Poland in the Year of Anniversaries: Where is it all Going? Freedom and the end of the Cold War - what most people associate with the Fall of the Iron Curtain. The example of Poland shows that the recent anniversaries don’t evoke only good memories. By Marta Zieba With 2009 drawing to a close, now is possibly the best moment to reflect on this year of anniversaries from a Polish perspective. This is particularly valid as Poland has diplomatically been the focus of interest on numerous occasions; most notably when commemorating the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II and the 20th year of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Much attention has been paid to the latter issue; but to understand Poland’s present position in Europe fully it is also crucial to consider where it stands 70 years after one of the bloodiest wars in history began at 34
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its borders. The beginnings of the War are widely known; on September 1st, Nazis struck Poland. At 4:45 the German battleship Schleswig Holstein, allegedly anchored in a channel near Westerplatte for a friendly visit, opened fire at Polish garrisons stationed in the area, beginning the first battle of the war. It is here that each year commemorations of the event gather Poland’s political elites; this year, however, with European Heads of States and high officials being invited, the ceremony was just as prestigious as it was problematic. In face of the growing interest in
using historical revisionism as a political weapon in relations between Poland and Russia, attention was focused on Russian Prime Minister Putin; whether he would arrive at all and how he would handle Russia’s stance on our common history. The dispute and increasing tension between the two countries began as early as August 23rd, (the anniversary of the signing of the non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany) when Russian foreign intelligence premiered Wadim Gasanow’s highly controversial film, ‘The Secrets of the Secret Protocols’. The official production asserted