Posted on 06/26/2018 6:43:56 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
While some frenzied protestors call Trump “illiterate,” Polish crowds were impressed at the American president’s depth of historical understanding in (last year's) speech delivered in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square. The place chosen for the speech was remarkable in itself and holds great significance for Poles. Trump chose to speak at the memorial to the Warsaw Uprising in the center of Warsaw which commemorates the battle to the death by the Polish underground, bedraggled, outnumbered, and deciding on one last stand against their Nazi oppressors in August 1944. They had little chance of winning and hoped that the Soviet promise to help them would eventuate (it did not). Even more they hoped that the Allies would help them (they did not, apart from a few brave individuals).
Poland faced its death throes as a free nation amidst mostly embarrassed silence. In fact, some of the media did speak in England under the influence of Philby-esque Marxism, and condemned their heroic resistance as they thought Soviet rule would be better for Poland and the entire world. George Orwell, almost a lone voice, defended the Poles.
The rest is history as we know—the Soviets waited for the resistance army to be decimated and for survivors to be taken to German work camps (as was my 16-year-old father) and then marched in with chants of “liberation” to a destroyed Warsaw.
From these dark days arose Karol Wojtyla, now Saint John Paul II, who saw the destruction of his country—and many of its artists, musicians, writers and politicians. He insisted that the final freedom of a human person—spiritual freedom—cannot be destroyed and roused the Poles from the ashes of bitter defeat in spiritual and cultural solidarity against the oppressors.
And here 73 years later, stood an American president, paying tribute to that fight against overwhelming oppression.
(Excerpt) Read more at crisismagazine.com ...
But then Trump did something even more dramatic in his speech. He linked this battle to the current battle for Western civilization itself. Guardian journalist David Smith found it puzzling that “Trump tried to conflate Poland’s Second World War history with the defense of western traditions.” To many it made perfect sense to make this speech at this precise monument. Especially when he said “Our two countries share a special bond forged by unique histories and national characters. It’s a fellowship that exists only among people who have fought and bled and died for freedom.” In what may well turn out to be the landmark speech of his presidential term, Trump made it clear that in referring to the Warsaw Uprising, he was speaking about the defense of Western civilization in the face of multiple destructive forces. As Charles Lipson stated of Trump:
His defense of the West was eloquent, going beyond prosperity and free markets to emphasize the rule of law, free speech, religious tolerance, and a wide range of cultural achievements.
Thus Trump was not only heralding long-term military and political support from NATO, but broadened his theme, speaking of the West as a community of nations, into which central Europe clearly fits, whose cultural center is its Judeo-Christian roots. Trump recalled the visit of the newly elected Pope John Paul II to Poland in 1979 before a crowd of 5 million, focusing on that moment when the Pope asked what the Poles wanted—they did not want money or privilege but they chanted as one “We want God.” It is surely unique that a political leader recalled this moment as a pivotal one in the nation’s recent history. It was certainly one of many pivotal moments in Trump’s speech and highlighted the fact that the survival of the West is based on its spiritual core, even if the battle seems lost at times. Trump grasped that the true victory of the Warsaw Uprising was 1989, decades later, when Solidarity made its stand in the spirit of the Uprising, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the end the spirit of the bedraggled, outnumbered fighters prevailed. History has a way of twisting apparent defeats into final victories. The Warsaw Uprising fighters, defending the spiritual core of their nation, are an emblem of our times.
Peter Beinart from the The Atlantic tried to denigrate the speech saying that “Donald Trump referred 10 times to ‘the West’ and five times to ‘our civilization,’” finding in this something jingoistic or racist. He contrasted this to Bush’s reference to “democracy” and “the sharing of civilizational values that are universal during the latter’s 2001 visit.” The attempted contrast strains and ultimately fails, as Trump’s comments are no less a broad championing of Western civilization as were Bush’s, in his reference to free speech, religious tolerance and “a wide range of cultural achievements…” What is different is that Trump’s speech has historical depth and a greater delineation of the current battle for the west’s survival. As Miranda Devine stated,
Trump understands that the greatest threat we face is from our own postmodern elites who want to erase the history, tradition and faith of Western civilisation, which they find shameful and inconvenient.
