Zbrodnia Katyńska i los deportowanych rodzin zamordowanych „duchowych ojców narodu” w świadomości społeczeństwa polskiego

The words of Professor Barbara Szacka: “We know who we are only because we know what we did yesterday and the day before”, are the motto of this article, These words are meant to encourage reflection on the results of public opinion polls which present the state of the formation of civic attitudes in the Polish society. The article briefly presents the history of concealing the truth about Katyń, which in many ways affected the formation of such attitudes. Instead of providing clear answers, however, further questions arise: Which aspects of the plan to shape the Polish model of “homo sovieticus” succeeded? To what extent were civic attitudes of Polish intelligentsia and future generations of Poles shaped by this model? Are we already a nation or still or only a federation of families? Is Katyń “...only private mourning, or perhaps ... a national disaster”?