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Rewriting History: The Soviet Union in WWII

By Doug Bandow on 8.31.09 @ 6:56AM

Extraordinary. Tomorrow is the 70th anniversary of the greatest conflict in history. And who will be on hand in Poland to commemorate the date? Vladimir Putin!

Writes Stevan Wagstyl of the Financial Times:

Vladimir Putin is due in Poland on Tuesday to stand with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Polish leaders to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start of the second world war. But this show of unity belies deep divisions about the war, its causes and its consequences. Even today, the debate remains a fraught public issue, which politicians do not leave to historians - especially not in eastern Europe.

Germany has accepted responsibility for starting the war, so Angela Merkel's presence is appropriate. But Moscow continues to present itself (as the principal successor to the Soviet Union) as a victim. Tell that to the Poles. After all, the Soviets waited only a couple weeks while the Nazis destroyed the Polish military and then invaded from the east.

Also on the Soviet menu were Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which the U.S.S.R. absorbed. And Finland, which was forced to yield part of its territory.

Right, a victim of aggression!

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

Richard Baker| 8.31.09 @ 8:27AM

Putin will be present standing in for Stalin who was unavoidably detained.

Cris Worth| 8.31.09 @ 8:36AM

For dessert the USSR seized Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertza region from Romania in 1940. The Russians then picked their teeth by slaughtering thousands of Poles in the Katyn forest.

Tim| 8.31.09 @ 8:39AM

Will Vlad be commemorating the attack on Finland?

gjdagis| 8.31.09 @ 9:16AM

The Russians are still liars like they have been since 1917. Just goes to show you what a horrible system socialism is !

kingsmill| 8.31.09 @ 12:54PM

Will Putin be visiting the Katyn forest (site of the Soviet slaughter of Polish officers and leadership class)?

James| 9.2.09 @ 5:47AM

Soviet Union may have played a role in the beginning of the WWII and atrocities were true, there are parallels between Nazi and Stalin regimes. BUT if not for the Union and 40 million Soviet people killed in the war Europeans and potentially Amricans right now would have been wearing Nazzi swasticas on their foreheads and leaving lives of George Orvell's 1984 novel style. There are no black and whites in history, mind that or go and tell the 40 million families that they were are not the victims. Russia condemned the Molotov secret pact (which includes all that happened to Poles and others after) as immoral what else do you want?