Irony of History

Perhaps the shortness of human memory is an irony of history, and perhaps the greatest irony of history is that it has never taught anyone anything. Irony of history, among other things, is that the Egon Krenz case is still going on in Germany. Krenz was the former GDR’s last leader who finally mustered the courage to admit that the postwar period was East Germany’s mistake. Neither Krenz, who is hardly any different from the army of East German party functionaries nor the Berlin Wall Commandant Colonel J К ger who in November 1989 took the risk of ordering the checkpoints open for free citizens’ passage would become new Germany’s national heroes. This is understandable; neither was invited to attend the reunification festivities. J К ger, has sunk into oblivion. Krenz is on trial for having faithfully served the East German law dictated from Moscow. The laurels went to Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush who agreed on German unity as true descendants of Stalin and Eisenhower, respectively, who divided that country.

Somehow no one has thought of meeting out justice to the US pilots that dropped bombs destroying German cities in 1945, when the war’s outcome was as clear as day. Just as no one has thought of bringing to trial those who gave the orders to those pilots and then were able to de facto buy Germany with the Marshall Plan later. No one brought action against Stalin when he, in his man-hunt, ordered part of Germany torn off and turned into a Moscow satellite. It was just that Egon Krenz proved the most convenient material for a showcase trial.

It is an irony of history that Poland is also planning a show trial of General Jaruzelski who imposed martial law in the early 1980s as the Solidarity activists were purged. No one thought of what would have happened to Poland if Wojciech Jaruzelski, who had just taken office, had failed to come to terms with Moscow to prevent its intervention. Or what would have happened if General Jaruzelski, aware of the changing times, had not agreed in 1989 to Poland’s first really free elections producing the first non-Communist government and then to the famous round table with the opposition.

Thinking is a difficult process indeed.

Perhaps this is why we now have the Krenz and Jaruzelski cases. Perhaps this is why there is suddenly a witch-hunt on in Poland and the Baltic states with scandals involving ministers who allegedly cooperated with secret services.

This is why Moscow’s former satellites suddenly believed that once they erect visa barriers with Ukraine and Russia they would become full-fledged European states and live in their own little paradise.

This is why Ukraine is seriously assured that its EU membership is out of the question.

Things are sad in Ukraine. Things are funny and sad abroad.