Memory and Suppression in 20th Century Poland and Ukraine
Open AccessUkraine and Poland are united in their experiences of totalitarian dominance and instances of collective trauma they experienced during the course of the 20th century. While over 30 years now separates today from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, memory of the Soviet period and of World War II remains a significant issue for the postcommunist societies of Central-East Europe. Poland and Ukraine each experienced their own tragedies under totalitarian rule. Totalitarian expansionism prior to and during World War II led by Adolf Hitler, and more notably for this region, Joseph Stalin fueled genocide, forced starvation, massacre as well as the total devastation of Poland and Ukraine’s demographic and physical landscapes. These brutal and horrific methods Stalin employed to establish control over and suppress dissent in Central-East Europe disrupted traditional networks of collective memory, threatening respective Polish and Ukrainian national identities and their societies’ historical constructs and understandings of themselves. Suppression of such monumental events of tragedy was a constant of Soviet policy in Poland and Ukraine. Not until the collapse of the Soviet Union could memory based on truthful, evidence-based history reenter into the public sphere, allowing long-suppressed memories of totalitarian injustice to surface and spread. Though Ukraine and Poland have both made great strides towards reestablishing rich collective memories which seeks the historical truth and remembers whose memories the Soviet Union tried to erase. Yet, the legacy of brutal suppression and Russification efforts in Central-East Europe during the 20th century have lasting consequences. With renewed Russian aggression reopening and supporting false narratives created under Stalin in this region, it is more important now than it has been in decades for Poland and Ukraine to work together against this common threat. Though there are distinct historical differences and animosities between Poland and Ukraine, the 20th century under totalitarian oppression linked Polish and Ukrainian experiences together. The similarities between the experiences the peoples in Poland and Ukraine are significant, and it is through these common memories of suffering at the hands of totalitarian expansionism that these two nations can form a more inclusive, international collective memory. In the face of foreign threats to truth and unique Polish and Ukrainian collective memories, international solidarity based on mutual sympathy and historical understandings between these two nations is the best defense against Stalin-era tactics repurposed by Russia. Totalitarian crimes in Central-East Europe were not nationally exclusive, so neither should the memory of these events. Stalin sought to divide the varying nationalities under his control, recognizing that nations divided were weaker than a united coalition of peoples. To remain at odds and not recognize the common plight of the other is to keep the region of Central-East Europe weak and divided, just as Vladimir Putting today, like Stalin last century desired. The historical foundation for a unifying international memory network already exists, due to the shared experiences under totalitarian rule. It thus falls onto the people of Poland and Ukraine to acknowledge their difficult and sometimes shameful pasts and to forgive and move forward together in unity and strength.
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