Czasopismo
Tytuł artykułu
Autorzy
Warianty tytułu
An atrocity that Ought to be Acknowledged and Remembered by the World, Especially by Poles and Russians
Języki publikacji
Abstrakty
The origin of the Katyn atrocity was the bilateral agreement signed between Germany and the Soviet Union in Moscow on August 23, 1939, and the confidential supplementary report attached to the agreement. The pact resulted in the partitioning of Poland, beginning on September 1, 1939, with the German attack on Poland, in which the armed forces of the Soviet Union played a part (beginning on September 17, 1939). Due to the numerical and military superiority of the invaders and the passive stance of Poland's western allies, the resistance of the Polish Armed Forces was broken, and around 250,000 soldiers, including 15,000 officers, were taken captive by the Soviets. The officers were placed in three special camps in Kozielsk, Starobielsk and Ostaszkow, where they remained until early April, 1940. Thereafter, on the basis of a decision made by the Soviet government on March 5, 1940, they were condemned - without court verdict - to execution by firing squad. This sentence was carried out simultaneously in the three camps. The technique used in shooting the officers was identical: a shot to the back of the head or neck. The bodies of the murder victims were stacked in mass graves. The graves of the executed captives are located as follows: those from the camp in Kozielsk are in Katyn Forest near Katyn; those from the camp in Ostaszkow are in Charkow, while those from the Starobielsk camp are in Miednoje. This murder constituted the planned, physical destruction of the Polish intelligentsia. The problem of the Katyn atrocity was a taboo subject in both Poland and the Soviet Union prior to the period of socio-economic changes in these countries. At present, the illumination of the whole truth regarding this atrocity is still attended by vague obstacles. Some historians, and much of the public, sees a chance to accelerate the explanatory process in the catastrophe of April 10, 2010, when a plane carrying the President of the Republic of Poland and his delegation to an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn atrocity crashed not far from Katyn. This fact, apart from its unique symbolic significance, has tested Russia's credibility in numerous ways. The results of this test will no doubt allow the world to answer the question regarding the differences in mentality and consciousness of the former Soviet and current Russian government. It would be good if, on this occasion, the existence of psychological mechanisms making the current leaders dependent on the doctrines of their predecessors were not asserted.(original abstract)
Słowa kluczowe
Czasopismo
Rocznik
Tom
Strony
297--316
Opis fizyczny
Twórcy
autor
- SWSPiZ Warszawa
Bibliografia
- Gryf (1982), Zbrodnia katyńska w świetle dokumentów z przedmową Władysława Andersa, Londyn.
- Materski W. (2008), Katyń... nasz ból powszedni, oficyna wydawnicza RYTM, Warszawa.
- Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej (1993), Żołnierze polscy - więźniowie NKWD w latach 1939 - 1953. Informacja o dokumentach uzyskanych w archiwach moskiewskich w okresie wrzesień 1992 - czerwiec 1993 przez Wojskową Komisję Archiwalną, Warszawa.
- Moszyński A. (1989), Lista katyńska. Jeńcy obozów Kozielsk, Ostaszków, Starobielsk zaginieni w Rosji sowieckiej, Agencja Omnipress-Spółdzielnia Pracy Dziennikarzy i Polskie Towarzystwo Historyczne, Warszawa.
- Niezależny Komitet Historyczny Badania Zbrodni Katyńskiej, Polska Fundacja Katyńska (2008), Zbrodnia katyńska między prawdą a kłamstwem, Warszawa.
- Ośrodek KARTA (2010), Rosja a Katyń, Warszawa.
- Paul A. (2003), Katyń. Stalinowska masakra i triumf prawdy, Rada Pamięci Walki i Męczeństwa, Warszawa.
- ʺRzeczpospolitaʺ (12 kwietnia 2010 r.), List Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Pana Lecha Kaczyńskiego do Rodzin Katyńskich napisany w związku z 70-tą rocznicą zbrodni katyńskiej, strona internetowa, Warszawa.
- Wilamowski J. (2003), Kłamstwo stulecia: w cieniu Katynia, Agencja wydawnicza CB, Warszawa.
Typ dokumentu
Bibliografia
Identyfikatory
Identyfikator YADDA
bwmeta1.element.ekon-element-000171589647