UKRAINE AND POLAND IN THE CONTEXT OF ITS HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE. WHETHER OR NOT THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE STEPAN BANDERA?

Abstract

For a few decades, Polish foreign policy was determined by the geographic location and a difficult to classify complex, at one time German, at another Soviet and, at times, by the both of them simultaneously. It was particularly apparent during the interwar period and it unquestionably affected Poland’s relations with its neighbours. Throughout the interwar period, they had an “increased temperature,” with the exception of Romania, whose border was considered as peaceful. Another problem of similar importance was the domestic situation of the country which maintained clumsy policy towards many national minorities. The author has drawn attention to some aspects of Polish-Ukrainian relations and has attempted to seek answers to one crucial question: why did Polish-Ukrainian border become an area of ethnic conflict that turned out to be so dramatic for both sides. The author believes that the present situation in Ukraine and Poland’s involvement in resolving it are not the reason why the historical truth about the massacres of Poles from Eastern Borderlands should suffer. There are reasons to believe that both sides contributed to the surge of nationalism, but the measures which were adopted were inadequate and had all the signs of organised genocide and ethnic cleansing. Ukraine has a sovereign right to honour its heroes. Similarly, Poland has a sovereign right to judge this tragic chapter in the history of both nations and to promote its own perspective.