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Poland is a tenacious survivor-state: it was wiped off the map in 1795, resurrected after the First World War, apparently annihilated again in the Second World War, and reduced to satellite status of the Soviet Union after 1945. Yet it emerged in the vanguard of resistance to the USSR in the 1980s, albeit as a much more homogeneous entity than it had been in its multi-ethnic past. This book outlines Poland's turbulent and complex history, from its medieval Christian origins to the reassertion of that Christian and European heritage after forty-five years of communism. It describes Poland's transformation since 1989, and explains how Poland navigated its way into a new Commonwealth of Nations in the European Union. Recent years have witnessed significant changes within Poland, Eastern Europe and the wider world. This new edition reflects on these changes, and examines the current issues facing a Poland which some would accuse of being out of touch with 'European values'.… (more)
User reviews
In the first
Personally I am well-read on Polish history, and my historical and sociological interests are in the concepts of state formation and the development of cultural identities. Surprisingly the approach taken by the authors provides valuable insights into these processes. Polish history provides an excellent canvas to see these forces at work. There may have been many factors that could have stopped a Polish state from forming – but one nevertheless did. The Polish state may not have been as vigorously organized as some of its neighbours – but those neighbours could not prevent a Polish state from emerging, re-emerging and developing into a powerful and sophisticated society that carried out one of the few experiments in (aristocratic) democracy. States are fragile institutions that are developed by force, and in the medieval world maintained by force, and sustained by maintaining a delicate balance of power with neighbouring countries.
The authors do a much better job with the second part of the book – from 1795 to the present, covering the time of its partition through to its re-emergence after World War I and to the present post-Communist times. The 19th century was a confusing time for Poland as the former ruling class, the szlachta, attempted to regain political control in a new environment where the common man, nationalism and rational economic processes were gaining the ascendency. The authors have isolated the various inter-twined strands, described their dynamics and provide a better understanding than many other writers of the processes that transformed Poland from a multi-ethnic state ruled for the benefit of one class to that of a modern nation-state.
I would encourage anyone new to Polish history to look to other books first. For the advanced reader this book offers many insights. The coverage of the 19th century is excellent.