Zagrożenie niemieckie i rosyjskie w polskiej świadomości społecznej. Problemy na styku przeszłości i przyszłości

Abstract

The paper analyses threats from Russia and Germany still perceived by the Polish society. It demonstrates historical and contemporary foundations of fears and mistrust towards both neighbouring countries, arguing that the Poles are afraid not of Russians and Germans but of the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany as political entities and international players. The deep-seated reasons for the Polish anxieties and prejudices lie in the two countries’ policies toward Poland, their mutual relations as well as the lack of consistent foreign policy of the Polish government and fuelling of anti-Russian and anti- German sentiments by some domestic political parties. It would seem that Poland has failed to develop any coherent, multidimensional European policy.