Morality is not always the key to success...

Before coming to Poland I must confess I had quite a fascination for its history. For me Poland was like a boat caught in a very tough storm,  always bouncing according to the new leaders. Damaged during the Second World War, troubled by the long, almost never ending communist era, Poland survived.

But for its strength it had to pay a great price. Today, I want to talk about one of the dark spots from its history, the Katyn episode. I will start with the international context and reach the main issue in a short manner (I know that the text may not seems small, but my exposure is tiny compared to the level of knowledge out there, concerning this negative event). Why I am writing about this? Well, because I strongly believe that we, as humans should never forget our past and the ones that died for the pleasures that we, so much enjoy now...

A view upon the world

The world is a compound resulting from the mixture of good and evil, Nietzsche said at one point that the universe can’t exist without one of these.  He insisted on the idea that a society can’t progress without "bad" because good is platonic, it can’t create. A happy society will continually strive to perpetuate its happiness and be content with it, without seeking other existential reasons. . A society with happy people is not just boring, but, also it lacks evolution, it’s stuck in the same state, unwavering in its goal to remain the same.  Man dreams forced by the existence of  "evil", regardless of where it comes, whether financial, social, political, familial, shortages determine human beings to seek answers and fight for their ideals.  For the path that he chooses and how he acts along the chosen road, he carries the entire responsibility, he is the only one accountable for his actions.

The making of a leader

History is built, on the complaints, the sadness, the drawbacks that people suffered, but also on the courage of those men and women that fought for the removal of all sorts of pain.  That is how leaders rose from nothing  and managed to make the mind of the majority obey the reasons behind their political company.  A good leader is one who manages to look like an ordinary citizen and one that promises to achieve the ideals of the nation. Obviously he plays in his ascension an important role, both politically and socially, the key is his ability to rise from the middle of the nation, to make the people believe that he is one of them, that he knows and understands their problems because he also had to face them.  He becomes the nation’s leader , the voice of the people, a voice encrusted in hopes,  but he reaches  the political apparatus, he is subject to compromise.  A leader can’t face the opposition if he doesn’t have the support and trust of the people.  

Such a leader that captured the mind of the people, in the beginning of his regime was Stalin, the well known Marxist-Leninist follower.  Even, today he is considered one of the most powerful figures of history, although his role was more negative than positive.

The Soviets

The Soviet regime was primarily based on big ideas, equality between citizens and rights for the classes oppressed by the Bolsheviks, the birth of a new man, a new class, the Proletariat, but each birth includes a high price. As Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden for daring to taste the apple of knowledge, so the birth of new regimes bathed in blood, people and nations.  The Soviet regime is no exception,  the teachings of Marx and Lenin implemented by all those who were in favor of the soviets stated that all of the persons who opposed the "new man" should be removed from society.  Marx believed that when  a social revolution takes place and a "class struggle" appears  between the different social classes, after the struggles and fights (either political, social, peaceful or violent), a new order is formed and to have this new order, the "old" must be removed, broken from its  root.

The goal of such interventions on the human spirit is not only to stop any attempts of revolt against the new order, but also to generate a new spirit, one obedient. A regime in which man is no longer seen as an individual, but as part of a company for which he must produce, for which he must be useful.  

Stalin 

After Lenin's coming to power in 1917, in Russia is established such a system, one based on the community / on the so-called "general good". The soviets try to implement a device that thinks for the people, the government becomes the key, the man has to support and sacrifice everything for his state. In 1924, with the death of Lenin, the Sovietization of Russia continues under the guidance of a recognized political figure, who’s military capability and cruelty is recognized even in contemporary times, Stalin.

Russia still considers him as one of the best leaders and, of course, he is viewed by many as the liberator of Europe from the Nazi regime.  Stalin committed indescribable horrors to achieve his goals. He did evil under the explanation of doing good, evil needed to be used to get rid of greater evil.  

The communist machine killed over 11 million people through the famine that they caused in Ukraine between the years  1932-1933 and more people through the deportations, murders, genocide and other crimes against humanity. His trump card, the ability to manipulate and the strength to always put himself in a favorable context.  One of the episodes that show his brutality and manipulating ability is the Katyn forest massacre.  Here, between April 3 and May 9, 1940, around 22. 000 prisoners and Polish civilians were killed by Soviet secret police without being prosecuted or convicted by a court of justice. They were shot in the back of the head and then buried in mass graves.  Considered "inferior",  unworthy, they were supposed to be wiped from the face of the Earth, and how could the Soviets do such extermination without the public’s knowledge?

