Commemorating the figure of Nicolaus Copernicus in the Polish People’s Republic period as an element of historical policy pursued after 1945
Commemorating the figure of Nicolaus Copernicus in the Polish People’s Republic period as an element of historical policy pursued after 1945

Summary/Abstract: In the post-1945 politics of memory, the figure of Copernicus was used in the context of the an-ti-German narrative to confirm the eternal ties with the Polish state of the lands annexed afterthe war. There was a specific pattern to it. While marginalising the fact that he was a clergy-man, his contribution to world science was praised, and his Polishness and his ability to opposethe Teutonic Knights, identified with the Germans, were emphasised. Therefore, he was mentioned next to the defeaters of the Teutonic Knights from Grunwald, the Red Army, and the PolishArmy, which defeated the Third Reich as a united Slavic world. The conclusion was that both Co-pernicus centuries ago and during World War II, allied troops led by the USSR were fighting withGermany for the same goals, including restoring areas with Piast origins to Poland. Despite usingthe figure of Copernicus in the implemented memory policy, the astronomer invariably enjoyedgreat sympathy in Polish society.

• Details
• Contents