Bobko
1 Sep 2024
History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [454]
This is 40 years later. A new elite emerged, or was "regenerated" from the ashes of the old one. But in the aftermath of the war, Poles had truly been decapitated. Just like in many other places.
The religiosity and preservation of culture is no surprise - there was no goal to erase it. That was in the 1920s, and in Russia, and the Bolsheviks gave up on that quickly. By WW2, religion was if not encouraged, then easily tolerated. Stalin felt it helped the fighting spirit of the men. He also then reinstated many imperial era awards and even brought back many officers who earlier would have never been allowed to get near command. He started to speak to the people in the manner of Tolstoy. The names of Kutuzov and Suvorov were returned, and even the name of the war became the same as the Napoleonic one - "Великая Отечественная Война». Even Stalin understood that nobody wanted to die for ideas of Bolshevism.
It's also a testament to the fact that the autonomy of the "satellites" was not inconsiderable.
The same in the USSR, a new generation had grown up by 1989 - which did not know the meat grinder.
Still there are scars even to this day, and I think there will be for a long time. The culling of the elites has an echo effect through the generations.
So how do you explain mass strikes and the Solidarity movement
This is 40 years later. A new elite emerged, or was "regenerated" from the ashes of the old one. But in the aftermath of the war, Poles had truly been decapitated. Just like in many other places.
The religiosity and preservation of culture is no surprise - there was no goal to erase it. That was in the 1920s, and in Russia, and the Bolsheviks gave up on that quickly. By WW2, religion was if not encouraged, then easily tolerated. Stalin felt it helped the fighting spirit of the men. He also then reinstated many imperial era awards and even brought back many officers who earlier would have never been allowed to get near command. He started to speak to the people in the manner of Tolstoy. The names of Kutuzov and Suvorov were returned, and even the name of the war became the same as the Napoleonic one - "Великая Отечественная Война». Even Stalin understood that nobody wanted to die for ideas of Bolshevism.
It's also a testament to the fact that the autonomy of the "satellites" was not inconsiderable.
The same in the USSR, a new generation had grown up by 1989 - which did not know the meat grinder.
Still there are scars even to this day, and I think there will be for a long time. The culling of the elites has an echo effect through the generations.
