„Narody ujarzmione” – lobby polityczne czy projekt propagandowy?

• Authors: Mazurkiewicz Anna

Title variants

EN

“Enslaved Nations” – Political Lobby or Propaganda Project?

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

During the Cold War, the term “captive nations” should be regarded as a figure of speech, but also as a practical expression of the ideological declaration – anti‑communism. Using it, the government and the Congress of the United States expressed their support for the cause of freedom of the countries behind the Iron Curtain, and the American society, including minority groups from Eastern Europe, expressed its solidarity with the people who were deprived the right to decide about their own fate. Was the promotion of the concept of “captive nations” a deliberate action of the U.S. government calculated to emphasize their interest in the fate of the regions from which many citizens of that country originated (response to bottom‑up pressure)? Or maybe it was a way to gain support for their foreign policy and its promotion at home and abroad (a propaganda tool)? What role did the refugees themselves play in these activities? This text is an attempt to assess the impact that they could have on the Congress, and thereby influence the processes shaping American foreign policy (both in terms of public debate, as well as concrete policy proposals). Undoubtedly, the activity of a number of business organizations, associating both U.S. citizens and immigrants from Eastern Europe, contributed to a significant popularization of the concept of “the captive” and the role of the United States as their spokesperson. However, the analysis suggests that the myth of captivity is not linked only to the American anti‑communism. It has been present in the American tradition since colonial times, and since its redefinition after World War II. Until today it is used by the U.S. authorities in order to justify global involvement.

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Gdański
• Journal: Studia Historica Gedanensia
• Year: 2014
• Volume: Volume 5 (2014)
• Pages: 355-392

Dates

online

2014

Contributors

author

Mazurkiewicz Anna

• Instytut Historii Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, ul. Wita Stwosza 55 80-952 Gdańsk, Poland

Identifiers

DOI

10.4467/23916001HG.14.018.2683