem podkreślił, że jeżeli się zestawi straszliwa liczę dziesiątków milionów strat wojennych poniesionych w ostatnich stuleciach prez państwa europejskie, które są przecież źródłem i siłą cywilizacji współczesnej, z tym faktem, że powiedzmy w ciagu ostatnich dwóch wieków państwa wracają terytorialnie do poprzedniego stanu, czyli że rezultaty tych europejskich wojen są w obliczu historii bliskie zeru, to te wszystkie wojny europejskie trzeba uznać za szał wojenny sprzeczny z wszelkim trzeźwym rozumowaniem.
English translation (by Nordr):
Chancellor [Hitler], in examining history, and especially the history of disputes and wars, meticulously examined the relationship between the value of territories gained and lost and the human losses suffered by European countries. With excitement, he emphasized that if one compares the appalling number of tens of millions of wartime losses suffered in recent centuries by European countries, which are, after all, the source and strength of contemporary civilization, with the fact that, let's say, over the last two centuries states have territorially returned to their previous state, meaning that the results of these European wars are close to zero in the face of history, then all these European wars must be recognized as a war frenzy contrary to any sober reasoning.
History has taught us what transpired in 1939… Understanding history, it is crucial to consider these words in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine and Putin’s earlier statements.
Anyone who believes that Russia will halt its actions in Ukraine is exceedingly naive and fails to heed the lessons of history…