Warsaw 1944: the Blinding Light of Freedom
Warszawa 1944: oślepiający blask wolności
Keywords: freedom; history; the Warsaw Uprising;
More...Keywords: freedom; history; the Warsaw Uprising;
More...Keywords: January uprising; Osman Empire; Balkans
The article describes little known episodes of Polish immigrants in the Osman Empire. They were involved in various actions in the Balkan Peninsula, trying to resurrect the Polish question in Europe.
More...Keywords: January uprising; Scandinavia; Polonia; memory
The author looks at independence uprisings from the Scandinavian perspective. She shows in what way the northern countries perceived Polish insurrections. She also wonders which from uprising ideas have been remembered by the Scandinavia Polonia.
More...Research into the history of the PRL (People’s Republic of Poland) tends to present the past in the rather simple terms of society versus regime, with the opposing sides being contradictory in their interests and values. Three types of concept prevail: „From One Conflict to the Next”, „Socialist State, Rebellious Nation”, and the „Totalitarian” perspective. These viewpoints are as superficial as their imposed ideological anti-communist perspective. The assumed goal of such historical research is to reveal (to expose, to redress) rather than to understand (to clarify, to explain). To view the modern history of Poland simply in terms of conflict results in a significant imbalance in examining particular issues. There are examples of monographic work regarding the major social conflicts which occurred during the lifespan of the PRL, but the periods between these incidents have been less popular. Although the distinguishable and academically popular Stalinist period in Poland seems to have been sufficiently researched, the same cannot be said of subsequent decades. It is the years 1956–1976 which deserve attention, for not only was this a „period of conflict” but it was also a time of significant change within Polish society which affected the political system and its perception, the period’s changes impacting on the well documented conflicts. Important issues regarding Polish society in the second half of the 20th Century have yet to be researched. These include the forming of materialist aspirations, sources of information on the outside world – in particular the possibilities and extent of travel – and the influence of the mass media on people’s attitudes. Without an adequate investigation into such issues, bold statements about the system and its dynamics cannot be justified. There remain three main issues – regarding the mechanics of power still widely understood only at a local level – which deserve particular attention: the political culture of the PRL, the importance of ideology and pragmatism in the decision making process, as well as the activity of interest groups on various levels of authority.
More...Keywords: Johannes Hevelius; intellectual culture; the Academic Gymnasium of Gdańsk
In the 16th and the 17 th centuries Gdańsk (Danzig) was not only a prosperous emporium and port but also an important centre of culture. The author focuses on educational system in Gdańsk which, according to him, played a meaningful role in development of the intellectual, scientific and artistic life of the town. Gdańsk boasted all kinds of schools that existed at that time. The schools with their diverse syllabuses, prepared their students for jobs in various fields. Modern languages (such as English, Dutch, Spanish and Italian) were on curriculum as their practical knowledge was essential in Gdańsk. Municipal Authorities of Gdańsk promoted the development of printing-houses and bookshops. In 1596 the Library of City Council came into existence. In 1604 postal service was established which created favorable conditions for exchange of scientific and artistic achievements. The author emphasizes that the development of education considerably widened the circle of creators who could reach wider audience in such fields as literature, the fine arts, music and science. The Academic Gymnasium of Gdańsk played a significant part in it.
More...Keywords: Poland; Piast; Popiel; myth; national consciousness; popular culture; Gallus Anonymous
This paper is an attempt at a reconstruction of sources of Polish national consciousness, with its political and cultural components. It should be emphasized that cultural determinants are most important for consolidating national identity. In the Polish case, one of the most interesting and also most often reproduced Polish cultural motifs is the legend of Piast and Popiel. For reasons outlined above, this article will attempt to analyze legends of the first ruler in Poland and references to them in the contemporary Polish culture. For clarity of analysis, the essay is divided into two parts. The first is connected with the myth of richness and the fertile, as well as powerful Poland. The significance of this part is for the processes of creating Polish national identity around utopian visions, and also their presence in the literature. Furthermore, this myth is related with belief that the ruler must be just for his people. The second part includes the analysis of the presence of this myth in popular culture, on the example of children’s literature and in the social space.
