Second World War - The Katyn Massacre 1940

A lesson looking at the context, events and consequences of the Soviet massacre of Polish army officers in Katyn in 1940.

Students study:
The context (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact & 1939 Invasion of Poland)
The fate of Poland in the Nazi and Soviet areas - and the Free Poles.
The events of the massacre and Stalin’s reasoning.
Recap task.
Writing Task.
Memorial design task.

The Katyn massacre was a tragic event that took place during World War II, in which over 4,000 Polish prisoners of war were executed by Soviet forces in the spring of 1940. The massacre was initially blamed on Nazi Germany, but evidence later emerged that it was actually carried out by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD. The Katyn massacre was part of a larger campaign of repression by the Soviet Union against Polish citizens, and it had a profound impact on Polish society and politics for decades to come. Understanding the Katyn massacre is an important part of learning about the human cost of war and the complexities of international relations.

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