Rise of the Right
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POLAND Rise of the Right LTC Slaworiir Pradzynski , Polish Army Iraq 2003-4 Poland Rise of the Right • Geography • History • Ceased to exist as a Nation several times • Events shaped view of ideology • Battle of Vienna 1683 Islamism • Battle of Warsaw 1920 / Post WW2 Communism • WWII 1939-45 Nazism • Current Situation • Rule of Law • EU/Globalization vs Polish Nationalism Vistula River Carpathian Mtnsn East-Central Europe (120,726 sq mi), mostly temperate climate. GR137K Almost unbroken plain from Baltic Sea in north, to Carpathian Mountains in south. Within the plain, terrain variations run in bands east to west. Numerous invasions. • 38.5 M pop, 6th populous in EU • GR 80, FR 67, IT 60, UK 64, SP 46. RU 143 • W Slavic ethnic group, share common ancestry, culture, hist, religion & Polish language • 2011 96.88% reported Polish • 87% Roman Catholic, then Polish Orthodox & Protestant • Polish US immigrate 3 waves 2.5M Late 1800s to WW I, After World War II, after fall of USSR • WW2 Poland lost more killed proportionally than any other country >6M 1/5 population Poland • 8th largest economy in European Union • High-income economy along with high standards of living, life quality, safety, and economic freedom • A developed educational system • Free university education, state-funded social security & universal health care • Member of Visegrád Group 1991 (V4 93), NATO 1999, European Union 2004, Schengen Area 2007 • Not a member of Euro-Zone (Zloty $.27) History Major Power From Baltic To Black Sea Lost 1/3 Robbed people of its riches & Damage most more stolen extensive items than never WWII returned Lost status as great power Siege of Vienna 1683 Battle of Vienna 9-11-1683 Hapsburgs, Poland & Holy Roman Empire In summer of 1683, 300,000 warriors of Ottoman Empire began siege of Vienna. The fall of the city would have opened the way to conquer Europe. On September 11 the Polish Cavalry arrived and defeated the Turks. King Jana III Sobieski “Savior of Europe from Islam & Turks” Partitions of Poland Elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 123 years 1804 Austrian Empire No sovereign 1917 Poland Russian Revolution 1914 WWI Central Powers Attack Russia Central Russian Powers Civil War Continue Reds v Attack Whites Russia Mar 1918 Russian Bolshevic Civil War Peace Reds v Treaty w Whites Germany continues Treaty Brest- Litovsk Nov 1918 Battle of WWI ends Warsaw Treaty of “Miracle Versailles on the Poland Vistula” re- 1920 emerged 1919 Soviets won against Whites Battle of Warsaw 1920 • Summer 1920, Soviets invaded Poland. Polish army retreated west - on verge of disintegration & decisive Soviet victory • Lenin/Soviets expected fall of Polish capital to spark international series of communist uprisings & allow Red Army to join German Revolution • Aug 12-25, Red Army approached Warsaw. Poles broke Soviet ciphers & counter-attacked forcing Soviets into a disorganized withdrawal. • Defeat crippled Red Army; Forced Lenin to rethink objective of achieving global socialism. More Polish victories saved independence & led to peace treaty w Soviet Russia & Soviet Ukraine later in year, securing Polish state's eastern frontiers until 1939. “The Battle that saved Europe from Communism” WWII Soviets Germany deported & 100s of thousands USSR Invade & Executed Divide thousands Poland of Polish prisoners Molotov– of war Ribbentrop Katyn Pact massacre Polish Europe’s Govern in most Exile effective Resistance Free Polish Movement Army, Navy & Air Force Germany Invades USSR Aug 1944 Warsaw Uprising Aug 1 – Oct 2, 1944 • Soviet army on outskirts. Poles wanted to liberate the city themselves to show Poland still was a nation. Leverage against Soviets. • During 63 days of fighting 16,000 resistance fighters were killed & 6,000 badly wounded. • 150,000 - 200,000 civilians were killed. • 85% of city was destroyed. • Warsaw’s entire population was expelled & sent to transit camp Durchgangslager 121. Of 350,000–550,000 civilians who passed through the camp, 90,000 sent to labor camps in Third Reich, & 60,000 shipped to death & concentration camps WARSAW 1944 Yalta Communist Conference Gov Ignored installed Polish exile govern Warsaw Pact Betrayal by the Allies. No $ paid to re-build USSR took E land & gave Poland Ger land in W 1935 Royal Castle in Warsaw 1944 2018 1918 Saxon Palace, Warsaw 1939 2018 2018 2018 Solidarity 1989 Polish labor union Gdansk shipyards Lech Russia Semi-free Wałęsa election & st 1 union Solidarity- not led coalition controlled government communist w Wałęsa as President Constitution • 1997 Current Constitution adopted by National Assembly & approved by national referendum • Transform into a “democratic state,” from one-party to multi-party system, & from