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2.TheExternalRelationsofthePeople’sRepublicofPoland
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engenderedbythemammothbiological9andmateriallossesexperienceddidmuch
toreinforcePolishsubmissiontototaldominationbytheUSSR.And,leaving
asideanideologicaldesiretoimposethecommunistsystemonallitsneighbours,
theSovietUnionhadotheroldscorestosettlewithPolandinparticular,notleast
itsdefeatatthelatter,shandsinthewarof1919–1921,aswellasvariousother
complexes.
2.THEEXTERNALRELATIONSOFTHEPEOPLE’SREPUBLICOFPOLAND
TheresultofWorldWarIIingeneralsealedPoland,sfate,butparticular,more
preciseinfluenceswereexertedbythewayarmylineswereconfiguredonthevery
daytheThirdReichcapitulated,andbytheagreementsregulatingthewar,scon-
sequences(atYaltaandPotsdaminparticular),aswellastheUSSR,ssubsequent
violationoftheYaltaAgreementandtheactivityofthepuppetgovernmentinstalled
inPoland.Insuchasituation,neitherPoland,ssacrifices,noritsparticipationin
thefightagainstNazism,northewillofthePolishnation,couldbeofanysignifi-
cance.Indeed,alltheyinfactdidwastoheightenthesenseofdisasterandbetrayal.
WorsestillwasthetangibledeteriorationofrelationshipsamongtheAlliesfromas
earlyasin1946.ThisaboveallreflectedthepursuitofaunilateralpolicybyStalin
intheareastheRedArmyhadconspiredtofinditselfinatthewar,send.Thisin
particularentailedstateterroremployedagainstanyandallindividualsorgroups
seekingtoresistSovietisationoftheircountries.Itwasthuswithjustificationthat
Churchillbegantospeakaboutthe"IronCurtain”from1947onwards,thishaving
–asheputit–descended"fromSzczecinintheBaltictoTriesteintheAdriatic”.
ItsconsequencewasthesubjectiontodespoticandtyrannicalrulefromMoscow
ofwhathadbeenEuropeannationsoflongstanding.Inessence,thelevelsofterror
andenslavementweresohighthatcountriesfindingthemselveswithintheSoviet
zoneofinfluencehadnofreedomwhatevertodetermineeithertheirownpolitical
systemortheirownforeignpolicy.Ofcourse(cleverlyenough),afacadeofsepa-
ratestateidentitieswasmaintainedinternationally,butthesovereigntywasnothing
morethanaformalityarisingoutofthetenetofinternationallawthattheattribute
determiningstatestatusisthatitshouldenjoysovereignty.Ofcourse,sovereignty
understoodasastate,srighttoruleitselfentirelybyitselfwasnowheretobeseen.
Thiswasanotherreasonwhyitwouldbeentirelyinappropriatetospeakofthestates
inquestionhavingaforeignpolicy.Thedegreeofdependenceonoutsideinfluences
wasjusttoogreatforanythingofthekind.Allthatwaspossiblewassomekindof
maintenanceorsubsistingofrelationswithotherstates.Furthermore,Poland,sloca-
9Thetollinhumantermswasallthegreatersinceitwasexactedwithinthenation,selitemorethan
anywhereelse.Therewasalsoobviouslyanear-totalannihilationofthePolishpopulationofJewish
origin,whichhadbeenexceptionallyactiveinbotheconomicandculturalspheres.