Christopher ClarkHe (Frederick II) famously describe Poland as an 'artichoke, ready to be consumed leaf by leaf
About This Quote
In the era of World War II, the Polish government, led by Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, sought an alliance with Germany. This did not sit well with a number of other countries in Europe. In response, Britain and France formed a military alliance called the 'Pact of Steel'. The alliance was designed to make Germany think twice about attacking Poland.
However, this didn't work out as they had hoped. The Germans weren't quite sure if they could trust the Poles, and so held back from attacking. Instead, they went into Poland and took the city of Warsaw in September 1939.
Britain and France were furious when they found out what had happened. One of their allies had betrayed them and made a pact with their enemies. The allies decided to retaliate and invaded Poland in January 1940.
This is what Bismarck had in mind when he wrote: "If we don't want to be attacked we must attack...
Source: Iron Kingdom: The Rise And Downfall Of Prussia, 16001947
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