Between July 30th and August 2nd, a number of ceremonies will be held in Warsaw to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, the last major battle that the Poles fought during the Second World War. The conflict resulted in the wholesale destruction of the Polish capital, and by the close of the war, some 800,000 Varsovians had perished.
Next month's ceremonies are poignant not only as they embody the last major anniversary when many veterans will still be present, but also as they represent a sea change in attitudes to the conflict, with light now flowing freely onto the Rising and its legacy.
During the Soviet era the Uprising was a taboo subject amongst the reigning elite, as Stalin's army had effectively abandoned the Poles at the crucial hour. The Soviets had reached the gates of Warsaw in time to aid their Polish 'allies', yet they did not venture into the city. The Germans were thus able to bring in reinforcements and crush the Rising.
For the Americans and the British, who were nervous of contradicting Stalin - their most powerful ally - there remain some uneasy truths. And Poland was later allowed to fall completely into Stalin's sphere of influence - the Polish government in exile remained in London until 1989.
Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, will be travelling to Warsaw for the ceremonies, as will the British historian Professor Norman Davies, who has worked hard to popularize the Rising and its legacy. Until recently the battle remained a little explored subject in the West.
The City of Warsaw has invested in an ambitious new museum that chronicles the experience of the Rising. It is located in a building that once housed a power plant for Warsaw's trams. 30 million zlotys have been invested in the project thus far. A commemorative park will be established alongside the building, and the museum will have its preliminary opening as part of next months ceremonies.
Back in July 1944, the Poles were poised at an agonizing moment. Experience had already proved that Stalin was no real ally of the Poles. Quite the opposite in fact. Thus if the Home Army managed to liberate their own city, or at least to play a major part in doing so, perhaps they would not be at the complete mercy of the Soviets. As historian Adam Zamoyski wrote of the conflict: 'For Poles, it is the subject of a never-ending conundrum — was the rising an act of heroic if doomed self-defence, a historical imperative, or was launching it an act of criminal recklessness, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands and the destruction of the capital? The arguments on both sides are such that no intelligent and honest person can embrace either view wholeheartedly to the absolute exclusion of the other.'
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