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One thing that popped into my mind and that I thought to ask is; what do Russians and Polish people think of one another? Surveys regarding this topic will tell you the relations between the two countries are nothing but negative, especially now regarding the current situation in Eastern Europe. But when you examine the history of the two nations, it seems their relationship is indeed quite remarkable.
After WWI, the Poles had to fight for their very existance against the Russians, most notably in the decisive 1920 Battle of Warsaw, which despite having all the odds stacked against them, the Poles won. From there onward, it would be pretty obvious the Poles and Russians would have nothing but contempt for each other, but people often forget; in WWII, Poland was really the USSR's only ally for whom they directly cooperated with, as the armies of the two nations were the only allied belligerents who fought together side by side during the Eastern Front, which was the bloodiest and deadliest theatre of war in human history. Therefor both were also united in that they both knew their nations were the two most devastated by the conflict in Europe as well.
So with all these things considered, truly what do Russians and Polish people think of each other? I'd be curious to know, if anyone here is from either country.
Last edited by Doughboy1918; 05-22-2023 at 02:38 PM..
I meant on a more individual level, not a governmental one.
Back in Soviet times, people from different republics got along just fine despite obvious cultural differences.
Today, dude to politics things are a lot more different.
People from former republics still get along just fine with each other but they share a common resentment towards the obvious.
All former countries east of the iron curtain are happy they are no longer under Russian influence.
The Polish People’s Army fought alongside the Soviet Union/ Russia in WW2. This was a communist led army that was not in line with Poland‘s exile government.
I strongly doubt that Poles after the war trusted Russia/SU as the eastern part of the country was invaded by the SU 2 weeks after Germany invaded from the west. Poland was swallowed into the Soviet Union‘s extended empire and had to cede its eastern part for good.
Back in Soviet times, people from different republics got along just fine despite obvious cultural differences.
Today, dude to politics things are a lot more different.
People from former republics still get along just fine with each other but they share a common resentment towards the obvious.
That's not entirely true. People "got along" at the expense of the people from ethnic republics having to hide aspects of themselves and their culture, to avoid disparaging remarks from Russians. And some things, one can't hide, like an Asiatic appearance. People have told me, that when they were students in Moscow or Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in Soviet times, they would be the objects of ethnic slurs in public. One woman said, when she registered at university for her freshman year, the registrars didn't recognize her nationality (ethnicity) she'd entered on the registration form, so they registered her as Japanese. As a result, she was required to attend Russian language classes for four years along with the foreign students.
This fiction that "we all get along", which was required in Soviet times due to ideology (the solidarity of the working classes), continued long after 1991, at the expense of the Native peoples who had to play along with it. Anyone being out of step with it, simply acknowledging that there were issues, was labeled a troublemaker, some kind of fanatic.
Talking about the work being done at the UN to draft the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1982--2007) was taboo. Russia turned down visa requests by UN personnel involved in the process, to visit the many Indigenous republics and smaller Native populations with the aim of including them in the meetings working on the document. By keeping its Indigenous peoples in the dark about such important global events, Moscow hoped to maintain what it believed to be the good relationship between all of Russia's diverse peoples, and most importantly--to avoid more secessions.
I’m from one of the republics and we left when it’s started to crumble in 1992.
People got along same way people get along in USA more or less. Not to say there were not isolated issues like anywhere else. But it’s nothing compared to today.
Russia prospered a lot lately, but when small republics want to join nato to better themselves Russia doesn’t like that.
One Example. Georgia where the president is a billionaire buddy of Putin.
in WWII, Poland was really the USSR's only ally for whom they directly cooperated with, as the armies of the two nations were the only allied belligerents who fought together side by side during the Eastern Front, which was the bloodiest and deadliest theatre of war in human history. Therefor both were also united in that they both knew their nations were the two most devastated by the conflict in Europe as well.
Huh? They were neither allies or united. What the hell? Poland was devastated by both Germany AND Russia.
Russia invaded and occupied Eastern Poland in WWII (before Hitler in turn invaded Russia). During this occupation Soviet Russia murdered tens of thousands of civilians and POWs, they imprisoned hundreds of thousands more. Soviet troops murdered over 20,000 Polish officers and political prisoners in Katyn forest area alone in 1940. When Hitler retreated from the Eastern Europe and was occupied once again by Russia these murders and imprisonment continued. When the Warsaw uprising occurred against Nazi occupation, with what they saw as liberation just around the corner, the Red Army purposely stood down just outside of the city and let German forces slaughter and destroy Warsaw.
There were Polish troops that fought with Russia (many, ironically, POWs from the Soviet invasion), but only after being carefully purged of nationalistic/non-communist influences. They were commanded by Soviet officers mostly and carefully controlled by Stalin's political officers in the field.
My family is from Eastern Poland and lived through it. The worst days in WWII were not during Nazi occupation, but Soviet occupation. My mother cursed Stalin until her death. Screw Russia!
Last edited by Johnny Wadd; 05-24-2023 at 07:29 AM..
My family is from Eastern Poland and lived through it. The worst days in WWII were not during Nazi occupation, but Soviet occupation. My mother cursed Stalin until her death. Screw Russia!
My Polish father was appalled by my friendship with my German neighbor. She feared Hitler so much she left Germany before WWII. As a teenager, she came by herself, without knowing a soul here. It took a lot of moxie! Still, my father hated her and all Germans as did a Jewish-German man on our block.
My family lived outside of Krakow in Ukraine. The Ukrainians worked with the Nazi in rounding up the Jews and committed genocide against Poles. They wiped my grandfather's town off the map. My family was forced to migrant to west to Wroclaw after WWII. They had two hours to get ready and were allowed two suitcases each. They aren't fond of the Ukrainians either!
On a personal level, they hate Russian too. I can't tell you how badly this Ukraine conflict has affected them! Normally, it's easy to hate Ukrainians, but I guess memories of Soviet occupation are worse. The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Honestly, WWI began in 1914 and was started because Serbia wanted its own nation separate from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It's 109 years later, and Ukraine wants its own separate nation without any Ethnic Russians speaking Russian. Hence, the Ukraine conflict. It's the same old thing again.
Edit:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
By keeping its Indigenous peoples in the dark about such important global events, Moscow hoped to maintain what it believed to be the good relationship between all of Russia's diverse peoples, and most importantly--to avoid more secessions.
It's to avoid WWI again! There are 120 ethnic groups speaking some 100 languages live within Russia's borders. How could 120 nations be self-supporting? What about mixed ethnic group states like the Ukraine? More genocide and force migration like Poles in Ukraine? How much ethnic cleansing?
Last edited by YorktownGal; 05-24-2023 at 09:49 AM..
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