would have had to terrorize Poles into becoming a puppet government or put their own Russians in place.
That's exactly what they did - it was a mix of Poles, Polish/Russian Jews, and Russians. Russian officers controlled the military positions while Poles and Jews controlled politics and state security. A high proportion of the leaders, especially in the UB of whom half were Jews, were those who fled Poland, went to Russia, and marched back in with the Red Army in front and later controlled the UB among other key posts. We've been trying to rid Poland of them and their vestiges since 1990. That's why Moscow is so upset that we destroy Communist 'liberator' symbols.
What about Bierut. He was Polish wasn't he?
Muscovite NKVD/GRU agent. He spent his whole life kissing Russian a$$ only to be killed by the Russian Commies he admired so much anyway. A traitor to the Poles, killer of AK members, coward who loved commies but hid from them during the purge, killer of clergy, and all around scumbag. This is why we want to eliminate any awards to such people.
And Gomułka
Same - Musvoite ass kisser who was brainwashed after his family was captured and exiled to USSR. Helped kill Polish AK members, clergy, true patriots, etc.
t's not just a question of 'western betrayal' but betrayal by some of your own people who colluded with the Soviets because they they themselves were Communists
Western Betrayal was just one of the many circumstances that resulted in Poland being USSR controlled for 5 decades. However, I can't really blame the West - it would've been nearly impossible to reconquer Poland from Stalin as Churchill wanted to in Operation Unthinkable but everyone was simple too weary of war and Allies had already agreed to the spheres of influence at Yalta anyway. The AK, the cursed soldiers, and others who supported the Polish government (which would later be in exile) were far more numerous than those who supported the Commies. As we know in history, numbers don't necessarily determine outcomes. The traitorous Poles and the Polish 'Muscovite' Jews who were allied with the Commies in Moscow came back to Poland especially after the uprising and the Nazis retreat and rolled right in, throughout all of Poland from east to west, and then into Berlin. The army led, the traitors from Poland (half 'Muscovite' Jewish faction, other half brainwashed subservient Poles and Russian officials) established state security - UB - half of who's leadership were Polish Jews from the so called Muscovite faction and other institutions. It was the same situation in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Baltics, etc. The Poles didn't want this but had no army to resist this. They were crushed by Nazis, then Russians, only to be taken advantage by Polish Jews and their brainwashed ethnic Polish friends who perhaps promised their families a few a loaves bread or two so they wouldn't starve.
As for reforms, the idea of 'subvert from within' was never really a coordinated effort with any serious momentum behind it.
It absolutely was -from Stalin's death all the way to solidarnosc being a formal legal party. There were reforms immediately following with the Kruschev thaw with the Polish October (led partly by Gomulka) to Solidarnosc to the gradual infiltration of more and more people in PUK/PZPR/etc along with negotiation with the Catholic church and solidarnosc and ultimate collapse of the commies....
Thereafter, Polish people simply accepted the status quo and adapted to it.
After years of WW2, millions of dead, invasion from two fronts, no help from the west despite promises by FDR, Churchill (who did far more than any other Allied leader since he saw how much Poles helped the Allies and appreciated it - as seen in his 'square deal for Poland' policies and operation unthinkable which sought to capture Poland from Stalin and let the AK/Cursed Soldiers/Government in Exile rule it) etc, it was simply that Poles gave up and were sick of fighting. They were sick of all the death and destruction around them and simply accepted their fate as a conquered people. They knew further resistance against their new Russian, Jewish, and brainwashed traitor Polish masters would result in death or label of an enemy of the state meaning no work, no food, and your family was screwed. Nonetheless, many patriots didn't give up the fight and it took us 50 years to prevail but we did.
again, this can be discussed in a separate thread... this one is about Polish-German reconciliation, reparations, etc.