▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁▁ 1 9 1 7 – 1 9 2 0 ▁ ▁Mill ions ▁of ▁Pol es ▁lived ▁were ▁conf ined ▁within ▁the ▁Russian ▁Empire ▁( al ong ▁with ▁Austria - H ung ary ▁and ▁the ▁Pr uss ian ▁Kingdom ) ▁following ▁the ▁military ▁Part itions ▁of ▁Poland ▁throughout ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁which ▁resulted ▁in ▁the ▁ext inction ▁of ▁the ▁Polish ▁state . ▁After ▁the ▁Russian ▁Revolution ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 7 , ▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁Russian ▁Civil ▁War , ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁Polish ▁population ▁saw ▁co operation ▁with ▁the ▁B ols he vik ▁forces ▁as ▁bet ray al ▁and ▁tre ach ery ▁to ▁Polish ▁national ▁interests . ▁Polish ▁writer ▁and ▁phil os opher ▁Stanisław ▁Ign acy ▁Wit k iew icz ▁lived ▁through ▁the ▁Russian ▁Revolution ▁while ▁in ▁St . ▁Petersburg . ▁What ▁he ▁saw , ▁had ▁a ▁prof ound ▁effect ▁on ▁his ▁works , ▁many ▁of ▁which ▁display ▁them es ▁of ▁the ▁horror s ▁of ▁B ols he v ism ▁he ▁witness ed . ▁Among ▁the ▁many ▁Polish ▁vict ims ▁of ▁the ▁revolution ▁was ▁the ▁father ▁of ▁Polish ▁em inent ▁composer ▁Wit old ▁L utos ław ski , ▁Marian ▁L utos ław ski ▁and ▁his ▁brother ▁Jó zef , ▁murder ed ▁in ▁Moscow ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 ▁as ▁alleg ed ▁" counter - re volution aries ". ▁ ▁Although ▁very ▁rarely , ▁there ▁were ▁also ▁some ▁Pol es ▁( or ▁those ▁of ▁partial ▁Polish ▁descent ) ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁commun ist ▁movement