Martial Law in Poland - Anniversary

[Tomasso]

It's been 26 years from now but I still find it unbelievable!

On December 13th, 1981, a communist government rolled out its tanks against the nation, imprisoning thousands and killing dozens of people, in reaction to the revival of free spirit and thought.

A large civilized country in the very centre of Europe, boasting of its cultural and historical heritage... hard to believe but it really did happen - people were being terrorized, fired from work, blackmailed into cooperation with the Security.

Martial Law was called off some 18 months later, but many of its restrictions remained in force for years after.



Some stills from Warsaw and imprisonment camps can be seen here:
http://homepage.mac.com/zbigniew/past_present.htm

 

[jug]

back in the days when communist military govts thought they could use any means neccessary to keep control of a country. Jaruzelski was a Hitler-style leader imo.

 

[(CZ)enda]

AFAIK it is often argued that should Jaruzelski fail to show a "radical" action to Moscow, it would be Soviet tanks and soldiers rolling through the Polish cities.
It would not be for the first time, it had already happened in Budapest and Prague...

 

[jug]

i thought he only used that as an excuse and in reality there was no chance of a soviet invasion.

EDIT: hey (CZ)enda i've just noticed you're Czech, so i bet you really dont like Jaruzelski!!

 

[(CZ)enda]

EDIT: hey (CZ)enda i've just noticed you're Czech, so i bet you really dont like Jaruzelski!!

No, I do not

 

[FDF]

It was the beginning of the end for communism in Poland and Eastern Europe.

Keep your eye on Putin's Russia, I suspect he is not going to be good for European peace.

 

[jug]

i'd like to stick a knife in Putin's throat. i'm surprised he doesnt get on well with Bush, they're very similar people.

 

[Tomasso]

Good point - it is ARGUED - there is evidence of Soviet concentration at the borders. This may be a reason but not an excuse.

There are people in Poland, who tend to say that Martial Law was god for the country. They do not remember any of the humiliation and fear. There is no excuse for firing sharp ammo at people, torturing and murdering them, starving prisoners and separating mothers from their children.

Even today I've read an opinion of a guy, who says that "being operative" you could have gotten everything - ham, sausages and soap and he has good memories of these times. Well - that's a point from where you go straight to lack of respect for the others and their property.

General Jaruzelski was a GRU agent, noted in the KGB files ever since the forties. Quite recently there was further evidence discovered in the STASI files.

 

[FDF]

Russia is not a democracy, it is run by operatives of the old KGB with Putin in charge.

They nationalise all the independent media in Russia and possibly have a hand in killing a high profile journalist. They bully neighbouring countries by threatening to cut off gas and oil supplies if Russia doesn't get what it wants. This is not democracy, that is old fashioned dictatorship, Stalin would have been proud.

EDIT: Lets not forget the Livinenko murder, some think it could only have been possible with high level Russian government help.

 

[(CZ)enda]

They bully neighbouring countries by threatening to cut off gas and oil supplies if Russia doesn't get what it wants.

...and the oil/gas blackmailing is not the only means they use:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2081438,00.html

 

[jug]

killing women and childen is also a favorite, remember chechnya

 

[FDF]

There are now allegations that the events leading to the first Chechen war (ie. the blowing up of Moscow apartment blocks) was the work of the Russian secret service or renegades within it.

If that is true, Putin might have known about it, they say if things are going sour politically at home start a patriotic war, nothing like a bit of rabid nationalism to get the people on your side.

True what they say, patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.