A Cold War Polish childhood near Wroclaw (304)

Cold War Conversations Podcast

Ian Sanders

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.8 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2023

⏱️ 89 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tom lived in western Poland in an area that had been part of Germany until the end of World War 2. He describes how his grandmother settled in this area and the strangeness of taking over formerly German houses and apartments. Tom’s grandfather on his mother’s side was a Communist activist who worked for the Polish security services which created some tension as Tom’s father dodged the draft into the Polish Army. Tom describes his childhood in some detail, highlighting the contrasts of life in Cold War Poland versus some of the Warsaw Pact countries such as how the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church managed to co-exist with the Communist government. He is 11 years old when the free trade union Solidarity is made illegal and martial law is declared by the Polish Communist authorities. Tom describes how life changes under martial law and the suppression of Solidarity demonstrations. We end with the poignant story of his Grandmother’s experiences as a forced labourer in Germany during World War 2. 0:00 Introduction and background of Tom's family history in Cold War Poland 9:06 Tom's family members and their roles during the Cold War 20:38 Tom's parents' professions and their impact on his upbringing 26:15 Living conditions in the 70s in Poland and Tom's school life experiences 41:56 The role of the Scouts movement and the state in shaping youth ideology 48:59 Declaration of martial law and its immediate impact 1:02:19 Witnessing solidarity demonstrations and restrictions on travel 1:11:39 Visit to Dresden and grandmother's experience as a forced laborer 1:22:00 Communicating with the locals in Dresden and Grandma's vivid recount 1:24:15 Podcast extras and thanking financial supporters 1:24:43 Closing remarks and teaser for next week's episode Extra episode information https://coldwarconversations.com/episode304 The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Love history? Join Intohistory on this link Cold War Conversations – Into History Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
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0:30.2	Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:47.7	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to first-hand Cold War history accounts.
0:59.2	Do make sure you follow us in your podcast app or join our emailing list at cold warconversations.com. Tom lived in western Poland in an area that had been part of Germany until the end of World War II. He describes
1:05.6	how his grandmother settled in this area and the strangeness of taking over formerly German
1:10.5	houses and apartments.
1:13.5	Tom's grandfather on his mother's side was a communist activist who worked for the Polish security
1:19.2	services, which created some tension as Tom's father had dodged the draft into the Polish army.
1:27.3	Tom describes his childhood in some detail,
1:30.0	highlighting the contrasts of life in Cold War Poland versus some of the other Warsaw-Pact
1:35.5	countries, such as how the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church manage to coexist with the
1:40.6	communist government. He is 11 years old when the Free Trade Union's solidarity is made illegal and martial law is declared by the Polish communist authorities.
1:51.0	We end with the poignant story of his grandmother's experiences as a forced labourer in Germany during World War II.
1:59.0	I'm delighted to welcome Tom back to our Cold War conversation.
2:04.6	I was born in Yavor, a little town in southwest Poland,
	...

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