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MarekA.Cichocki
Poland–BetweenGermanyandRussia
DirectorAndrzejWajda’smovingfilmKatyń(2007)beginswithasceneinwhich
acrowdofciviliansfleeingtheapproachingWehrmachtcollidesonabridge
withastreamofterrifiedciviliansfleeingintheoppositedirectionfromthe
RedArmy.PanicandturmoileruptsonthebridgelthePolesescapingto
theothersideinSeptember1939realizethehopelessnessoftheirposition.
Theyhavefallenintothefataltraptheircountrymenhavebeentryingtoavoid
for200years.SqueezedbetweentotalitarianGermanyandtotalitarianRussia,
theyhavenochanceofescape.ThescenethatshowsPolesfleeingthemortal
threatfromthewestmeetingthePolesfleeingintheoppositedirection,from
themortalthreatfromtheeast,symbolizesPoland’sdesperategeopoliticalsitu-
ation,fromwhichthereisnoescapeandthat,intheyearsoftheSecondWorld
War,confrontedPolandwiththeprospectofannihilation.Theinterwar-eraSec-
ondRepublic’sattempttobalancebetweenwestandeast,betweenGermany
andSovietRussia,tobuilditsownindependentpositionleitherbymilitary
meansorbythepathofdiplomacylthesepolicieshadfailedandnownothing
couldprotectPolesfromcompletecatastrophe.
TheimageofthePolishnationcaughtbetweenthosetwopowers,Germany
andRussia,issostronglyimprintedinourcollectiveconsciousnessthatitfun-
damentallydeterminesourviewofourselves,ourplaceinEuropeandpossible
scenariosofthefuture.Thereisafairdoseoffatalisminit,aswellasthedesire
toliberateourselves.Fromthisperspective,the20thcenturypresentsitself
exactlyasAndrzejWajdashoweditinhisfilm:asatrapwithnoescape.Poles
becamethevictimsoftwototalitarianisms.ButissuchaviewofPoland’sdes-
tinyandhistory,throughthelensoftwoenemypowersandgeopoliticalfatal-
ism,entirelycorrect?IsthatallthereistotheuPolishquestion”?
