Poland: A Modern History

327 Pages·2010·1.87 MB·English

by  Anita J. Prazmowska

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Anita Praz˙mowska is Professor of International History at the
London School of Economics. Her other books include Civil War in
Poland,1942–1948,PolandandtheEasternFront,BritainandPoland1939–
1943: The Betrayed Ally, A History of Poland and Wladyslaw Gomulka
(forthcoming,I.B.Tauris).
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IdedicatethisbooktomydaughterMiriamwhohasbeenmy
companionandaconstantsourceofhappiness.
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POLAND
A MODERN
HISTORY
Anita Praz˙mowska
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Publishedin2010byI.B.TaurisandCoLtd
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Copyright©AnitaPraz˙mowska2010
TherightofAnitaPraz˙mowskatobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedbyherinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview,thisbook,oranypart
thereof,maynotbereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,or
transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,
recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
ISBN:9781848852730
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CONTENTS
Abbreviations .......................... vii
Preface ................................ ix
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1
1 Poland on the Eve of the First
WorldWar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2 The First World War and the Emergence
of Independent Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 61
3 Independent Poland in Interwar
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
4 The Outbreak and the Course of the
SecondWorldWar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
5 Post-war Poland, 1945–70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 158
6 FromGierektoSolidarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
7 Post-communist Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 261
Notes ................................ 267
Bibliography...........................275
Index ................................ 281
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ABBREVIATIONS
AK ArmiaKrajowa–HomeArmy
AL ArmiaLudowa–People’sArmy
AWS AkcjaWyborczaSolidarnos´c´ –SolidarityElectoral
Platform
BBWR BezpartyjnyBlokWspo´l(cid:2)pracyzRza˛dem–Non-Party
BlockforCo-operationwiththeGovernment
BCh BatalionyChl(cid:2)opskie–PeasantBattalions
COP CentralnyOkre˛gPrzemysl(cid:2)owy–CentralIndustrialZone
GG Generalgouvernement
GL GwardiaLudowa–People’sGuard
KNP KomitetNarodowyPolski–PolishNationalCommittee
KOR KomitetObronyRobotniko´w–Workers’Defence
Committee
KPN KonfederacjaPolskiNiepodlegl(cid:2)ej–Confederationof
IndependentPoland
KPP KomunistycznaPartiaPolski–CommunistPartyof
Poland
KPRP KomunistycznaPartiaRobotniczaPolski–Communist
Workers’PartyofPoland
KRN KrajowaRadaNarodowa–HomelandNationalCouncil
LRP LigaRodzinPolskich–TheLeagueofPolishFamilies
MW Ml(cid:2)odziez˙ Wszechpolska–AllPolandYouth
ND NarodowaDemokracja–NationalDemocrats(also
knownasEndecja)
NKN NaczelnyKomitetNarodowy–SupremeNational
Council
NSZ NarodoweSil(cid:2)yZbrojne–NationalArmedUnits
PKWN PolskiKomitetWyzwoleniaNarodowego–Polish
CommitteeofNationalLiberation
PO PlatformaObywatelska–Citizens’Platform
PiS PrawoiSprawiedliwos´c´ –LawandJustice
PSL PolskieStronnictwoLudowe–PolishPeasantAlliance
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viii ABBREVIATIONS
PPR PolskaPartiaRobotnicza–PolishWorkers’Party
PPS PolskaPartiaSocjalistyczna–PolishSocialistParty
PPS FrakcjaRewolucyjna
PPS RevolutionaryFraction
PPS Lewica
PPS LeftWing.
PZL PolskiZwia˛zekLudowy–PolishPeasantAssociation
PZPR ZjednoczonaPolskaPartiaRobotnicza–UnitedPolish
Workers’Party
RPPS RobotniczaPartiaPolskichSocialisto´w–Workers’Party
ofPolishSocialists
SD StronnictwoDemokratyczne–DemocraticAlliance
SDKP SocjaldemokracjaKro´lewstwaPolskiego–Social
DemocracyofthePolishKingdom
SDKPiL SocialdemokracjaKro´lestwaPolskiegoiLitwy–Social
DemocracyofthePolishKingdomandLithuania
SdRP SocjaldemokracjaRzeczpospolitejPolskiej–Social
DemocracyofthePolishRepublic
SL StronnictwoLudowe–PeasantAlliance
SLD SojuszLewicyDemokratycznej–DemocraticLeft
Alliance
SN StronnictwoNarodowe–NationalFront
TRJN TymczasowyRza˛dJednos´ciNarodowej–Provisional
GovernmentofNationalUnity
UB Urza˛dBezpieczen´stwa–SecurityBureau
UD UniaDemokratyczna–DemocraticUnion
UPA Ukrain´skaArmiaPowstan´cza–UkrainianInsurrectionist
Army
WRiN Wolnos´c´,Ro´wnos´c´ iNiepodlegl(cid:2)os´c´ –Freedom,Equality
andIndependence
ZPP Zwia˛zekPatrioto´wPolskich–UnionofPolishPatriots
ZSL ZjednoczoneStronnictwoLudowe–UnitedPeasant
Alliance
ZWC Zwia˛zekWalkiCzynnej–UnionofActiveStruggle
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PREFACE
The nationalist revolutions of the twentieth century have been
driven by peoples’ conviction of the uniqueness of their history
anddestinyandthecontributionofthathistoryanddestinytothe
international commonwealth, followed by a journey to a common
destinationofweakstatesandsqualiddictatorshipsuniqueonlyin
language, geography, and the personnel administering them, and
largely unable to face the challenge of building a modern state, let
alonecontributingpositivelytointernationalaffairs.
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist in Jan-
uary 1795. Poland re-emerged onto the European map in Novem-
ber1918.Thetwodatesspanatimeofgreateconomicandpolitical
changesinEurope,whichaffectedthePolishareasasmuchasthey
didthe restof thecontinent. In WesternEurope, bythebeginning
of the twentieth century, the political power of the landed classes
was destroyed. Representative governments were the norm. Eco-
nomic progress was linked to industrialisation and the growth of
the middle class. While areas east of Germany lagged behind, the
West European model of governance and economic development
was the paradigm according to which Poles would find their way
outofpovertyandforeigndomination.
Poland presents an interesting historic case of progression from
a republic of the gentry and nobility to a liberal polity. The self-
proclaimed leaders of the Polish nation first fought for indepen-
dence. When this failed, they were forced to address the question
ofwhetherthenationalistagendaandmodernisationcouldbepur-
suedsimultaneously.Thetraumacausedbythetwosuccessivefailed
national uprisings in 1830 and 1863 forced Polish nationalists to
look beyond the restoration of the Polish Kingdom. During both,
the gentry had played a prominent role the in the planning and
fighting which ensued. As a class, the gentry carried the conse-
quences of the collective punishments wreaked upon the nation,
after Russia re-established control over its Polish territories. The