Winning Essay
2025 PI Competition on the History of Poland
Poland – The Betrayal of the First Ally; Poland at the end of WWII
Cullen Lisowski
October 1, 2025
Poland has a very rich history, which spans over 1000 years and is filled with many moments of triumph and defeat. One of the most devastating moments of Poland’s long-tenured existence was the atrocities that were committed against it during World War II and the Cold War. Poland’s mistreatment during World War 2 set the stage for national instability, brutal military takeovers, and repercussions that were still being felt for decades afterwards, but in turn, would reveal the best values of the Polish people.
To comprehend the severity of what happened to Poland during World War 2, we must first understand the events that preceded it. The events start with Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s. After years of abuse, economic failure, and oppression due to its loss in World War 1, the people of Germany were desperate for a change. This is where Hitler decided to step in. He saw that the German people were looking for someone to restore them to their former glory and knew that the moment was right for him to step up and lead.
Hitler first began by gaining support from high-ranking officers to gain the support of the men who served under them. Then he began to gain the support of the millions of German citizens who were tired of being abused by the victors from World War 1 (Michal, 2017). After he gained their support, he began making elaborate promises to gain the rest of the country’s support. These promises ranged from restoring German pride to doing away with the Treaty of Versailles (Michal, 2017). Hitler was a very gifted orator and soon gained increasing support from the German populace.
Having gained support from the people, Hitler’s next step was to strategically climb the ranks of government to begin his new “perfect state.” With the support of his followers, he was able to pressure the sitting president, Paul Von Hindenburg, to appoint him chancellor (Michal, 2017). From this position, Hitler was able to influence many political decisions and soon became commander of the army. From there, he expanded the German military by conscripting and forming a new and improved Air Force. With his army now rebuilt, Hitler had all the pieces necessary to “restore Germany” and began expanding Germany to the surrounding lands.
All of this violated the agreement of the Treaty of Versailles (Michal, 2017). This would lead to further complications for the Polish people because by openly ignoring these violations, the Allies were allowing Hitler to bring Germany back as a world power. It was not until Hitler actively invaded Poland that the Allies declared war, but by then, it was too late.
Poland believed that an alliance with the other allies would be enough to save it from being overrun, but it was sorely mistaken. Poland had a prior agreement with England that stated the two countries would come to each other’s aid in times of need (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2025). When Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939, England did nothing to help. They mistakenly thought their agreement with Poland would be enough to stop the invasion, but they were sorely mistaken (Michal, 2019). Poland was invaded due to a miscalculation by England, and then remained conquered due to a lack of effort and ability. England’s slow response meant that when Germany turned the fight to them, they would be unable to come to Poland’s aid. The lack of aid would eventually be the downfall of Poland.
The fall of Poland marked an agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany, which meant England would now have to enter a war that would soon spread to all corners of the globe (Michal, 2019). Europe found itself divided by conflicts. Conflicts that they thought would be upheld because of the honor felt by their fellow countries. However, once war broke out, the honor that should have upheld the treaties was nowhere to be found. The violation of numerous treaties would mark the start of a global conflict, and this global conflict would lead to a continuous, unworthy betrayal of one of England’s most loyal supporters, which would result in the slaughter of millions of Poles and the continuous occupation by a foreign power well after the war ended.
The Invincible Soldiers
However violent this continuous occupation was for Poland, it allowed for one of the most inspiring stories of World War II, the story of the Invincible Soldiers. The Invincible Soldiers were a group of anti-German, and later anti-Soviet, men who continued the fight for their country, even after their country was conquered (The Doomed Soldier, N/A). These soldiers faced a difficult situation. If they surrendered to the enemy, they would be killed along with their countrymen, and if they continued to fight, they would likely be killed along with the fellow rebels.
