Wyzwoliciele, sojusznicy czy okupanci? Armia Czerwona na niemieckim Górnym Śląsku w 1945 roku w świetle współczesnych badań historycznych
Liberators, allies, or invaders? The Red Army on the German Upper Silesia in 1945 in light of contemporary historical studies

Author(s): Ryszard Kaczmarek
Subject(s): Sociology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: Upper Silesia was a unique region in 1945, for before World War II its part (Opole Silesia)belonged to the Third Reich, while another part (the Silesian voivodeship) to the Polish State.The consequences of the Red Army entering Upper Silesia are interpreted according to the representedpolitical perspective: in the two extreme cases either as an element of the anti-Nazicoalition’s fight with Nazism (in which case the Red Army is seen as a liberating army), or asa part of the process of building the Soviet empire after the war in Middle-Eastern Europe (theArmy is viewed in Upper Silesia as an invading enemy army). This dispute, however, is not entirelyhistorical in character; rather, it is still relevant in the political context. It refers to questionsfundamental in the entire post-war history of Poland, that is, the interpretation of thesovereignty of the Polish People’s Republic, as well as to the ways of settling issues of nationalityin post-war Poland. The article makes an attempt at answering these questions from the historicalperspective.

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