This idea ultimately didn't work in eastern Europe.
My family used to own some land but after WW2 it became Soviet territory and was lost.
We received some compensation eventually, but it was a pittance comparing to the original value.
My family used to own some land but after WW2 it became Soviet territory and was lost.
We received some compensation eventually, but it was a pittance comparing to the original value.
Not sure about Germany with its cycles of partition and unification but everything east of Berlin to the Ural mountains is out of the question.
Yup.
But even in previous eras that system of wealth preservation only worked when it worked. If the invading army was never expelled, your land could be lost. And carrying all those valuables around with you while fleeing, well I'm sure people still got robbed sometimes. So it wasn't a foolproof solution. But there were limited options, and maybe not a better options.
Even now, what's the solution for wealth preservation in times of upheaval and displacement? I have no idea. Right now most of us trust in the banking system to some degree and that's only good as long as the system stands. If it collapses we're all boned and might wish for a bit more art, gold, and land to fall back on.
I'm more inclined to frame it in terms of an outdated, inegalitarian social order being overturned, resulting in massive upheaval and atrocities due to the power vacuum being rapidly filled again by the most ruthless actors.
That being said the compensation, IIRC, didn't cross 10k PLN, so divided between all people entitled it wasn't much.