socialism to a free market economic system • Guarantees wide range of individual freedoms. Judicial branch plays minor role in politics, apart from Constitutional Tribunal, which can annul laws that violate freedoms in constitution. Government • Semi-presidential representative democratic republic • President is head of state & commander of armed forces. • Elected for 5 yrs • Power to veto legislation passed by parliament, can be overridden by 3/5s majority, can dissolve parliament under certain conditions • Prime Minister is head of government which consists of Council of Ministers chosen from majority party or coalition, in lower house of parliament (Sejm) • 2 chambers of parliament, Sejm & Senate. Sejm elected by proportional representation, (parties must have 5% of national vote to seat). Elections every 4 yrs. • Currently 5 parties represented. Pres Andrzej Duda PM Mateusz Morawiecki • PiS Law and Justice • PO Civic Platform • NOP National right-wing populist, liberal-conservative Rebirth of national- & Christian Poland conservative, & democratic political ultranationalist Christian democratic party. far-right, political party. • 2007-2015 in Power w neofascist, • Defeated PO Civic Donald Tusk as Prime nat’l Platform 2015 Minister. 2014 Tusk revolutionary • Largest party, 237 in stepped down to be political party Sejm & 66 in Senate President of EU Council. • 2nd largest party 138 in • 2015 no seats • Jaroslaw Kaczyniski Sejm & 33 Senate. in Parliament Poland’s President Andrej Duda Press conference at White House Sept. 18, 2018 63 Poland’s Andrej Duda (Since 2015) • Seeks military cooperation with US. Purchased US Patriot missile system to counter Russian military threats • Wants to Invest $2 billion to build a US Division (15,000) military base “Fort Trump” • US Brigade (4000) rotates through Baltic states, Poland, Bulgaria & Romania on continuous basis • Spends >2% of GDP for own defense above that required of a NATO member. • Visegrád Battlegroup (Regiment (3700), now an EU Battlegroup) led by Poland with Czech Rep, Slovakia & Hungary. 1991- V4 1993 • 18 EU Battlegroups (Most Bn size 1500) rotate w 2 on ready status 64 President Andrej Duda, Con’t… • Seeks closer ties with Baltic states to counter perceived Russian threats. “We are the border of NATO – building anti-Russian alliance”. EU Rotational Baltic Air Policing / Eu Battlegroup • Seeking to counter dependence on Russian energy. GE invested $2 billion in conventional energy plant there. Building pipeline from Baltic Sea to Black Sea. • Heir to Lech Kaczynski – killed in plane crash in Russia in 2010 with other high gov’t. officials on their way to attend an annual commemoration service for victims of Katyń massacre • Nemesis: Donald Tusk, former PM 2007 to 2014 and co-founder & chairman of Civic Platform who became head of European Council since 2014. • Enjoys 75% approval rating. 65 “Rise of Right” Issues • Rule of Law • Islamic Immigration • Media Control • Judicial Independence • “Holocaust bill” • Reparations from Germany? • “Neo-Nazi, Fascist” Demonstrations • Dispute with EU • Globalism v Nationalism Islamic Immigration • Refuse to accept EUs Mid East immigration quotas • EU Position: Humanitarian Issue. EU solve together • Poland’s Position: • Germany caused problem by accepting refugees & did not consult with other nations – Germany’s problem • Polish National Sovereignty vs European Union Polish Position (cont) • Islamic migrants do not integrate and are threat to Western culture, values and security • Not just a religion but a political Ideology • Poland saved Eur from Islamic rule at Battle of Vienna. Not going to just invite them in now. • 2,000 refugees predominantly from Syria and Eritrea (vetted and Christian) https://www.ft.com/content/6edfdd30-472a-11e5-b3b2-1672f710807b “… Muhammad is the prophet of all people. He superseded all previous religions… We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without military conquests. The 50 million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.” - Muammar Gaddafi 2006 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCGYKSEsYFM May 8 2017 "Ahok" told group of fishermen that politicians who tell them that the Quran forbids voting for non- Muslims are lying to them. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-politics/verdict-expected-in-blasphemy-case-against-jakartas-christian-governor- idUSKBN1842GE Islamic Terrorist Attacks May 13, 2015 • …there are now 1.5 M to 300,000- 400,000 Ukrainians in Poland https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/13/ukraines-refugees-find-solace-in-poland-europes-most-homogenous-society Jul 3,2016 • Since Law & Justice (PiS) took power, Polish TV became battleground between Polish authorities & European institutions • 14 state