This talk will examine how Poland’s experiences during the Second World War have shaped its contemporary collective mentality and political landscape, with a particular focus on the prevalence of conspiracy beliefs and low social trust. It will explore the direct impact of wartime trauma on Polish worldviews, as well as the lingering effects of trauma reminders on subsequent generations. Furthermore, the talk will address distortions in historical narratives and the challenges of properly acknowledging Holocaust history, which have arisen from Poland’s unprocessed and unacknowledged traumatic past.