Katyn and the Soviet Massacre of 1940: Truth, Justice and Memory

by George Sanford

Overview

The Soviet massacre of Polish prisoners of war at Katyn and in other camps in 1940 was one of the most notorious incidents of the Second World War. The truth about the massacres was long suppressed, both by the Soviet Union, and also by the United States and Britain who wished to hold together their wartime alliance with the Soviet Union.

This informative book examines the details of this often overlooked event, shedding light on what took place especially in relation to the massacres at locations other than Katyn itself. It discusses how the truth about the killings was hidden, how it gradually came to light and why the memory of the massacres has long affected Polish-Russian relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415545945
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/29/2009
Series:	BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

George Sanford is a reader in politics Bristol University and a leading academic specialist on Poland and Eastern Europe. He is the author of ten books, including most recently the Historical Dictionary of Poland (2003), Democratic Government in Poland (2002) and Poland: The Conquest of History (1999).

Table of Contents

List of Tables Preface Introduction Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations 1. Poland and Russia 2. The Sovietisation of East Poland 3. The Stalinist Terror and Prisoner of War System 4. The Indoctrination, Screening/Investigation and Selection 5. Course, Mechanisms and Technology of the Massacre 6. The Struggle for Historical Truth 7. Management and Control of the Truth about the 1940 Massacre: American-British Lies, Hypocrisy and Self-Delusion 8. Soviet and Polish Communist Control of the Truth about Katyn: The Conflict with National Memory 9. Closure of the 1940 Soviet Massacre Issue Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

'This study is the fullest investigation to date of this atrocity...It is based on considerable research in various archives and is written dispassionately and objectively and is thereby all the more moving.' - Contemporary Review

From the Publisher