TENSIONS between Poland and Russia recently reached new highs, but for Poland’s older generation the suspicion of Moscow goes beyond contemporary politics.
For Poles who grew up under communism, it may be too late to see their former overlord differently. But it’s also uncertain whether Poland’s young generation can ever look objectively at the Kremlin. Poland drew Russia’s wrath by agreeing to host part of a US missile defense system in return for military aid. While the US says the system is meant to defend against missile threats from “rogue states,” Russia says it’s aimed straight at Moscow’s arsenal of strategic nuclear missiles. Meanwhile, Russian’s invasion of Georgia was for some proof of Kremlin’s imperial ambitions and provided an argument for strengthening Polish defenses.
Georgia also triggered memories among older Poles of past interventions and Soviet aggressions. Whether they remember brutal communist crackdowns, long lines at the grocery store or the invasion of the Red Army after World War II, the elderly can rarely look at Russia without historical baggage.
Post-communist Poland joined NATO in 1999, and the European Union five years later. With a booming economy, it has shed the image of a struggling former Soviet-bloc nation to become part of modern Europe.
But many haven’t forgotten their country’s uncomfortable history with Russia: Grandmothers may joke with their nieces about disowning them if they marry a Russian, while middle-aged Poles may watch sports matches rooting for “anybody but Russia.”
“Poles hate Russians,” one man said at Warsaw’s central train station, declining to give his name. “When there was still the Soviet Union, the Soviets raped Polish women.” His younger friend cut in: “The years pass and things change, but let’s say this: I listen to my grandmother tell stories from the war, and I have to believe her.” Polish President Lech Kaczynski, during a recent trip to Georgia, evoked a troubled history by saying the days of Russian empire were over. He told a crowd that, “those times have ended once and for all,” while in Georgia, “our neighbors have shown the face we’ve known for hundreds of years.” And while young people might not remember the USSR, and in general have a more tolerant view of Russia, they still don’t look toward Moscow as they do toward, say, London.
“Young people don’t have anything against Russians. We have no hidden hatred,” said one young man who identified himself as Piotr Konrad. “But we don’t like the use of force, like in Georgia or Chechnya.”
Yet Poland’s friendly relations with Germany show history can be forgiven. Poles may remember the Nazi invasion, but they have a far less negative view of Germans today. Research shows that in the early 1990s most Poles were “afraid” of Germany, but in the last two decades the perceived threat has diminished with a simultaneous rise in fear of Russia.
