Anniversary of Soviet Invasion

Today is the 17th of September, the 83rd anniversary of Soviet invasion of Poland.

Soviets, hand in hand with their nazi allies, invaded and partitioned Poland. Let's not forget about it (as major internet portals in Poland seem to have forgotten).

Terrible thing should always be remembered.
It's also 19 years since Poland invaded Iraq

It must never, ever be forgotten.

They had a secret pact then. I hope nobody has a secret pact with r*SSia now or in the future. Poland was attacked yet came out stronger. This is a lesson that the world should pay heed to.

I agree Invasion should never be forgotten.

Nazi Germany and Soviet RuSSia were the best and loyalest allies at the beginning of the war. Today RuSSists are trying to minimise and whitewash this alliance but Poles are on guard and don`t let them. Ha!

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The invasion of Poland and the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact should never be forgotten. The second republic was an innocent party.

Should we be grateful to the Soviet Union?

youtu.be/ICTTaQfNDqA

You don't know how Poland would had fared without the Soviet Union, that's the thing.

IMHO there is no reasoned decision possible...we all know only the turn history took not what could have been.

Many (most?) say a rule by victorious Nazis would had been MUCH worse than everything the Soviets did or didn't do....so....

That's not the point, BB. The question was - should we be grateful?

OK, imagine a situation:

... there is a murderer in your house who already killed your grandma and clearly has intention of killing you, after he finishes with his other plans (stealing everything etc.) When it is about to happen, another bandit comes into your house - kills the murderer, rapes your wife, steals what the other one didn't, gives you a black eye, and stays for 50 years. Would you be grateful?

Would gratitude be the prevailing feeling in you???

@GefreiterKania
I am afraid, BB is right this time. russia was less harmful than Germany would be.

@Alien

Again, I will repeat - that is not the point here. The second bandit was certainly less harmful than the first bandit, but would you feel gratitude to the second bandit? Would you be grateful? That was the question.

@GefreiterKania
For saving the existence of the nation certainly yes.

Well.....in this case you would have been long dead without the second bandit coming and rescuing you, ensuring you are still alive 50 years later to discuss this question.

You and your family WOULD BE LONG DEAD! Easy....

That reminds me abit about the discussion about Gorbatschow recently....people arguing Gorbatschow was somehow still a bad man because he didn't liberate everybody and everything immediately but did some doubtful things before he did go on destroying the Soviet Empire, taking down the Iron Curtain, ending the Cold War, setting millions free in the end....

You didn't answer my question, BB. Would you - looking at your raped wife, stolen posessions and bruised face - be overwhelmed with the feeling of gratitude? Would you be grateful to the second bandit? Can anyone, please, give me the answer to the question that I'm actually asking? :)

P.S. Again, I am NOT asking which bandit A or B was better or less harmful.

Alternate history is great to read about orr watch in a film even about such a difficult event as this. Perhaps we could have a thread on alternate history and Poland.

The various alternate history fora have quite a bit about Poland, given its role in ww2. Plus plenty of cringe-making nationalistic stuff from yanks with Polish roots in which scores are settled and Poland takes over the world.

It can get quite involved and stressful though. This thread is maybe better for remembering a past which happened.

I thought I did?

East-Germans can pose the same question....Germany could have faced a much worse fate than we already did, maybe even deserved, so yes....in hindsight I can chose to hold grudges for the loss of live and home, for all the violations and humiliations, or I can chose to be grateful for what we still kept. I doubt there is one absolute answer for everybody....


Agreed....bowing out here!

Not really. You said that your fate would be better with bandit B than with bandit A. I asked: would you be grateful? Not "would you hate him less?", "would it be less harmful to you?", "would he do less terrible things to you?" No, I asked: W-O-U-L-D Y-O-U B-E G-R-A-T-E-F-U-L???

F*ck... my English must be really lousy, people just don't seem to understand my question. :-(

Okay.....let's see:

grateful
/ˈɡreɪtfʊl,ˈɡreɪtf(ə)l/

adjective: grateful

feeling or showing an appreciation for something done or received.

Yes, I would.....probably....maybe.....

*runs*

Thank you for your answer, BB. Finally! ;)

As for me, I would NOT be grateful to the rapist. I would console my wife, heal my wounds, regain my strength, and at the first opportunity I would kick the motherf*cker out of MY FUCKIN' HOUSE, no matter how "ungrateful" it might seem to the bastard.

I'm just casually mentioning this, because the question of gratitude would seem to be a recurring one, when it comes to Polish attitudes towards the Soviet Union. :)