Asked by l
Which nations lost territory and which gained territory in Europe during or immediately after the Second World War? Some may have lost territory in one region and gained land in another.
Lost territory:
Gained new territory:
1. Czechoslovakia
2. Finland
3. Romania
4. Lithuania
5. Poland
6. Soviet Union
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Short answers, then brief specifics for each country (territories named and recipients; key dates).
Summary
- Czechoslovakia: Lost territory (Carpathian Ruthenia → USSR); otherwise recovered territory from Germany after the war (i.e. returned to pre‑Munich borders).
- Finland: Lost territory to the USSR (Karelia, Petsamo, Salla, etc.); no lasting gains.
- Romania: Lost territory to the USSR (Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, Hertsa) and to Bulgaria (Southern Dobruja, confirmed 1947); regained Northern Transylvania from Hungary.
- Lithuania: Lost independence and was annexed into the USSR (became Lithuanian SSR); after the war the Lithuanian SSR included Vilnius region (given by USSR in 1939) and regained Klaipėda/Memel (from Germany).
- Poland: Lost its eastern regions (the Kresy) to the USSR, but gained large western territories from Germany (the “Recovered Territories” up to the Oder–Neisse line).
- Soviet Union: Gained substantial European territory — the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), eastern Polish lands (western Belorussia and western Ukraine), Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (from Romania), Carpathian Ruthenia (from Czechoslovakia), parts of Finland (Karelia, Petsamo), and northern East Prussia (Kaliningrad/Königsberg area) from Germany.
Details by country
1) Czechoslovakia
- Lost: Carpathian Ruthenia (Subcarpathian Rus') — annexed/incorporated into the Ukrainian SSR (1945).
- Gained/Restored: After WWII Czechoslovakia had its pre‑1938/39 borders (i.e. recovered territory taken by Germany — Sudetenland, Bohemia/Moravia). Only small postwar border adjustments with neighbors; no large net new acquisitions beyond restoration.
2) Finland
- Lost: Large parts of Karelia (including Viipuri/Vyborg and the Karelian Isthmus), parts of Salla, Petsamo (and a temporary Soviet lease of Porkkala) — ceded to the USSR under the Moscow Peace Treaty (1940) and the 1944 armistice; these losses were confirmed in the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty.
- Gained: No permanent territorial gains in Europe after the war.
3) Romania
- Lost: Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (June 1940) to the Soviet Union (later Moldavian SSR and Ukrainian SSR); the small Hertsa region likewise; Southern Dobruja ceded to Bulgaria by the 1940 Treaty of Craiova (confirmed by the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty).
- Gained: Northern Transylvania was returned to Romania from Hungary in 1944–47 (finalized by the 1947 peace treaties).
4) Lithuania
- Lost: Independent statehood by Soviet occupation and annexation (June 1940 → Lithuanian SSR); as an independent nation it ceased to exist until 1990.
- Gained/incorporated into the SSR after the war: Vilnius region (transferred by the Soviets from occupied Poland in Oct 1939) and Klaipėda/Memel (restored to the Lithuanian SSR after Germany’s defeat). In short: loss of sovereignty; territorial adjustments left Lithuanian SSR with Vilnius and Klaipėda.
5) Poland
- Lost: Eastern borderlands (the Kresy: interwar eastern Poland including Lwów/Lviv, Wilno/Vilnius and surrounding areas) — annexed by the USSR in 1939–1945 and incorporated into Ukrainian and Belarusian SSRs (boundary changes confirmed in the postwar settlements).
- Gained: Large western and northern territories taken from Germany (Silesia, Pomerania, most of East Prussia’s southern part, the former Free City of Danzig area, etc.) — Poland’s borders shifted west to the Oder–Neisse line (Potsdam 1945 and subsequent treaties).
6) Soviet Union
- Lost: No significant European territorial losses as a result of WWII; it substantially increased its European territory.
- Gained: The Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania — annexed 1940, re‑established under Soviet control 1944–45 and retained after the war), eastern Poland (western Belorussia/western Ukraine), Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (from Romania, 1940), Carpathian Ruthenia (from Czechoslovakia, 1945), parts of Finland (Karelia, Petsamo, etc., ceded 1940 and 1944), and northern East Prussia including Königsberg (Kaliningrad Oblast) from Germany (1945).
