Poland in the Modern World Beyond Martyrdom

Poland in the Modern World presents a history of the country from the late nineteenth century to the present, incorporating new perspectives from social and cultural history and positioning it in a broad global context

• Challenges traditional accounts Poland that tend to focus on national, political history, emphasizing the country's 'exceptionalism'.
• Presents a lively, multi-dimensional story, balancing coverage of high politics with discussion of social, cultural and economic changes, and their effects on individuals’ daily lives.
• Explores both the regional diversity within Poland and the country’s place within Europe and the wider world.
• Provides a new interpretive framework for understanding key historical events in Poland’s modern history, including the experiences of World War II and the postwar communist era.

Acknowledgments ix

Pronunciation Guide x

Introduction 1

1 Poles without Poland, 1795–1918 6

2 The Political Landscape at the Start of the 20th Century 43

3 Nation and/or Revolution, 1914–22 65

4 The Ambivalence of Democracy and Authority, 1922–39 90

5 Hyperinflation and Depression: The Interwar Period 105

6 Jews, Ukrainians, and Other Poles in the Interwar Period 126

7 World War II, 1939–45 144

8 Conquest or Revolution? 1945–56 186

9 The Year 1956 and the Rise of National Communism 231

10 Communism and Consumerism 258

11 The End of the PRL, 1976–89 285

12 Shock Therapy 328

13 Politics in the Third Republic 348

Index 367

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.