Case Study of Poland's treatment by Communists

Question 1

What was the Polish position during WW1?

Answer 1

-Russian army defeated by the Germans and Austrians
-by 1915 free from Russian control

Question 2

Which treaty granted the Poles formal independence during WW1?

Answer 2

-The treaty of Brest Litovsk

Question 3

What happened with Poland during the civil war and Lenin?

Answer 3

-red army major defeat in 1920 trying to reclaim
-Lenin said he was ‘freeing the proletarliat’
-Armistace- polish independence + ukraine and Belorussia under polish authority.

Question 4

Why was Poland a target for Nazi Germany during the 1930s?

Answer 4

-expansion
-space for growing German population.

Question 5

What was agreed between Russia and Germany in 1939?

Answer 5

-nazi- soviet pact
-Nazi Germany and USSR would divide up Poland.

Question 6

What happened on the 1st September 1939 between Nazi’s and Russians?

Answer 6

-Nazi Germany invaded Poland and on 17th- USSR invaded from the east.

Question 7

How many Polish civillians were murdered by the Russians during the Russo-Nazi invasion?

Answer 7

-150,000

Question 8

Where did the Polish government flee to after the invasion in 1939?

Answer 8

-London.
-aim for no territorial losses after ww2

Question 9

What was the Katyn massacre of WW2?

Answer 9

-over 4000 polish offers murdered by the soviet secret police (deprive of millitary talent)
-USSR said London Poles who wanted investigation were Nazi collaberators.- ruined relationship.
-similar to 1863?

Question 10

What happened in the summer of 1944 between the poles, russians and Germans?

Answer 10

1. Russian forces pushing Germans back through Poland
2. Polish home army uprising to liberate from Germans
3. Stalin ordered his troops not to help and let Germans liquidate home army (easier for them lt).

Question 11

What were the main WW2 post- war treaties?

Answer 11

-Yalta
-Potsdam

Question 12

When was the Yalta conference?

Answer 12

February 1945

Question 13

What happened at the Yalta conference?

Answer 13

-allied leaders met to discuss Eastern Europe
-Stalin demanded Poland be moved eastwards along curzon and the country be governed by a soviet regime.
-Churchill agreed- 2M poles along curzon line expelled.

Question 14

What happened to the London poles after the Yalta conference?

Answer 14

-abandoned.

Question 15

When was the Potsdam agreement?

Answer 15

July 1945

Question 16

What happened at the Potsdam agreement?

Answer 16

-split germany into 4 and gave russia east

Question 17

What was set up in Februrary 1947?

Answer 17

-provisional constitution- set up a council of state.
-dominated by stalinist socialist workers party.
-1948- only party to vote for

‘renamed people’s republic of Russia’

Question 18

What happened to members of TU’s,the church and workers after the establishment of the provisional constitution?

Answer 18

-arrested
-30,000 workers strike- quickly rounded up and sent to concentration camps

Question 19

What happened when Stalinist leader of Poland died (under Khruschev)?

Answer 19

-demonstrations began in Pozhan- 100k turned up.

Question 20

How did Khruschev put the demonstrations down in Pozhan?

Answer 20

-100 tanks Polish people’s army restored order
-57 dead.

Question 21

How did Khruschev grant some autonomy to Poland?

Answer 21

-Gomulka released + allowed to be pm
-allowed to leave collective farms.
-catholic church could teach religion again.