More...Keywords: national megalomania; mythologisation of history; national myths
In the early 20th century, a number of Polish thinkers betrayed a mentality in which was deeply rooted the notion of the Polish nation’s unique character. These thinkers also expressed a conviction that Poles had a special mission both in Europe in general and towards other European nations. The signs of the intellectual elite’ s national megalomania were reflected in Polish journalistic writings in the final period of World War I and the initial period of regained independence shortly after it. The article analyzes the views of selected thinkers: the philosopher W. Lutosławski, the journalist and literary critic A. Górski, the publicist A. Chołoniewski, and the historian J.K. Kochanowski. All of them believed in an optimistic picture of Polish history and emphasized the significance of the Polish mission in an ethical dimension understood as a desire to establish European order based both on respect towards the individual and at the same time on national diversity. This attitude was clearly based on Romantic thought—a historiosophy tinted with mesianism. All these authors dealt with the same themes from Polish history, treating them as a justification of their attitudes (such as: the Republic of Nobility as an embodiment of the ideal of freedom, Poland as an intermediary between the East and the West, as well as the propagator of Christian civilization in the East; the prominent role of Poles among the Slavic peoples, the importance of Catholicism). All in all, they created a mythologized vision of the Polish Republic in order to integrate the Polish society and mobilize it to act. This stream of glorification of the Polish statehood met with severe criticism after Poland regained its independence. S. Zakrzewski, F. Bujak, J.S. Bystroń, Bocheński brothers and others protested against falsifying the history of Poland.
More...Keywords: history of Polish law; joint stock company; shares; trading company; securities
The paper analyses the legal construction of the shares of Polish public companies in the 18th century. The analysis relied on the statutes and documents referring to the shares. The Woolen Products Manufacturing Company founded in 1766 should be considered the first Polish public company. Before 1795, i.e. after Poland lost her independence due to the third partition of the country, there had been established as many as seven companies of that type. The surviving projects of statutes show that the founding of several other companies was planned. The period in which the first Polish companies functioned was short and most of them were dissolved within a few years after they had been founded. This was due inter alia to the difficulties in collecting the capital fund. The preserved source materials allow for the analysis of the legal nature and function performed by the shares in the construction of these companies. The author believes that – in the light of statutory provisions and the documents referring to the shares - it is possible to regard the shares connected with the companies as a part of joint stock capital and the entirety of the rights of the shareholders and also disposable securities. In particular, the shares of the first Polish public companies may be attributed the nature of the part of joint stock capital of the value determined in the statute. This capital, collected through contributions made by the partners in return for obtaining a specified number of shares, was the basis on which there functioned each of the companies subjected to the analysis.
More...The author shows the development of Polish ethnolinguistic research into national stereotypes (J. S. Bystroń, K. Pisarkowa, J. Bartmiński, A. Niewiara). She stresses that Polish studies of national stereotypes have from the start been historical-oriented, later diachronic, which sets them apart from others, such as American. The author reports her own findings on changes in stereotypes of more than 60 foreign nations and the Polish autostereotype from the 16th to the 20th century.
More...In the second half of the 19 century appeared periodicals addressed to women, in which discussion on the place and role of the woman in society and family was raised. Among the most readable and representing relatively high level were found periodicals 'Niewiasta' and 'Kalina'. Most of the articles published in those periodicals were devoted to mother, as the first educator and teacher of her children. From the analysis of the works emerges a picture of a caring mother, providing safety and development of her children, bringing up children in the spirit of patriotism and love of God, as well as aspiring to educate her offspring to be citizens and members of the polish society. Principally attention was focused on the role of mother in upbringing daughters. It was clearly pointed out, that it was the mother whom the future of her children depended on. The aim of the maternal influence was to form a person possessing numerous virtues and abilities essential to become a good wife, mother and housewife. The mother was moreover supposed to be an inseparable companion of her children, their support in troubles as well as mentor introducing young generation into the vortex of national, social and family life.
More...Keywords: education; educational tips for parents; parents education; family education
The article presents tips on raising children published in journals in the nineteenth century. Their role was to educate parents. In many publications it was written literally, that parents, especially mothers, have no grounds for raising children. Therefore, the information contained in the texts related to educational culture, health behavior, moral education, the formation of character and mind. The authors marked that more parents should take care of the health aspects, namely to improve living conditions, hygiene of everyday life, as well as adopt attitudes and behaviors conducive to health. They urged the need of kneading in the children a strong will to prevent them in future from unexpected events and non-permanent fate. They drew attention to the need for mental development. It was believed that it is important not only what features will develop, but also what your child will learn. Knowledge should be presented as a boon, human dignity, which puts him on a higher level of existence. Particular attention is paid to the social upbringing, noting that the more there will be good people in the world, the more this will over ride good intentions and noble aspirations. The desire for happiness is the reason for care to be taken of the education of children.