Covering up the truth

They found the perfect criminal, already known for its brutality, the Nazi regime and the person of Adolf Hitler.  They accused the Germans of committing the crimes and hid their traces, they  were essential to Europe in terms of strategic resources, so no one questioned the guilt of the Germans, no state doubted the innocence of the Soviets.  Why did they remove the Poles? Because they were intellectuals who would not be subject to the Soviet regime, because they were fighting against it and as long as there was hope of new leaders, the Polish population that Stalin wanted to submit would have denied its values.  The dead people killed during the Katyn forest massacres left this world taking the secret of their death with them, leaving their families to seek justice. Katyn murders were not recognized by the Soviets at the end of World War II. Only after 70 years after the massacre, the Russians recognized that Stalin is to blame for the terrible events.  But so far the Russian state hasn’t written any apology letter to the Polish state, through which they would officially recognize their fault and was not held accountable the committed crimes. No state arose against "the Russian killing machine", no one showed it as gulity and the Russians did not pay for the blood shed.

How guilty is a nation for the crimes ordered by its leader?

Difficult to answer, if we consider the internal terror implemented by Stalin, who killed all those who opposed his regime, then the fact that the Russian nation did not respond to these horrible events may be justified, but on the other hand it is very easy to throw the blame on a single individual and say, "this is the culprit", especially given that he no longer exists, so in this way you completely exonerated the nation of the blame.  John Stuart Mill said that any action must be judged by its results, and if we take the results, the death of more than 20,000 Polish intellectuals in Katyn forest  then the deed is irrevocable a "bad" one in human terms, but politically the situation is quite different . Often in political science it is argued that the nation gives birth to the leader because it is not able to make difficult decisions,  that ordinary individuals could not make.  The leader is responsible for the decision, but this decision is made with the consent of the people who confer the leader his status.  If we look at the situation form the political angle we could find more ways to exonerate the Soviets for their decisions.

The first argument is considered, according to some researchers, that Stalin wanted to standardize Polish society and could not do that because he always faced the intellectuals opposition , and the second argument is viewed in the conservation of resources. They lacked the sufficient resources needed to carry and support with food both the Poles taken as prisoners of war and their own troops.

But whatever the reasons behind the crimes, we must find no honorable justification.  One of the first commandments given by God to Moses, says the following, "do no harm, to you and to your neighbor." How much  is this principle applied alongside with the others  transmitted to humanity through holy books or regular ones? I wonder if the world can exist without "bad"?  The human mind structured on the good-evil dichotomy, each defined by the manner in which it was reached, meaning that good is achieved through good deeds, while bad, through the opposite.  I wonder if today's world would be what it is without the "evil"? Did we have to pass through the Katyn episode to expose the Russian brutality and Machiavellianism.

Who assumes responsibility for the crimes?

Silence, Russian leaders have denied all involvement in SS Katyn massacre, even though the evidence and testimonies of the survivors are more than conclusive. Contemporary Russia admits involvement, but it didn’t give Poland any financial compensation, moreover many Russians today are convinced that Stalin did what he did for their own good.  This means that the good of one nation is above the others? Means that there are privileged classes?

Where did the Russian power came from and why weren’t they punished?

Russia has had an important role in Europe,  it is still a military power that few dare to attack, and its power to deny the events that happened in Katyn was generated by the indifference of the West, who preferred not to get involved, who stood and watched from the sidelines.

How should Russia be punished? Can a nation be punished?

I do not think that XXI century Russia must be held accountable, it is like saying that any Russian newborn should be punished for crimes that he did not participate in and in whose commission he had no involvement, but there are real criminals, out here. Where to find them? Many, according to U.S. researchers, who have dealt with the records and testimony of Katyn, have already died thus they can’t be held liable.

 Who should make right what occurred at Katyn?

Contemporary Russian state has this responsibility. The duty comes through history, the state must recognize the crimes and they should build monuments in honor of the dead.  They should name the guilty by decrees, in order to make them known to the world, also they should compensate Poland both financially and morally, but most importantly, the past must be revealed, released, to bring peace to the dead lying in unmarked graves.

And if the state doesn’t want to implement a policy of transparency and to acknowledge its mistakes then they must be ordered to do so by the nations of the world. They have to be brought before the International Court of Justice and forced to acknowledge their past and heritage, even if this involves,  as does the inheritance of each nation, some dark spots and negativity.

When and how these events will unfold?

Not clear and this will depend on the position that Russia will have in the world, in the global economy but in order  to avoid another massacre of this scale, people must know about the Russians past atrocities.  Morally it is the right way, the just one, but it may not get a state in lead of the Earth, while Machiavellian morality has proved more often that it is a key to infallible success. What should we choose?

(Pictures made by my dear friend, Giorgiana Astefanei - the pictures show a monument dedicated to this event, that I saw in Wroclaw, but such "mementos" can be seen all over Warsaw, as well as other cities.)

P.S.

There seems to be a museum in Warsaw, that tells the story of Katyn, as soon as I find the right address I will post it:D, so we can both discover the story from the "original source".  

Photo gallery