Patricio Lankenau
October 24, 2011
Mr. Dunnagan
Patricio Lankenau
“Did the Katyn Forest Massacre reduce Poland’s ability to resist Russian
domination after World War II?”
Period 7
Word Count: 1,773
Lankenau 2
Table of Contents
A. Plan of Investigation ..................................................................................................................... 3
B. Summary of Evidence ................................................................................................................... 3
C. Evaluation of Sources................................................................................................................... 4
D. Analysis .......................................................................................................................................... 5
E. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 6
F. List of Sources................................................................................................................................ 7
Lankenau 3
“Did the Katyn Forest Massacre reduce Poland’s ability to resist Russian
domination after World War II?”
A. Plan of Investigation
This investigation seeks to discover the truth regarding the inhumane mass-genocide
performed by the Russians in the Katyn Forest, and to analyze the effects it had on the
Polish regime, including Poland’s ability to resist absolute domination from Russia. The
Katyn Forest Massacre will be carefully analyzed, based on reliable and balanced
sources. Most of the research will be done through sources from the libraries of Rice
University in Houston and Barbara Bush, along with online databases provided by Klein
Oak High School, including but not limited to Gale, ABC CLIO, and EBSCO Host. Two
of these sources will be further analyzed in the section Evaluation of Sources, where
they will be scrutinized origin, purpose, values, and limitations.
B. Summary of Evidence
The Katyn Forest Massacre took place in the spring of 1940, but in order to gain a
better understanding of the motive behind it we must first study the years leading up to
this unprecedented genocide. Joseph Stalin, who succeeded Vladimir Lenin as the
leader of the Soviet Union, was at the time known for his detestable crimes against his
people1. Atrocities such as the Great Terror or the Great Famine shaped the public’s
view on Stalin2. The people of the Soviet Union had been taught to stay quiet1, so when
Stalin allied Hitler and together invaded Poland they did not dare divulge their opinions
over the invasion. The view on Stalin changed drastically over the course of World War
II. During Stalin’s alliance with Hitler, the news of the Soviet Union’s invasions made
him have a corrupt reputation. Time magazine declared Stalin as the Man of the Year
1939 on January 1, 1940, and characterized him as the “world’s most hated man.”3
However that all quickly changed with Hitler’s betrayal and attack on the Soviet Union
on June 22, 1941.2 The Western view on Stalin fluctuated, and he became an Ally of the
United States. American and British media induced a new image on Stalin and his
regime. Even the United State president at that time, President Roosevelt, stated that
Stalin “will work for the world of democracy and peace” in an interview with his former
Ambassador in Moscow.
All of this great talk about Russia’s man of steel came to a halt on April 13, of 1943,
when German soldiers discovered what appeared to be mass graves in the Katyn forest
1
"Joseph Stalin." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://worldhistory.abcclio.com/Search/Results?q=318221>.
2
Tolczyk, Dariusz. "Katyn: The Long Cover-Up." Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA226163737&v=2.1&u=tlc049159053&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w>.
3
"RUSSIA: Man of the Year, 1939." TIME Magazine 1 Jan. 1940: 1-7. Print.
Lankenau 4
in western Russia.4 The International Committee of the Red Cross was sent to the
Katyn Forest to investigate, and concluded that the mass grave consisted of 15,000
Polish nationals, generals, and reservist. After examination it was concluded that those
were the same men which were taken prisoners by the Russian Red Army, which
occupied Poland back in 1940.4 The World did not know how to respond to the news of
this mass genocide. Nazi Germany accused Soviet Russia to be behind the massacre,
but the Soviets stoutly denied it. Because it was Nazi Germany who announced it, most
of the Western nations were not ready to believe it.
Surprisingly the men who were killed were not all military generals. After forensic
research it was confirmed that the men were mainly reservists who worked as teachers,
lawyers, scientists, engineers, and doctors.5
C. Evaluation of Sources
Source:
Weber, Claudia. "The export of terror—on the impact of the Stalinist culture of terror on
Soviet foreign policy during and after World War II." Journal of Genocide
Research 11.2/3 (2009): 285-306. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web.
22 Oct. 2011.
This source is an article from the Journal of Genocide Research, which is an academic
journal that covers many aspects of the fields of genocide. Henry R. Huttenbach, a
professor in the History Department of the City College, City University of New York,
originally founded it in 1999, and with the aid of three more scholars, currently edits it.
6
“The export of terror –on the impact of Stalinist culture of terror on Soviet foreign policy
during and after World War II” was published in June of 2009, the journal’s 2nd issue of
the 11th volume. This article was written with the purpose of analyzing the
interdependencies between Stalin’s terror politics, and his imperial expansion plans. It
used the Katyn massacre to develop how Stalinist terror was the main force used by the
Soviets for their imperial expansion. This article provides historians great value because
it provides insight not only on the events of the Katyn Massacre but rather on the
purpose of it, as well as the aftermath. From this article, one can conclude that Stalin
used the Katyn Forest Massacre in attempt to further expand his empire. This article is
very thorough and provides different points of view on the topic, and thus is important to
my research. However valuable this article is, it still contains its limitations. Because it
was published in 2009, nearly 70 years after the Katyn Forest Massacre, the author’s
4
"Katyn Forest massacre." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Connelly, John. "The ultimate crime: Katyn & the invention of genocide." Commonweal 137.14 (2010): 17+.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
6
http://www.inogs.com/page_journal_of_genocide_research.php
5
Lankenau 5
view on the subject might have been subject to bias against Russia due to
contemporary idealism. This article does not address the Polish government attempt at
recovering the captured Poles, and well as the Hitler’s disapproval of Stalin’s actions.
