Poland and an Unsettled Bunch of Soviets (Reading Summary)

During the time of the "Solidarity" movement in Poland, Russia played an essential role in the handling of the situation. While in the past Russia has not been shy about quelling the small rebellions, this revolutionary movement gained a substantial amount of momentum during a period in which the Soviets did not want to have an open, military conflict outside of its own borders. Thus, the game began.

As the movement continuously gained support, Russia became more frantic. It started with subtle, passive-aggressive threats: "In addressing this letter to you, we proceed not only from our concern about the situation in Paternal Poland, about the conditions and prospects for further Soviet-Polish cooperation." At the time, the basis of the rebels' movement was the economic pitfall which was Poland; clearly by threatening to shutoff Poland from the "30 to 50 percent lower than world prices" Russia was setting,--only for Poland--it meant business.

Russia's reaction to Poland's further relative inaction was slightly less subtle: "We expect that the leadership of the PUWP and the Government of the Polish People's Republc will without delay take resolute and radical steps in order to stop the malicious anti-Soviet proganda and acts which are hostile to the Soviet Union." Aside from the blatently repetitive and redundant wording, here Russia is telling Poland, specifically, what to do (Police State), and it listens.

The reaon Russia was so deeply interested in the survival of the socialist Polish state, is that (much in the same way as Ukraine now) Poland was the buffer. It was the vanguard state of the international socialist movement against the threatening West.