The Warsaw Uprising was a two-month battle in 1944 where the Polish Resistance Army fought against the Nazi German Army to liberate Warsaw from occupation. The Poles hoped for Western Allied forces to participate, but the Soviet Army was the only option. The Soviets refused to participate, further straining their relationship with the Poles. The Polish army gained control of the city but faced setbacks and eventually lost to the Germans. The event shaped postwar relations between Poland and the Soviet Union.
During World War II, the Nazi German Army viewed Warsaw, Poland as the center of resistance against their plans for expansion and genocide of the Jews. Germany had been occupying Poland for several years in 1944 when the Warsaw Uprising took place. For just over two months, the Polish Resistance Army began fighting against the Germans in an attempt to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. While the Warsaw Uprising was generally put down by the Nazis, the event was important in shaping postwar relations between Poland and the Soviet Union and had ramifications beyond its brief sixty-three days.
The Polish National Army of Resistance had been planning the Warsaw Uprising for some time before the actual event took place. Their goal was to work for the liberation of Poland, but also to promote Polish sovereignty after the war. As Polish forces saw it, the key to the Warsaw Uprising would be the participation of Western Allied forces, including the United States and Great Britain. It became apparent as the Warsaw Uprising approached that the Allied forces would not reach Poland in time to participate in the battle. Instead, the Soviet Army would be closer and better able to help in the fight.
The Soviets refused to participate in the planning and implementation of the Warsaw Uprising, however, further straining the already tenuous relationship between the Poles and the Soviets. While the Poles and the Soviets were fighting a common enemy – the Germans – that was where their similarities ended. The Polish National Army of Resistance wanted post-war Poland to be free as a sovereign nation that had democratic government based on a more Western model. The Soviets wanted to put in place a communist, pro-Soviet government that would suit their needs in postwar Europe. Because of this ideological clash and other fundamental differences, the Poles and the Soviets did not join forces.
In the summer of 1944, as the Soviet Army crossed the Polish border in an offensive mission against the Germans, the Polish National Resistance Army initiated the Warsaw Uprising. In the early days, the Polish army managed to gain control over a large part of the city. However, they were unprepared and faced many setbacks, the most important of which was the absence of the Soviet forces. The revolt was only meant to last a few days, but the fighting instead dragged on for weeks. While support did eventually arrive, it was not substantial enough to make the uprising a success. The Germans received reinforcements and drove the Poles back, and a stalemate ensued. The revolt eventually ended in a war of attrition in which the Germans gained the upper hand.
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