For the Poles here was a person who “got it.” More than any current leader Trump grasped the essence and scale of the conflicts in question. And if some complain that he consulted Polish-American historians, such as Marek Chodakiewicz, in the writing of it, then he must be accorded the wisdom of having made such a choice. After all, he did not have to give this speech. Trump chose to do it and ultimately selected what he wanted to say.
The timing and location of the speech was nothing short of inspired. Trump ended by saying: “let us all fight like the Poles—for family, for freedom, for country, and for God” saying the battlefield is now the mind, the heart and the will. The new Warsaw Uprising is the battle from within for Western civilization needing cultural and spiritual solidarity. And most of all, he says we can learn much from studying the Warsaw Uprising—most of all, never to give in.
~ W. Skowronska
Never give up, never give in.
Wow. Great post! Thank you!
Keeping in mind one technocrat’s statement that voting on being in the EU is against everything it stands for, I think this essay can be neatly juxtaposed to Blair’s comments about populism ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3666328/posts ).
It seems to me that against any defense of Western civilization against these self same elites mentioned in this essay, if Blair indeed wants to say populism would take us back to the 1930s, should be thought of in relation to two other dates to see how a 1930s sans the fascism actually stacks up:
The first is October of 1917 ... where the hearts of many of the elites mired in socialism and opposed to Christianity seem to lead ... only they seem to think THIS TIME they’ll retain control,
The second with relation to the Islam the high minded twits seem determined to import is the 29th of May, 1453, and the fall of Constantinople and all that came with it.
Is some return to some kinda hypothetical 1930s (again, sans Der Wanker and company) when nations had borders and Europeans had their own civilization really as bad as what the elites or their favored imported rabble would give?
Really, Mr. Blair?
Dear Poland and Eastern Europe: get out before the EU has its own army.
Ping. Exceptional article. A lot of food for thought.
Trump does grasp the threat to our civilization, not from external forces as the Poles faced in WWII, but from internal decay and weakness.
The psychological, emotional and political inability to resist invasion by foreign cultures. And the abject fear and hatred of our cultural history.
Oddly, I believe the Poles will find solace and brotherhood with Russia, not Germany...as was their original inclination.
But there are dumbassed Neocons that would rather see war.
Not going to happen, too much history between them.
I recently proposed to Bill that we may see the re-emergence of the Holy Roman Empire.
One of the great, but lesser known, Churchill quotes, from 10/1/39:
“The soul of Poland is indestructible... she will rise again as a rock, which may for a spell be submerged by a tidal wave, but which remains a rock.”
People tend to forget that after WW1 the Poles tried to grab more German land in Silesia (and were beaten back). Or that while the Germans rolled across Czechoslovakia, the Poles took the opportunity to invade and gobble up portions of Czech land in the east (which they subsequently lost when they were steamrolled by Germany in their turn).
No question the Poles suffered terribly under Nazi occupation. But Poland was by no means the most sympathetic actor in the lead-up to WW2.
Some of the gutsiest people on earth. A nation trapped and torn by two giants, but fiercely defending their pride and their traditions.
Jan Sobieski saved the West once. It looks like his countrymen may be the only thing that save Europe again.
Polska Bumpka.
Yep.
The Quest for freedom goes on.
80 years later, Stalin is moldering in a Christless grave, awaiting eternal damnation, while Poland is a free nation and holds on to Christian civilization.
Noted. but the least sympathetic was Woodrow Wilson and his meddling communist apparatchiks, who mutilated Europe and guaranteed WWII.
Read Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn’s Leftism.
Sophie’s Choice. William Styron.
Wow, great post, thank you.
Poland inspires indeed.
Trump chose to speak at the memorial to the Warsaw Uprising in the center of Warsaw which commemorates the battle to the death by the Polish underground, bedraggled, outnumbered, and deciding on one last stand against their Nazi oppressors in August 1944. They had little chance of winning and hoped that the Soviet promise to help them would eventuate (it did not).
It was not intended to. The Red Army was held back, in order to allow the Germans to destroy the Polish patriots. Thanks CondoleezzaProtege.
The Poles among the other formerly enslaved Warsaw Pact countries and conquered by Nazis very well may be the saviors of Europe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.