histoire
In World War II Poland presented a problem to the way that the Big Three got along because the Soviet Union had very involved and controversial past in regards to Poland and its government, as well as issues with land distribution, invasion, murders and territory, while the United States and Britain had none of these past entanglements (History of Poland). The different questions that arose during this very tumultuous time in regards to Poland had a strong effect on the relationship between Great Britain, the United States, and Stalin.
Poland, as it pertains to World War II and diplomatic relationships between the allies started to have an effect in August of 1939, when Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact. This pact, though it appeared to be solely a pact of nonaggression between the Soviets and the Germans, had also built into it an agreement essentially in regards to the division of land in different European countries, all of which would inevetably be invaded by Germany or the Soviet Union. One of these countries was Poland (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). This lead to both the German and Soviet invasion of Poland both of which took place in September, 1939 (History of Poland). These events lead to the deconstruction of Poland and resulted in the development of the Polish Government in Exile and the division of the London Poles and the Lublin Poles. This had an effect on the diplomatic relations of the Big Three because it entangled Russia in affairs that the Nazis were involved in. These events set the USSR apart, not only as the sole aggressive nation of the Big Three, but also as a country with nearly an alliance with Germany. These invasions also set the stage for the territory negotiations which took place at both the Yalta and Potsdam coneferences.
Then, in 1941 the USSR was invaded by Germany (Polish Government In Exile). This ended the Nazi-Soviet pact and caused the Polish Government in Exile and the Soviet Union to establish a diplomatic relationship (Polish Government In Exile). After this establishment of good terms between the Polish Government in Exile and the Soviet Union, many Polish prisoners were freed for to help in the war effort in the middle east where the allies were in desperate need of aid. However, this positive Polish effect on the allies was not longstanding, by 1943, more controversy had arisen (Polish Government In Exile).
It was at Katyn Wood in Russia that April when the Germans found mass graves of Polish army men who had been killed by the Soviets when they were taken as prisoners in 1939 (Polish Government In Exile). Despite the fact that the Germans had the International Red Cross investigate their findings, the Soviets maintained that the Germans had embellished their story (Polish Government In Exile). Both Britain and the United States, under diplomatic pressure, accepted what the Soviets said, in the formal sense of the word (Polish Government In Exile). The Polish Government in Exile, however, would not accept the Soviet's tale. This, and the slow speed at which a second European front was developing, lead to the Soviet Union breaking ties with the Polish Government in Exile (Morris 172-174). This would add stress on the relationships of the allies because both the United States and Great Britain were willing to acknowledge the Polish Government in Exile. In fact, the democratic half of the Polish Government at that time, the London Poles, were located in and controlling forces from London. Since there was a division in the Polish Government and the London Poles who were democratic were naturally supported by the two democratic nations of the Big Three, Great Britain and the United States, were fighting with the Lublin Poles, who were communist and supported by the Soviet Union, then there would naturally be tension between the West and the Soviets (Polish Government In Exile).
This tension never really ended, the conflict died down with the London Poles submission to the Lublin Poles and the establishment of a practically fake government which was set up by the Soviets (Polish Government In Exile). In 1945 both the United States and Great Britain withdrew their recognition of the Polish Government In Exile (Polish Government In Exile). It seems that this lack of real resolution could have helped to fuel the cold war that lasted for many years after WWII ended. Since communism was something viewed as very threatening to the United States and Britain, to see the spread of it as a result of their efforts must have aroused negative feelings within them. It seems that Poland and Russia and Germany were all too interconnected to not have caused problems during such a conflicted time. It also seems that perhaps the reason Great Britain and the United States withdrew their recognition was because they were relying on the Soviets for help not only in Europe but also in the East. The Soviets really had a lot of power at this time and took advantage of it, one would think that this lead to the conflicts between Russia and the U.S. that occurred down the road.
Bibliography
"History of Poland." History of Poland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 14 Nov 2005. Wikipedia. 21 Nov. 2005 .
"Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact." Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 Nov 2005. Wikipedia. 21 Nov. 2005 .
Morris, Richard . Encyclopedia of American History. New York: Harper & Row, 1976.
"Polish Government in Exile." Polish government in exile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 4 Oct 2005. Wikipedia. 17 Nov. 2005 .