Polityka radziecka wobec ludności polskiej na Kresach Wschodnich II Rzeczypospolitej w latach 1944-1946

ENRight after the annexation of so-called Eastern Borderlands by the Red Army in 1944, the most important goal of the Russian authorities’ activities was the pacification of the whole area. Among the means to this end, next to the liquidation of the Polish and Ukrainian “nationalistic underground” (especially strong in the South-Eastern Borderlands), was the removal of at least some part of the Polish population (especially those from the cities, so-called ruling class, social elites) form the terrains of mixes ethnic structure. This became possible in the autumn of 1944, when terrains west of Bug and San Rivers were liberated from under the German occupation, pro-Soviet PKWN authorities came into power there, the border agreement and the agreement concerning the population transfer were signed, and the preparations to population resettlement on both sides of the Curzon line began. Up until that time, the Soviet policy was quite cautious. Relatively loyal attitude of Polish people was exploited and they were recruited to work in administration, even though on less prominent positions.Changes in attitude of the Soviet authorities occurred between July and September 1944. Soviet Policy evolved under the influence of, among others, Polish population resisting resettlement, which was supported by underground organisations’ propaganda. To crush this resistance, Soviet authorities employed terror aimed mainly at Polish social elites and escalated attempts to destroy the underground. The scope of arrests, brutality of anti-partisans actions, and the length of sentences were all meant to cause fear. The estimated number of Polish people arrested in the Eastern Borderlands up dll 1945 is 35 thousands. Pressure on the Church intensified. As a counterweight to their actions in the Borderlands, Soviet authorities in their propaganda painted a beautiful picture of a great life in the Recovered Territories, among friends. People who, in spite of all that, decided to stay on the Soviet Union’s territories could look forward to - obviously not very alluring - sovietisation and inevitable denationalisation.