Warsaw Rising monument
Posted on 05/03/2005 10:48:07 AM PDT by lizol
VE Day - why Poles have little to celebrate by Hélène Michaud, 3 May 2005
While the rest of Europe will be celebrating VE day with pomp and circumstance on 9 May, it will be a rather different story in Poland, where people have mixed feelings when it comes to the commemoration of the end of World War II. For the Poles, Victory in Europe 60 years ago not only meant victory over Nazi occupation, but also the start of half a century under the Soviet umbrella. Poles feel their suffering during this painful chapter in recent history should be acknowledged, officially at home, but also in Western Europe and Russia.
From a Western perspective, the only totalitarian regime that was defeated in the war was Nazi Germany, says Polish historian Dariusz Gawin: "But the sad truth about the last war, from a Polish point of view, is that the Anglo-Saxon allies - Britain and the US - concluded an alliance with a second totalitarian power - the Soviet Union - in order to defeat the first. The price of this victory was paid by Central and Eastern Europeans who were treated like bargaining chips in this process."
One of the most horrendous illustrations of the Polish tragedy is the crushing of the 1944 Warsaw uprising, in which 200,000 Poles were killed. It was a heroic struggle, by the Home Army, the Polish resistance group, to liberate the Polish capital from Nazi/German occupation. But it failed because of various military miscalculations, as well as global politics.
The Soviets stood by and watched how the Germans put down the uprising and destroyed the city. The story is told in a museum which Professor Gawin helped set up and which has just opened in the capital.
"Warsaw was stuck between Stalin and Hitler. For 63 days, it had to fight alone and was totally destroyed afterwards. Hitler was driven by personal hatred; for Stalin, the destruction of the Polish capital was a precondition for making the country a Soviet satellite."
National taboo The uprising is a story of courage, betrayal and flawed alliances. For many years, speaking about it was taboo in Poland. Officially, Poland's only enemy had been Nazi Germany, although in private, parents and grandparents made sure their children heard the truth.
Warsaw Rising monument
"Europe may have been reunited, but European memory is still very much divided," says Polish Euro parliamentarian and former leading member of the Solidarity trade union movement, Bronislaw Geremek. Mr Geremek and another prominent historian and MEP Wojciech Roszkowski, as well as other East and Central European MEPs, have been trying to put the question of historical responsibility for wartime wrongdoings on the European political agenda, but say they often face silence from West Europeans. This, they say, is explained partly by a desire on the part of certain countries not to antagonise Russia.
"We want a fair assessment of the role played by Poland in history. We didn't choose to become a Soviet satellite. We didn't choose a wasteful command economy that held back our economic development for decades," says Professor Roszkowski. Poland does not seek financial compensation, but 'emotional compensation'.
Ribbentrop, Stalin and Molotov at the signing of the 'Hitler-Stalin Pact' on 23 August 1939
On history's receiving end Today, Poles want to talk about the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, under which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided up Poland between them as part of an appeasement accord; they want to talk about the killing of thousands of Polish officers by the Soviets in Katyn the same year, they want to talk about Yalta, the Crimean resort where in 1945 the "Big Three'' - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - placed Central and Eastern Europe under Soviet domination.
Poles, explains Professor Geremek, are still very sensitive about the outcome of decisions which gave the Soviets control over a part of Europe "without asking the peoples what they wanted." Under the Soviet communist yoke, millions of Poles, including members of the underground army that fought against the Nazis, were imprisoned or deported to Siberia.
Communist trauma Poles are different from Western Europeans, says Professor Roszkowski, because they carry the traces of communism. "We are mistrustful, we are less organised, very emotional - there are a lot things that communism changed in our society. We are trying to overcome the burden of communism, but it's a very difficult thing." He says some Euro MPs are "totally ignorant" of Polish sensitivities about the official end of the Second World War.
"After all, it was a victory. So, why not go to Moscow and celebrate? But we have a different point of view, because it was our defeat in victory, we were defeated on the victorious side."
Bronislaw Geremek adds in the same vein that "Poland was on the good side during World War II and we have the feeling sometimes that we were victims of our successes. And of being on the good side and being punished after that."
"I'm saying it without bitterness, but it's in the interest of the future to point out that the West, and not only Russia, is responsible for the illnesses of the 20th century. Not only fascist Germany and Italy are to blame, but also the passivity of the West."
