Is Bioshock 2 harder to understand while playing if the player never played Bioshock 1?

I own Bioshock 2, and I'd like to give it a try, but I do not own Bioshock 1 and know nothing about it.

Will my ignorance of the first game hinder my ability to understand whats going on in the second?

Edit-Afterthought:

Please do your best to keep any answers spoiler-free if possible.

Yes, I'd say from a story perspective, you really should play BioShock 1 first. There are several recurring themes between the two games, and much of the exposition and explanation is contained in the first game.

You won't just miss secondary elements and little bits of plot and sidequest significance - you'll be missing out on a large chunk of the experience.