The Illusion of Freedom
The Soviet Occupation of Eastern Poland
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Millions of Ukrainians and Belarusians lived in the eastern territories of the Polish Republic before the Second World War. Their social and economic situation was precarious, and after 1935, their national rights were increasingly curtailed. The invasion of the Soviet army on 17 September 1939 was met with goodwill, even enthusiasm. A wave of anti-Polish reprisals set in. Yet the hopes associated with the “liberators” were soon disappointed: Numerous Ukrainians and Belarusians fell into the clutches of the NKVD.
(Osteuropa 7-8/2009, pp. 173–186)