While these soldiers faced a difficult choice, they chose to stand for what they believed in and fight for their country. Not the country that was forced to be a puppet state, but the country that lived on in their hearts and spirits. They chose to fight for the country they believed in and hoped to one day see restored. Even though it meant their death, and they knew help was not coming, they were prepared to sacrifice everything they valued, for their beliefs, beliefs in themselves and in their fellow countrymen.
The Poles were willing to fight for their way of life, even when it became clear that Germans weren’t the only enemies they would be facing. At first, they were merely fighting against invaders; the Germans to the west, and the Soviet Union to the east. However, once the Germans were defeated, their fight became against more than just an invader; it became a fight against an oppressor.
The Soviets had initially invaded Poland when they signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Germany. (Institute of National Remembrance, N/A). This pact divided up Poland, allowing for both Germany and the Soviet Union to lay claim to their respective conquered lands. This pact would hold for several years before Hitler would violate the terms of the agreement, which resulted in a declaration of war from the Soviets against Germany. While this declaration of war meant that Poland and the Soviet Union were now on the same side, the occupation of Poland continued, much to the displeasure of one General Władysław Sikorski.
Death of General Sikorski
General Sikorski was perhaps best known for leading the underground resistance against the occupants of Poland, and when the Soviet Union declared war against Germany, he became a diplomatic contact between Poland and the Soviet Union (Ray, N/A). As one could imagine, the general was not fond of the Soviet occupation of his country, yet he tolerated it while they at least had diplomatic ties and a common enemy. However, diplomatic ties were thrown into jeopardy when the General requested the International Red Cross to investigate a massacre that had taken place under Soviet control (Ray, N/A). This request led to a breakdown of diplomatic relations between the general and the Soviets. While this breakdown might not at first glance appear significant, its future impact is much more important. A few months later, in July of 1943, the general had boarded a plane with minimal security, and shortly after, was reported to have crashed at Gibraltar (Ray, N/A).
This, in and of itself, is not suspicious, but coupled with the fact that the General had been strongly opposed to the Soviet occupation of Poland and was quite vocal about it, many have speculated that there was some outside, Soviet, involvement in his accident. Whatever the reason, the general’s death led to an increased breakdown in Polish-Soviet diplomacy, leading to more hostile relations. These hostile relations were further intensified when, after the defeat of Germany, the Soviet Union refused to pull out of Poland, and instead annexed it into the U.S.S.R. This continued occupation then led to increased domestic violence in Poland and could have been prevented had the Allies allowed Polish representation at the Tehran Conference.
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference’s importance in the fate of Europe during and after World War 2 cannot be understated. This conference was a meeting between the leaders of the Allies, Roosevelt from the United States, Churchill from the United Kingdom, and Stalin from the Soviet Union. These three leaders secretly met in Iran for a meeting to determine how best to confront the German threat (Daugherty, 2025). This meeting was the first time the three Ally leaders met to discuss strategy. While this meeting was important due to its military value, it had additional importance because of what it failed to accomplish. While the big three were the primary forces fighting the Axis Powers, they were not the only ones. The Axis Powers experienced fierce resistance from other allies such as Canada, the French Resistance, and, of course, Poland itself.
Poland was leading a strong resistance against German invaders in the west and managing an uncomfortable Soviet occupation in the east. Despite all the agreements and involvement the other countries had with the war effort, none of these other countries were included in the conference. The lack of support revealed just how little England cared about its ally, Poland (Michal, 2019). Poland should have had the opportunity to send representative(s) to the Tehran Conference, but due to decreasing diplomatic relationships with the Soviet Union, as stated previously, and a lack of support from England, they were denied this opportunity, leading to continued neglect from the Allied Powers.
Yalta Conference
This lack of representation would be a theme that continued well after World War II. The first blow to the Poles’ representation came in the Yalta agreement, when Churchill and Truman conceded to Stalin’s requests and allowed the Soviet Union to occupy the majority of Eastern Europe (A&E Television Networks, 2025). The Yalta Conference was intended to determine how Europe would be repaired post-World War 2, but instead it became the Western Powers negotiating the surrender of foreign lands to keep the Soviets happy. While Europe, and especially Poland, owes a debt of gratitude to the Allies, it was also because of them that they were invaded in the first place.