If you want, I can produce maps or a timeline showing each territorial change (who lost what to whom and the treaty/armistice that fixed it).
Summary
- Czechoslovakia: Lost territory (Carpathian Ruthenia → USSR); otherwise recovered territory from Germany after the war (i.e. returned to pre‑Munich borders).
- Finland: Lost territory to the USSR (Karelia, Petsamo, Salla, etc.); no lasting gains.
- Romania: Lost territory to the USSR (Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, Hertsa) and to Bulgaria (Southern Dobruja, confirmed 1947); regained Northern Transylvania from Hungary.
- Lithuania: Lost independence and was annexed into the USSR (became Lithuanian SSR); after the war the Lithuanian SSR included Vilnius region (given by USSR in 1939) and regained Klaipėda/Memel (from Germany).
- Poland: Lost its eastern regions (the Kresy) to the USSR, but gained large western territories from Germany (the “Recovered Territories” up to the Oder–Neisse line).
- Soviet Union: Gained substantial European territory — the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), eastern Polish lands (western Belorussia and western Ukraine), Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (from Romania), Carpathian Ruthenia (from Czechoslovakia), parts of Finland (Karelia, Petsamo), and northern East Prussia (Kaliningrad/Königsberg area) from Germany.
Details by country
1) Czechoslovakia
- Lost: Carpathian Ruthenia (Subcarpathian Rus') — annexed/incorporated into the Ukrainian SSR (1945).
- Gained/Restored: After WWII Czechoslovakia had its pre‑1938/39 borders (i.e. recovered territory taken by Germany — Sudetenland, Bohemia/Moravia). Only small postwar border adjustments with neighbors; no large net new acquisitions beyond restoration.
2) Finland
- Lost: Large parts of Karelia (including Viipuri/Vyborg and the Karelian Isthmus), parts of Salla, Petsamo (and a temporary Soviet lease of Porkkala) — ceded to the USSR under the Moscow Peace Treaty (1940) and the 1944 armistice; these losses were confirmed in the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty.
- Gained: No permanent territorial gains in Europe after the war.
3) Romania
- Lost: Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (June 1940) to the Soviet Union (later Moldavian SSR and Ukrainian SSR); the small Hertsa region likewise; Southern Dobruja ceded to Bulgaria by the 1940 Treaty of Craiova (confirmed by the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty).
- Gained: Northern Transylvania was returned to Romania from Hungary in 1944–47 (finalized by the 1947 peace treaties).
4) Lithuania
- Lost: Independent statehood by Soviet occupation and annexation (June 1940 → Lithuanian SSR); as an independent nation it ceased to exist until 1990.
- Gained/incorporated into the SSR after the war: Vilnius region (transferred by the Soviets from occupied Poland in Oct 1939) and Klaipėda/Memel (restored to the Lithuanian SSR after Germany’s defeat). In short: loss of sovereignty; territorial adjustments left Lithuanian SSR with Vilnius and Klaipėda.
5) Poland
- Lost: Eastern borderlands (the Kresy: interwar eastern Poland including Lwów/Lviv, Wilno/Vilnius and surrounding areas) — annexed by the USSR in 1939–1945 and incorporated into Ukrainian and Belarusian SSRs (boundary changes confirmed in the postwar settlements).
- Gained: Large western and northern territories taken from Germany (Silesia, Pomerania, most of East Prussia’s southern part, the former Free City of Danzig area, etc.) — Poland’s borders shifted west to the Oder–Neisse line (Potsdam 1945 and subsequent treaties).
6) Soviet Union
- Lost: No significant European territorial losses as a result of WWII; it substantially increased its European territory.
- Gained: The Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania — annexed 1940, re‑established under Soviet control 1944–45 and retained after the war), eastern Poland (western Belorussia/western Ukraine), Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (from Romania, 1940), Carpathian Ruthenia (from Czechoslovakia, 1945), parts of Finland (Karelia, Petsamo, etc., ceded 1940 and 1944), and northern East Prussia including Königsberg (Kaliningrad Oblast) from Germany (1945).
If you want, I can produce maps or a timeline showing each territorial change (who lost what to whom and the treaty/armistice that fixed it).
Submit Your Answer
We prioritize human answers over AI answers.
If you are human, and you can answer this question, please submit your answer.