Krzysztof Ruchniewicz: The memory of World War II in Poland
A nation's perception of its own history affects relationships not only within its boundaries, but also those with other peoples. Memory of World War II is of particular importance in this sense. Memories of this period remain vivid for the more than 20 per cent of Poles who experienced it personally, as well as for all the others who learned about it through the accounts of family members. "The ever palpable results of World War II have led us inexorably to thinking and speaking about it for all the years since," wrote World War II historian Tomasz Szarota in 1996.
"To forget this period is to hinder the process of socialization of which not only schools, but also families, various organizations, and even the army are a part. Educational and training programmes place a special emphasis on the World War II period and on the occupation. Events and individuals connected to the war are ubiquitous, whether on TV, on the radio, or in printed media. The theme remains an important element in literature and science, in film, theatre, and fine arts. Not to mention the fact that political elements constantly instrumentalize it. Probably no other country marks anniversaries related to the events of World War II so often and so ceremoniously.[1]"
Szarota stresses the importance of public commemoration of the wartime struggle and suffering: memorial events held on the streets, in churches, and cemeteries.
"On these anniversaries, such sites of national commemorations are infused with life: they are turned back into an element of living history. Flowers, burning candles, white and red flags – they turn our thoughts to the past. Anyone who was not at Warsaw's Powazki Military Cemetery on All Saints' Day,[2] is not in a position to understand what it means to live for history.[3]"
In 1965, 1977 and 1988, college graduates were asked what events in Poland's thousand-year history they considered most praiseworthy. Poland's struggles during World War II always topped the list. And it would be no different today. As a poll has shown, most Poles still have a very emotional connection to those events. It is important to note that there is no difference between the generations in this respect. Younger and older Poles take a similar stance: 73 per cent declare that memory of World War II is alive and that it should be remembered.[4] That the percentage is so high is due in part to the special meaning the war holds for Poles. In general, Poles emphasize the fact that Poland was the first country to stand up to Hitler; that Poland did not produce any "quislings"; that their country developed both a powerful resistance movement and a full underground government; and that Poles bore the greatest loss of life, per capita. According to a survey from 1994, when asked to name the most important events of World War II, Poles placed the defence of Warsaw in 1939 and the battle of Monte Cassino in 1944 (in which Polish divisions participated) above the battle of Stalingrad and the landing of the Allies in Normandy. In his evaluation, T. Szarota confirms that this does not demonstrate the importance of the war experience for today's Poles, but rather their delusions of grandeur and their search for relief from the complexes that they have developed as a result of these events. "The immensity of one's own suffering blocks out the suffering of other peoples," writes Szarota....
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"To forget this period is to hinder the process of socialization of which not only schools, but also families, various organizations, and even the army are a part. Educational and training programmes place a special emphasis on the World War II period and on the occupation. Events and individuals connected to the war are ubiquitous, whether on TV, on the radio, or in printed media. The theme remains an important element in literature and science, in film, theatre, and fine arts. Not to mention the fact that political elements constantly instrumentalize it. Probably no other country marks anniversaries related to the events of World War II so often and so ceremoniously.[1]"
Szarota stresses the importance of public commemoration of the wartime struggle and suffering: memorial events held on the streets, in churches, and cemeteries.
"On these anniversaries, such sites of national commemorations are infused with life: they are turned back into an element of living history. Flowers, burning candles, white and red flags – they turn our thoughts to the past. Anyone who was not at Warsaw's Powazki Military Cemetery on All Saints' Day,[2] is not in a position to understand what it means to live for history.[3]"
In 1965, 1977 and 1988, college graduates were asked what events in Poland's thousand-year history they considered most praiseworthy. Poland's struggles during World War II always topped the list. And it would be no different today. As a poll has shown, most Poles still have a very emotional connection to those events. It is important to note that there is no difference between the generations in this respect. Younger and older Poles take a similar stance: 73 per cent declare that memory of World War II is alive and that it should be remembered.[4] That the percentage is so high is due in part to the special meaning the war holds for Poles. In general, Poles emphasize the fact that Poland was the first country to stand up to Hitler; that Poland did not produce any "quislings"; that their country developed both a powerful resistance movement and a full underground government; and that Poles bore the greatest loss of life, per capita. According to a survey from 1994, when asked to name the most important events of World War II, Poles placed the defence of Warsaw in 1939 and the battle of Monte Cassino in 1944 (in which Polish divisions participated) above the battle of Stalingrad and the landing of the Allies in Normandy. In his evaluation, T. Szarota confirms that this does not demonstrate the importance of the war experience for today's Poles, but rather their delusions of grandeur and their search for relief from the complexes that they have developed as a result of these events. "The immensity of one's own suffering blocks out the suffering of other peoples," writes Szarota....