The continued occupation of Poland only occurred because England failed to act on its promise, resulting in the Nazi invasion of Poland, followed by the continued occupation of Poland by the Soviets, which continued to sour relationships between the two countries. In their effort to appease the Soviet Union, the other allies gave away land that did not rightfully belong to them, resulting in the continued oppression of the Poles. Had England upheld their initial agreement or had the decency to intervene on behalf of Poland, the Soviets would not have been allowed to continue their occupation, and the injustice against the Poles would have been greatly reduced.
It is worth noting that the fault does not lie solely with England, but on the other Allies as well. Poland had initially tried to send representatives to the Yalta Conference, but due to Soviet betrayal, these representatives were abducted by the Soviet Union and brought to Moscow for questioning (Polish History, 2019). This interference would only lead to more dire circumstances for their sovereignty as a nation throughout the second half of the 20th century.
Following the Yalta Agreement, circumstances for Eastern Europe, and especially Poland, only grew worse. The Poles had previously established an underground Polish armed forces to fight the Germans during World War II (Polish History, 2019). This army continued to fight for Poland’s independence against the Soviets after the end of the war, but it was all in vain, as there would be little to no support from the other allies. This lack of support would eventually lead to the demise of the army as the Soviets slowly gained more power in the country.
Following the elections of 1947 in which the Soviets “won”, the Polish army was all but disbanded and failed to receive any official recognition from the other Western powers (Polish History, 2019). This lack of recognition resulted in the spread of Soviet ideals and law, which made communism the official government ideology in Poland (Polish History, 2019). The Soviets would hold more “elections” to present a false sense of representation for the people, but these elections were neither fair nor free and were a clever Soviet way of legitimizing their unjust claim over the nation of Poland. Poland would then go on to see many of its rights and freedoms taken away over the next several years as its citizens began to fight, not against a nation trying to conquer them, but against a nation that was slowly bringing about the loss of identity and national pride.
The demise of the Polish Government in London
While identity and national pride were important to the people of Poland, the biggest blow to their sovereignty was the demise of their legitimate government in London and the other Western powers. As stated previously, England had been steadily growing more distant from its ally, Poland. What had started as ignoring a cry for help soon grew into actively conceding land to appease the Soviets. The Poles had an operating government that had been fighting since the early days of the invasion and following the end of the war (Polish History, 2019).
This government should have been established as the legitimate government of Poland. Had the Allies recognized it for what it was, the sovereign government of Poland, many of the crimes later committed against Poland could have been avoided.
However, the allies chose to instead recognize the Soviet-established government as the official government of Poland to prevent conflict between themselves and the Soviets (Polish History, 2019). This government did not have the interests of Poland at its foundation and instead was focused on promoting a Soviet dictatorship. With the allies refusing to recognize them, the legitimate Polish government was forced to move underground and begin operating against the Soviets.
The fact that the Polish government had to move underground confirms the demise of the legitimate Polish government and national sovereignty in the eyes of England and the other Allied Powers. No longer could the people have a say in what was happening in their country. It was now a proxy country that was merely recognized as an extension of the Soviet Union. This recognition as an extension of the Soviet Union would become an all-too-common theme during the following decades of the Cold War.
Cold War
To fully understand the extent of Soviet control during the Cold War, an understanding of what the Cold War truly was is required. The Cold War marked a period after World War II of increasing tensions between the Western Powers, primarily the United States, and the Soviet Union. While the Western Powers and the Soviets had worked together to defeat the Axis Powers in World War II, the following tensions were brought about by several factors, ranging from differing ideologies to land disputes (A&E Television Networks, 2025).