Due to this lacking information, the author might have inaccurately reflected some
events.
Source:
Bullock, Alan Louis Charles. Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives. Oxford University Press:
New York, 1991. Print.
The book Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives was written by Lord Alan Charles Bullock and
published in 1991 by the Oxford University Press. The British Historian, who was also
Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, has written many accredited works on 20th century
Europe7. He has researched and published many works on Hitler, Stalin, and Bevin.
The purpose of this work is to compare and contrast the lives of two of the world’s most
infamous tyrants. The chapter on Stalin’s orders for the massacre of the Polish
prisoners in Katyn was written with the purpose illustrate the reasoning behind Stalin’s
decision to mass-murder the Polish intellectuals, and to analyze why Stalin refused to
take the blame for another 50 years. The value of this piece of evidence is great to
historians, as it was written by world-renowned 20th century Europe writer and analyst.
Additionally it contains insight on many details and aspects of Stalin and Hitler’s lives,
and compares and contrasts their lives. The author chose to publish his work in the
format of double-biography, in order to track the two tyrants’ lives and compare their
similar paths to evil. The limitations of this work are that although the author uses a lot
of properly-cited sources for factual evidence, there are some dates contained within
the chapter on the Katyn forest massacre which are inaccurate. Another limitation is that
although the book is about the parallel lives of Hitler and Stalin, the author does not
provide enough evidence on how their lives were different in order to allow us to draw a
viable conclusion.
D. Analysis
Based on the findings of forensic research it was concluded that almost all the bodies
found in the Katyn Forest were of Polish intellectuals. Although there were numerous
generals and corporals, most of the victims were doctors, writers, merchants, scientists,
lawyers, and other social workers. To historians such as John Connelly Katyn was
nothing more than “another attempt to rob Poland of the intellectual and cultural elites
crucial to self-government.”8 Additionally the Katyn Forest massacre was also an act of
7
http://www.biography.com/people/alan-bullock-9231053
8
Connelly, John. "The ultimate crime: Katyn & the invention of genocide." Commonweal 137.14
(2010): 17+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Lankenau 6
political terror, and although it was not Stalin’s first, it was one of Stalin’s worst. The
operation was a great success in the eyes of Stalin, he had successfully removed
Poland’s most influential and potentially dangerous men, and nobody knew about it.
Stalin contemplated his own work, and offered rewards and promotions to the men who
carried out the special operation, in the form of 800 rubles extra pay or honors for the
carrying out of “special operations”.9 Alan Bullock observes that Stalin truly believed that
he had gotten away with killing over 15,000 Poles, and that nobody would ever find out
who was culpable.10 However, following the breakdown of Hitler and Stalin’s pact when
Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the word of the killings spread. The mass genocide
became a political disaster for the Soviets. Stalin in attempt to conceal his actions
repetitively blamed the Nazis for the killings. It was observed by Brian Crozier that the
reason behind Stalin’s actions and unwillingness to admit the crime ties back to the
Soviet’s Union attempt to remove all critical Polish individuals.11 It was not until April 13
of 1990 that Soviet authorities admitted in the massacre of Katyn, and two other camps.
E. Conclusion
Taking a look at the evidence and analysis of the events preceding and during the
Katyn forest massacre it is clear that Stalin and the Soviet Union proceeded with the
killings in an attempt to reduce Poland’s ability to resist Russian domination and
possible remove Poland off the map. Moreover, through further analysis of the
aftermath of the killings, evidence suggests that Poland was indeed greatly devastated
by the loss of 15,000 of its intellectuals and military corporals. The massacre of Katyn
portrays Stalin’s original plan and aim, which was concurred by the Nazis, to reduce
post-war Poland’s ability to resist domination, by eliminating the intellectually, and
politically elite. Although Poland managed to gain its independence and spot on the
map after the devastating massacre, it would never be the same. Poland had lost its
most elite leaders, and possible future president, and was weaker than ever before. It
can be concluded then, that by killing 15,000 of Poland’s most elite men, Stalin and the
Soviet Union succeeded in reducing Poland’s ability to resist Russian domination
9
Weber, Claudia. "The export of terror—on the impact of the Stalinist culture of terror on
Soviet foreign policy during and after World War II." Journal of Genocide Research
11.2/3 (2009): 285-306. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
10
Bullock, Alan Louis Charles. Hitler and Stalin: Parallel lives. Oxford University Press: New York,
1991. Print.
11
Crozier, Brian. "THE KATYN MASSACRE AND BEYOND." National Observer 44 (2000): 18.
MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
Lankenau 7
F. List of Sources
Blankenship, Steve. "The aftermath of the Katyn massacre: silent as the grave." World History
Bulletin Spring 2011: 64+.Academic OneFile. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
Bullock, Alan Louis Charles. Hitler and Stalin: Parallel lives. Oxford University Press: New York,
1991. Print.
Connelly, John. "The ultimate crime: Katyn & the invention of genocide." Commonweal 137.14
(2010): 17+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Crozier, Brian. "THE KATYN MASSACRE AND BEYOND." National Observer 44 (2000): 18.
MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.
"Joseph Stalin." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2001. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
<http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Results?q=318221>.
"Katyn Forest massacre." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
"RUSSIA: Man of the Year, 1939." TIME Magazine 1 Jan. 1940: 1-7. Print.
Tolczyk, Dariusz. "Katyn: The Long Cover-Up." Literature Resource Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA226163737&v=2.1&u=tlc049159053
&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w>.
Weber, Claudia. "The export of terror—on the impact of the Stalinist culture of terror on Soviet
foreign policy during and after World War II." Journal of Genocide Research 11.2/3
(2009): 285-306. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Oct. 2011.