Past and present Professors Roszkowski and Geremek admit they are often seen as troublemakers within the European Parliament for raising issues highlighting deep East-West divisions on the continent. Keep your focus on the future, they are told; but the two historians insist that 20th century history is still very much part of their present. Wojciech Roszkowski:
"If you forget history, you lose a sense of responsibility. If you say it doesn't matter who did what, then you say it doesn't matter what is being done now."
Should Russia apologise? "It's not so important to say 'forgive us', what's important is to say the truth and accept it," says Professor Geremek. "If we want to build a common European future, it cannot be based on naïve, limited policies labelled 'Russia first', nor on historical amnesia." He and professor Roszkowski are determined to continue raising painful issues. "We won't keep our mouths shut, as long as we're not given fair treatment."
"Why Poles have little to celebrate"
And yet:....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1395966/posts
Good post. Thanks. We do tend to forget this angle.
Ping
Thank you for drawing attention to an important post that I had missed.
Thank you for this post.
The vaunted FDR (FOR WHOM MOST US POLES WOULD GO TO THE MAT) was "sick" when he gave away Poland et al to his favorite Uncle Joe.
It is time that US Poles wake up and understand that the Democrats have never been on their side nor are the "benefits" they supposedly engender a bit better for the Poles here than they are for the Americans "of color".
The Dems are users and abusers and deserve little regard.
I am concerned that the hapless Ukrainians will fall into the same ditch since Soros (the snake) has been active in their release from tyranny.
Patton would have taken care of the problem if we let him.
Western Europe: The Marshall Plan
Eastern Europe: The Marshall Stalin Plan
A separate peace at the end of WW1 helped set the stage for WW2. Did the separate peace at the end of WW2 set the stage for WW3?
The Soviet "liberation" of Poland was a travesty, but sadly there was little FDR and Churchill could have done to stop it from falling under Russian control. Poland's location between Germany and Russia has always been a curse on that nation.
Pat Buchanan was right!
RE: Communist trauma Poles are different from Western Europeans, says Professor Roszkowski, because they carry the traces of communism. "We are mistrustful, we are less organised, very emotional - there are a lot things that communism changed in our society. We are trying to overcome the burden of communism, but it's a very difficult thing." He says some Euro MPs are "totally ignorant" of Polish sensitivities about the official end of the Second World War.
I will write it with courage. The conquest of Poland, part of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (not to mention, until their own independence, part of Austria) by the USSR was an overt attempt to push the boundary between East and West, westward. As of 1600, the boundary was within Great Russia, no small thanks to the Polish-Lithuanian Confederation and the Holy Roman Empire. As of 1800, the East had made their initial Westward push, partitioning Poland down the middle (but not yet able to carve away the Holy Roman Empire). As of the end of WW1, the West pushed back, reclaiming the northern plains and restoring Poland to statehood. As of 1945, woe to the West. As of today - let us pray that the boundary can be maintained! God Save Poland!
Aaamen!
Poland's victory was deferred until 1989.
"I'm saying it without bitterness, but it's in the interest of the future to point out that the West, and not only Russia, is responsible for the illnesses of the 20th century. Not only fascist Germany and Italy are to blame, but also the passivity of the West." ===
True. But not "Russia" - Soviet Union.
Well--Soviet Union is gone and Soviet Union was pretty much Russian Empire (the same territory minus Poland and Finland) with Marxism-Leninism as an official ideology. Russia was the center and the major component of USSR. You can't separate history of Russia from the history of Soviet Union.
Hopefully Russia sooner rather than later will look honestly into its past. I don't think its possible with Putin regime, but Putin is not forever too.==
Serge why is this patetism? Who in today Russia are disagree that creation of socialist camp wasn't good for eastern europians?
It was bad for Russia too.
Since it was russian oil and gas and other valuble resources was thrown away for nothing into tube of so-called "mutual economic cooperation counsil".
Those eastern europians lived better then russian people and they was still dissatisfied. Then what we may tell about opinions of russians? Even worse I would say.
Until recently russian resources was squandered. It until recently Russia got rid of so-called "friends" to feed and started to get real money for her merchandises.
Soviet Union was pretty much Russian Empire ==
It is same like British Empire with indians as first nation and indian from India as british king.
When we will see such "Brutish Empire" THEN we may tell about Soviet Union "is" Russian Empire.
BUT I beleive that we will never see this kind of empire anymore.
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