The Soviets were increasingly distrustful of the American ideal of democracy and freedom for the people, while the Americans were increasingly distrustful of the Soviets and thought they might be planning to conquer the world, similar to what Germany had been trying to do. This, coupled with the fact that the two countries had vastly different ideologies, led to a period of mutual distrust and proxy displays of power known as the Cold War.
In this Cold War environment, Poland would experience severe cruelty under Soviet rule, while the nations of the world stood by and watched. Poland was one of the Eastern European countries that was left in the hands of the Soviets to appease them. The allies did not argue with the Soviets because they hoped that by giving them what they wanted, it would contain the spread of communism. This led to several concessions in which several Eastern European countries had to watch their land be given away without their approval or consultation. This was a very similar tactic to what the Allies had tried at the beginning of World War 2 to keep Hitler happy, but just as it did not work then, it did not work now. The Soviets were able to continue acquiring eastern countries and increase their sphere of influence. While this idea and process of containment made sense for the Allies in western Europe, it meant things were about to get much worse for the people of eastern Europe, especially Poland.
Despite the Cold War being a proxy war between Western Europe and the Soviet Union, it was very much an actual conflict amongst the countries that had been forcibly committed to communism. Poland experienced not only a foreign ruler, but also the “iron fist” of said ruler. From rigging elections against the people to cracking down on basic human rights, Poland experienced it all (Coldwarsites, N/A). Poland had already been devastated by the harsh regime imposed by the Germans. They had watched their people get rounded up and slaughtered, their government officials forced underground, and their allies stab them in the back. Then, they had to watch the same thing again, but this time at the hands of one of their “allies”. Finally, when the war ended and they should have found peace, they were once again exposed to these barbaric tactics.
This time, the Allies not only ignored their cry for help but also supported the conquest of Poland. This conquest would leave Poland crippled throughout the Cold War, and it would take years before some semblance of normalcy was reclaimed, and even more years before Poland could have true freedom again.
Poland was a country that should not have found itself in the position it was forced into. It had its own standing army, its own form of government, its own sovereign state, and most importantly, it was recognized by the rest of the world as being a sovereign state. This recognition is what allowed them to run their own government, sign agreements with other countries, and carry out their own business without interference from foreign powers. The betrayal from Britain marked not only a betrayal of trust but a betrayal of ideals. By all accounts, prior to World War II, Poland was recognized as a sovereign nation and should have been treated accordingly. Instead, it was betrayed by its allies, invaded by the enemy, and then forced to serve as a puppet state to appease a bigger country. Poland’s mistreatment at the hands of the allies shows the world the kind of betrayal that can happen when fear is allowed to rule rather than loyalty and bravery.
Yet for all the odds that were stacked against it, Poland kept on fighting. They fought after being invaded by moving their government and military underground, sabotaging the enemy, providing reconnaissance, and making life very difficult for the German invaders. They then went on to fight against their Soviet oppressors. They fought for fair elections, the rights of the people, and the ability to rule themselves, without having another country pulling the strings. Even though the rest of Europe had abandoned them at their darkest hour, the Poles refused to abandon themselves. They rose to the occasion and continued fighting when they had everything, and eventually nothing, left to lose.
Conclusion
Poland stands as an example for what a country can do when it has nowhere else to turn. When a country can’t rely on its allies, its people rise. They stand against the forces that seek to eliminate their way of life in order that they might preserve their way of life. Throughout World War 2, Poland was consistently beaten down and abused, yet its people did not lose hope. They continued to fight for themselves and their country, which eventually led to their freedom following the fall of the U.S.S.R. Poland’s response to dire circumstances revealed the finest qualities of its people. A people who refused to just let themselves be stamped out. People who choose to sacrifice everything for the hope of a better life.
While Poland can never be fully repaid for all the damages it received at the hands of friend and foe from World War II, it can continue to grow stronger. It can ensure that its people are reminded of their history and serve as a beacon for what a country can accomplish when its people share a common goal. A goal of preserving their identity, despite overwhelming circumstances. A goal of leaving behind a better world for the people of tomorrow.
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