Prasa polska wobec dążeń niepodległościowych Litwy w latach 1988-1991

Abstract

Polish press in the period 1988–1991 was naturally interested in the aspirations of Lithuania to gain the independence. It was one of the Soviet republic that had common borders with Poland. The independence of Lithuanians led the chance of economic and political co-operation between this two countries, but also could create many problems like ethnic conflicts. The interest was far greater. The similar transformation that Lithuania had been going trough, at the same time took place in Poland. In the period when Lithuania developed the independence movement, the Polish media also experienced many changes. That’s why their attitude towards the events in the Soviet Union and Lithuania was changing in this course of time. At the time of communism, Polish press supported the ambition to cultural and historical rising in various Soviet Republics. Journalists didn’t see in that any opportunity for independence of the republics but the threat of destabilization of the Soviet Union. The USSR was seen by Polish press as monolith and its individual republics as an integral part. It was similar to the official policy of polish and soviet authorities. With the fall of communism in Poland many papers fully independent from authorities were formed and journalists started to support the aspirations of Lithuania to independence. Since that time their interest in events in Lithuania has raised. It happened also because the Lithuanians had more courage to raise the independence slogans. These issues were in the sphere of Polish publicists interest also because of their involvement in building democracy in Poland. Journalists in Poland reported and comment the facts with the great concern: declaration of independence, situation after economic lockout and the Soviet intervention in this republic. At that time publicists fully supported the Lithuanians and criticized soviet policies towards the Republic of Lithuania. But their opinion about leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, was ambiguous. They understood his role in the annihilation of a totalitarian communism in the Soviet Union. Among Polish journalists the most popular was the point o view that the independence of Lithuania is possible only through dialogue and cooperation with Moscow. Poland had afraid the power of the Soviet Union until its collapse.