A TAMER OF BOLSHEVISM
CZESŁAW RYSZKA
‘Poland is facing a great question: is it to be a country equivalent to big powerful countries of the world, or a small country needing care of powerful countries?
The Senate of the Polish Republic during a senate meeting on 6 May this year enacted a bill about honouring the marshal Józef Piłsudski on the 80th anniversary of his death. On this occasion an exhibition in the Senate was opened to the honour of the Marshal, prepared by the Military Centre of Civilian Education. I mention about it because the presidential electoral campaign in the country obscured many important events, among the others, the mentioned anniversary of the Marshal’s death (12 May 1935). I would like to note the historical event which was done by the marshal Józef Piłsudski – it is the victorious battle at Warsaw. Reminiscing this event, the primate of Poland cardinal August Hlond stated in a specially published message: Marshal Piłsudski, apart from his other merits, has been remembered in the history of resurrected Poland as a tamer of armed bolshevism who wanted to conquer Poland and include it into the worldwide Soviet Republic. Due to the victories on 15 and 16 August 1920, Marshal Piłsudski appeared in a range of historical defenders of faith. For this fact, Józef Piłsudski deserves gratitude for ever not only from Polish citizens, but the whole Christianity’. Piłsudski expressed it in a more briefly way: ‘This war has nearly shaken the fates of the whole civilizational world and our victory has created historical basis’. Also John Paul II, referring to this historical victory, reminded: ‘You know that I was born in 1920 in May, when the Bolsheviks were invading Warsaw. And, therefore, since my birthday I have been grateful to those who undertook a fight with the invader at that time’.
I will remind the words of deceased Jóżef Szaniawski that in August 1920 at Warsaw and on the whole line of the Vistula not only did the Polish army clash with the Soviet Red Army but it was a clash of two fundamental ideas – Polish patriotism and communist internationalism. The clash of the western, European civilization and the Russian-Asian civilization.
Today we know very well that the aim of the Red Army was not only Warsaw, but also Berlin, Paris, London and other capitals of Europe. Lenin’s command was explicit: the war with Poles is taking place for the whole Europe. According to this order the commander of the Western Frontier, Marshal Michaił Tuchaczewski defined the significance of the battle at Warsaw with the words: ‘Going towards Poland, we gave the challenge to the European capital, and the fight was to death and life. It was completely clear that even in case of complete defeat of Poland we would not have stopped the war. The war would have spread into countries of Europe’. The famous Warsaw Battle, in which Marshal Piłsudski, commanding a few divisions of the Polish Army, perfectly arrived from the south and attacked the Red Army of million soldiers standing at the entrance of Warsaw, is called a Miracle at the Vistula. Not entering its battle details, repeating after mentioned deceased Józef Szaniawski, I suggest that in 5 years, on the 100th anniversary of this great victory, a triumph arch should be built in Warsaw and the name for this victorious battle should be promoted: Victoria Poland. This victory deserves this name as well as the heroic defender of the Homeland from 1920 deserves it, who was buried in the Grave of an Unknown Soldier on the square of Marshal Piłsudski in Warsaw.
Returning to the final of the presidential campaign and the current dangers, especially of the spreading war in Ukraine, I would like to remind the universal thought of the Marshal – expressed in a completely different epoch, but not in similar conditions? Here is what he said: ‘We have a white eagle flying over our heads, we have thousands of reasons which can make our hearts happy. But we should admit the fact! Are we fed up with the inner strength? Are we fed up with the power of the soul? Are we fed up with this material power to put up with tests which we are going to face? Poland is facing a great question: is it to be a country equivalent to big powerful countries of the world, or a small country needing care of powerful countries?’.
AA
„Niedziela” 21/2015