The German Minority in Contemporary Poland – from Isolation to Political Relevance
The German Minority in Contemporary Poland – from Isolation to Political Relevance

Author(s): Piotr Janiszewski
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Scientia Kiadó
Summary/Abstract: 1990 brought forth the ‘rebirth’ of the German minority in Poland. Within two years, the new III Republic witnessed the creation of numerous local, regional and umbrella associations. Their number and high activity, as well as the number of people declaring their access to these organizations came as a surprise and, to some, as a shock. The article aims to analyse the political role of the German minority in Poland in two main aspects. The first is the political position of German organizations that participate in the national and municipal/regional elections. It is so far the only national minority in Poland that is able to obtain seats in the national parliament on its own and the only one whose organization co-governs a region. Why was the German minority able to achieve a position that the other, relatively numerous national minorities in Poland, such as the Ukrainians and Belarusians, were not? Was the aid given to German minority organizations coming from the Federal Republic the key factor, or did other, mainly social/ cultural aspects play a decisive role? The second aspect is the political but also cultural, educational and social activity of the German minority organizations seen from the perspective of the Polish political discourse. Although the relations between Germany and Poland have only improved since 1990, the fear of German revisionism was and is still present in Poland, which of course has its impact on the reception of the German minority organizations’ activities and political role, especially in borderland regions like Silesia. What role has this issue played in the last 22 years and how and why has it evolved in the course of time? Both these aspects are the pillars of the political analyses of the German minority in Poland.

• Details
• Contents