1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910777537903321

Autore

Davies Norman <1939->

Titolo

Heart of Europe [[electronic resource] ] : the past in Poland's present / / Norman Davies

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford, : Oxford University Press, 2001

ISBN

0-19-164713-6

1-280-44443-6

0-19-158771-0

1-4237-6942-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (518 p.)

Collana

Oxford paperbacks

Disciplina

943.8

Soggetti

Poland History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

First issued, with corrections, as an Oxford University Press paperback 1986.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; CONTENTS; MAPS AND DIAGRAMS; ILLUSTRATIONS; A NOTE ON POLISH SPELLING; CHAPTER 1 The Legacy of Humiliation: Post-war Poland to the Crisis of the People's Republic, 1944-1983; Five Phases; 1 The Communist Take-over: From the Soviet Liberation to the One-Party State, July 1944 to December 1948; 2 Polish Stalinism, December 1948 to October 1956; 3 National Communism: The Heyday of the PZPR, October 1956 to August 1980; 4 The Interval of SOLIDARITY, August 1980 to December 1981; 5 The Military Dictatorship, December 1981-1983; Spiders' Webs and Galley-slaves; Two Nations

CHAPTER 2 The Legacy of Defeat: Poland's Wartime Experience, 1939-19472,078 Days and More; 1 The Era of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, 1939-1945; 2 The Nazi Supremacy, 1941-1943; 3 The Soviet Advance, 1943-1945; 4 The Postscript of War, 1945-1947; Cuckoo in the Nest; Bitter Harvest; CHAPTER 3 The Legacy of Disenchantment: Poland's Experiment in Independence, 1914-1939; One Generation; 1 Poland's Rebirth during the Great War, 1914-1918; 2 Birth Pangs of the 'Second Republic', 1918-1921; 3 The Constitutional Period, 1921-1926; 4 The Sanacja Regime, 1926-1935; 5 The Road to Disaster, 1935-1939

The Duel: Dmowski versus PilsudskiMemories of Independence; CHAPTER 4 The Legacy of Spiritual Mastery: Poland during the



Partitions, 1795-1918; 123 Years; 1 Under the Shadow of France; 2 The Vienna Settlement, 1815-1830; 3 The Romantic Age of Insurrections, 1830-1864; 4 The Age of Organic Work, 1864-1905; 5 The Growth of a New Society, c.1890-1918; By Word and by Deed: The Polish Cause; 1 The Impotence of Diplomacy; 2 The Military Tradition; 3 The Alienation from Authority; 4 The Spread of National Consciousness; 5 The Émigré Tradition; 6 The Cultural Imperative; 7 The Religion of Patriotism

8 The Divided ConscienceCHAPTER 5 The Legacy of an Ancient Culture: Poland before 1795; A Historic Nation; 1 Prehistory; 2 Piast Poland; 3 The Jagiellons, 1385-1572; 4 The Noble Republic, 1569-1795; 5 The Partitions of Poland-the Reign of Stanislaw-August, 1764-1795; The Life and Death of Old Poland; Lasting Traditions; 1 The Multicultural Heritage; 2 The Ethnic Core; 3 The Polish Language; 4 Polish Literature; 5 The Noble Ethos; 6 Church and People; 7 The Bond with the West; 8 Diversions from the East; 9 Political Corruption; CHAPTER 6 Echoes: The Past in Poland's Present

1 The Impasse of Polish Communism2 The Military Establishment; 3 Workers' Control; 4 Poetry in the Shipyards; 5 Underground Resistance; 6 The Intellectuals' Dilemma; 7 Historical Roles; 8 The Church Universal; 9 Economic Regression; 10 International Attitudes; 11 World-wide Repercussions; 12 Baleful Precedents; CHAPTER 7 Beyond History: Reflections in the mid-1980s; CHAPTER 8 Liberation: 1983-1999; 1 The Terminal Illness of the PRL, 1983-1989; 2 The Death of Polish Communism, 1989-1990; 3 The Third Republic, since 1990; NOTES; APPENDIX I: Poland's Rulers; APPENDIX II: Genealogical Tables

APPENDIX III: Gazetteer

Sommario/riassunto

The image of Poland has once again been impressed on European consciousness. Norman Davies provides a key to understanding the modern Polish crisis in this lucid and authoritative description of the nation's history. Beginning with the period since 1945, he travels back in time to highlight the long-term themes and traditions which have influenced present attitudes.His evocative account reveals Poland as the heart of Europe in more than the geographical sense. It is a country where Europe's ideological conflicts are played out in their most acute form: as recent events have emphasized, Poland'