Can Poland communicate with Russia? The Russians who would be willing to do so are mostly surviving outside their homeland today. The civilizational divide between the 2 countries is huge, and the prospects for good relations – very low in the coming years. prof. Andrzej Nowak talks about this.
Prof. Andrzej Nowak spoke on the program “Cultivator” of the PCH24 tv with Filip Obara. He pointed out that in order to realize the difference of civilization between Poland and Russia, 1 must scope to the 10th century after Christ erstwhile Mieszko and Włodzimierz were baptized from 2 different sources. This combined with different identity choices. The division in Christianity has taken a very deep form since the 11th century, which had its consequences not only political, but besides cultural-civilization.
In his opinion, Polish border disputes with Russia were initially fought over areas without which both sides could live, specified as the Czerwieńskie Castles; the dispute became dramatically deep due to the difference in civilization, which in the following centuries has been compounded, leading to a situation where Poland becomes a ‘limes’, a borderline of Latin civilization, and on the another side the center of another civilization, which wants to destruct and defeat the second, is allegedly an improper way of knowing Christianity.
– This is how in the 16th century the thought of Moscow as the 3rd Rome, Moscow, which clashes with the Latin planet and treats the Polish-Lithuanian state as the main enemy or the main obstacle to Moscow's expansion as the center of global ideology – he said.
At that time, the dispute had a much broader territorial dimension – not about the Red Castles, but about the full immense area between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. – This dispute strengthens the meaning of the Polish-Russian conflict. It can be lamented, 1 can wonder if it could have been avoided, but this dispute existed; yet decided, as it seemed, in favour of Russia, which appeared at the end of the 18th under the motto of collecting Russian lands, through partitions of Poland.
As a consequence of the partitions, he recalled that Russia occupied a full of 82 percent of the territory of the erstwhile Republic of Poland, counting on what it had gained earlier. 2 answers were so possible: to accept this fact and to effort to scope a compromise with the stronger one, with the preservation of any cultural autonomy; or to fight for independency primarily with Russia.
These answers must have been different due to the emergence of Bolshevikism.
– What the Bolshevik strategy introduces is multiplying the difference in civilization and sharpening it to dimensions previously unknown said Prof. Andrzej Nowak.
He recalled Felix Koneczny's thesis, according to which Russia belongs to the Turkish civilization, whose Bolshevikism is simply a manifestation.
– I do not precisely share Felix Koneczny's view and the belief that we should always fight Russia and be enemies forever. Indeed, I am closer to the view of Marian Zdzechowski, who believed that Bolshevikism created something qualitatively new, with no comparison worse than anything that existed before. said the scholar.
When asked about the anticipation of building a proper, good relation with Russia, he responded skeptically.
– I can imagine them, I would very much like them; but I do not treat them as a real script for the coming months or even years. Putinowski's government succeeded in synthesising what is Bolshevik, with what is imperial-Russian; that is the essence of this government and the answer to the question of the origin of his mass support. Stalin and Kutuzov, Stalin and Catherine II are the large heroes of this vision. Russia, which derives satisfaction from subjugating others and fighting the West. Russia is not entering the West to regenerate it and introduce Christian civilization, but to destruct its eternal rival civilization. - He said.
– I have specified friends of the Russians – unfortunately, they are not in Russia at all, due to the fact that they emigrated or went to prison – who are besides reasoning about cooperation, about Russia's return to pre-bolshevik roots, in which this imperial pride would be limited, due to the fact that in the end it always turns out to be deadly to the Russians themselves. It is the Russians who pay the biggest price for Russian imperialism. I agree with Mackiewicz's thesis that Russians are the biggest victim of communism; yes, it is true He stressed.
– In a sense, however, they are a victim – and they want to be a victim due to the fact that they have comfort in having control over others. “We die, but we can kill Poles and others – this is our satisfaction that we are frightened of the full world” ... Not all Russians think so, but those who think differently and with whom we could build a Polish-Russian agreement are unfortunately inactive very few. My opinion is that we cannot forget them, but we cannot build real political hopes on them at the minute either. added the historian.
More in the video.
Source: PCh24 TV
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Professor Andrzej Nowak. POLICE TO RUSSIA: Realism or RUSOFOBIA?
