A comparison between Romania and Poland

The recent presidential elections from May and June in Romania and Poland had some similarities in terms of electoral preferences, but also differences that led to different results. Why did the opportunists win in our country and in Poland have previously prevailed? The answer is complex and the explanations are historical, geographical and political. But it is imperative to understand them to regain our dignity as a European and Christian nation.

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In the Middle Ages Poland was one of the great powers of the time. It has dominated Europe between Germany today and Russia and the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. Although in the 19th century it disappeared from the map of Europe being annexed by the neighboring countries, the Poles remained in contact with the West developed. In addition, Catholic, Poland has benefited from an early population education, which led to an advanced degree of social responsibility. At the same time, for most of history, the Poles were not subjected to foreign and destructive powers as we were. For our country, the Turks brought social and cultural stagnation and the Russians brought destruction. These two powers mutilated the Romanian land and delayed the formation of a medium class educated and related to the country. By contrast, Poland managed to create a well -educated and anchored middle class on its ancestral earth. The result of this historical evolution is seen today.

Those of us who live in the West and especially in the United States we have found how integrated and acquainted the Poles in the world. They are present and active at all levels and many congresses and meetings. They prevailed in science, politics, and universities. And although they are of Slavic origin, they are not antagonized by the other Slavs, as we are Romanians. The only Slavic with which the Poles are in conflict are the Russians, which dates from the Middle Ages and continues.

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The dismantling of the former Soviet Union and the collapse of Stalinist communism in Eastern Europe has unzipped the Polish independent spirit that immediately found common valences with the West. In this sense, the reintegration of Poland in the European spirit has proceeded naturally and without cultural or religious obstacles. This is explained by a worthy behavior, post-communist Poland has attracted significant foreign investments, has developed a solid economy, and created a middle class capable of developing the country and keeping youth at home. Today, Poland is one of the hopes of the European Union.

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When I was a teacher at the JF Kennedy Military Institute in North Carolina I had American officers of different ethnic origins. Some of the most active were the Poles, and because I was preparing the course sessions, some lectures were about Poland. During the documentaries I understood that the Polish mentality evolved between three pillars: government, population, and church. When the government, whether it was local or foreign, abuse the population, the church joined the people and opposed the authorities. When the population threatens the stability of the government, the church supported the authorities and restored order and balance. Thus, the Polish population was never alone, but it was not allowed to deviate from the nation’s moral direction. And the moral direction was firm in the hand of the church, which is obvious in these days.

Meanwhile, and especially in the last years, the European Union has lost its moral-Christian meaning, and this negatively affects the whole continent. The Polish population is also low between conservatives, followers of Christian traditions, and progressists, a flock of lost souls. Between the two opposite camps there was a very close fight in the last elections. However, the conservatives have defeated because the Polish political leaders have a higher degree of honesty and social responsibility than the political leaders in Romania. In addition, Poland had a conservative and loving country president who did not allow secret services to manipulate the elections …

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We, the Romanians, are the result of the geopolitical position at the wind and the historical evolution in which we formed and survived. From a historical point of view, we formed late and could not strengthen our national character largely because of foreign invasions. Our medieval pillars we support are underwear. Decebal’s Dacia is far away. The Roman Empire has long disappeared. The independence of the Romanian Principalities was short. I was kidnapped by the Ottomans and mistreated by the Russians. From the Turks I learned « to give a tip » and from the Russians we have been able to say « bogdaproste, » words that should be banned in Romanian. And we raised an aberration from the rank of social behavior that we cannot get rid of: the bent head does not cut it …

On a religious level, our church united us with Greece, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Russia, which wanted to abolish us as a nation and as a state. The education of our population also began and late and in the 19th century it took place after the Romanian young people came into direct contact with France and other western countries. In turn, the primary education of the population was limited, and the university one did not reach the mass level. As a consequence, the middle class of the country was thin and when it began to become confined, the communists came and destroyed it almost completely. Many of those educated Romanians, Christian and Orthodox patriots, I met them in prison. They formed me in the first youth and due to them I became a university professor later.

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On the other hand, the first Romanian communists, who were initially mostly Hungarians, Jews and Russians, systematically decimated the Romanian middle class and beheaded the country. The processes called « re -education » in Pitesti and Aiud prisons have remained to this day among the most abominable crimes in the history of communism. Why don’t post-December governments blow a word about them? Because those who lead us today are the sons of the securityists and nomenclatures yesterday!

The former communist regime, however, created an educated and titled middle class, but neither the members of that class were leading to the leadership unless they joined the communist ideology. a kind of fifth Romanian column. But, as Mihai Botez personally told me, a former dissident became an ambassador to Washington after 1989, « instead of changing the party, the party has changed us. »

In fact, such people have joined the party due to lack of perspective and cannot be blamed. After 1989, however, out of hypocrisy, many of them set up new, crypto-Christian parties, through which they lead and abuse the 35-year-old country. Now, they claim that they were not communists; that they entered the party to save the country. Of course, they were not communists. They were opportunists. And so they remained to this day. They won the elections in May. In fact, they did not win them; They frauduted them …

Unfortunately, there was no candidate for a true moral and intellectual value in the last elections. Those who lead us have taught us to mimic democracy and present to the voters two or more candidates from whom one is less bad than the other, but none is good. And thus the manipulators remain in government. Until? Until in Romania a solid and educated middle class will form in national and Christian spirit; a class that represents the interests of the country and of the Romanian people.

Nicolae Dima