Hello and welcome history friends, patrons all to 1956 episode 1.8.

Last time, the Polish situation occupied us as we brought our narrative through to the events of the Polish Spring.

Armed with a very short temper and strong language,

Khrushchev confronted the traitorous Polish leadership in mid-October

and demanded answers on action in equal measure.

It was at this tense standoff that Vladislav Gomulka's approach paid off.

The Soviets left, the tensions eased,

and Gomulka's star was propelled into the pantheon

of Polish national legend, as the man who had stood up to the Russians, as the man who had forced

the Soviet soldiers out of the country by words alone. In this episode, we conclude our analysis

of this heady event and take a bit of time to examine the contradictions and

goals inherent in Gomulka's policy towards the Soviets. If you were left scratching your

head a bit after last time and left wondering how Gomulka managed to present himself as a representative

of Polish freedoms in spite of his clear capitulations and concessions to Moscow,

well, you've come to the right place.

In the context of this quest, we'll also examine what it was that compelled both the

Polish and Chinese Communist parties to talk to one another during this period, and what each

hoped to gain. It's a chapter of history as obscure and odd as it is

forgotten, so I hope you enjoy this multi-layered look at Poland's spring. I will now take you to late

October, 1956. It had been a particularly intense standoff and Vlad Vladislav Gomulka may well have been emotionally

drained by the end of it, but there was no doubt that having stood his ground, he had effectively

won the day. Moscow would never admit it, of course, but the very fact that he remained in place

...