More...Keywords: Poland; Polish people; autobiographical texts;
This article in a way constitutes the third part of a cycle of essays on the portrayal of Poland and Poles in autobiographical texts written by foreign authors from the 18th century until the present day. It deals with the 20th and 21st centuries and discusses autobiographical material in which Poland and Polish people feature most heavily (e.g., the diaries of Claudel, Gide, and Mann). Then, the article focuses on several problems, i.e. the Jews and the Jewish question in Poland (e.g. diaries written by Kafka, Gide, Raïssa Maritain, Singer, and Oz), the war (e.g. Queneau’s and Gide’s diaries), Poland after World War II (e.g. the autobiographies of Márai and Oz), and Poland as perceived by travelers (e.g. the diaries of Dublin and others). Topics pertaining to the 21st century are only dealt with here to a limited extent.
More...Keywords: global economy; world-system; economic history; Immanuel Wallerstein
This article outlines the research programme on World-Systems Analysis school, which is connected with works of Immanuel Wallerstein and periodicals Review. A Journal of the Fernand Braudel Center and Journal of World-Systems Research. This scientific community has set up influential theories and research position in economic history and sociology of development. My text examines the crucial research problems and theoretical assumptions of WSA approach. Besides this, condition and perspectives of WSA within contemporary social sciences is analysed.
More...Keywords: research topics of historical demography; academic centres of historical demography; Poland; the 20th and 21st centuries; Poland’s Demographic Past
The article presents research problems and changes in the thematic extension of the works published in the 38 volumes of Poland’s Demographic Past (Przeszłość Demograficzna Polski, PDP) for the last 50 years. At the same time the author attempts to depict academic centres that have conducted research into the state, vital events and migrations of populations and defines research profiles typical of them. The article also indicates Polish territories and neighbouring regions, as well as chronological periods, which have been the most popular fields of research for the last fifty years.
More...Keywords: persuasion;eristic argument;epistolography;Alojzy Feliński
The research material of this study consists of selected fragments of epistolography of Alojzy Feliński, a poet who created at the turn of the 18th and 19th century. The analysis is devoted to selected letters which the poet wrote to Michał Wyszkowski, Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, Jan and Waleria Tarnowski and Franciszek Rudzki. The aim of the article is to draw attention to the value of material goods in Feliński’s life. A poetic type of argumentation was observed in the study, which – often indirectly – revealed the poet’s attitude towards money. Taking into account the historical and biographical context, as well as the persuasiveness of the words of the Volyn poet, the study aims to explain Feliński’s common sense thinking about both money and material goods.
More...Keywords: Onufry Kopczyński; language culture
The aim of this paper is to collect and characterise Onufry Kopczyński’s prescriptive views, which are dispersed across his works, in particular grammar books. There are numerous studies regarding this grammarian; it is known that his scientific and teaching activity had a major influence on the shape of and attitudes towards Polish, yet no synthesis of his assumptions has been made. This paper presents the assumptions in a descriptive manner, and its summary is a synthetic itemised enumeration of the principles which, in the scholar’s opinion, should form the theory and practice of oral and written communication.
More...Keywords: United States (USA); Piłsudskiites; “Sokół”; Wacław Jędrzejewicz; Kazimierz Sosnkowski; constitution; conference; veterans;
The Józef Piłsudski Institute of America, which has been operating since 4 July 1943, has been one of the most important research archival and science institution outside Poland. A large group of Piłsudski-oriented, strongly anti-communist people conducted their activities there for several decades. This community actively cherished national ceremonies among American Poles, strictly forbidden in communist-ruled Poland.
More...Keywords: MURAVEV'S TRAGEDY 'BOLESLAW'; RUSSIAN-POLISH RELATIONS
The article revives the figure of Mikhail N. Muravev (1757-1807), a writer and social worker, witness to the first partitioning of Poland, a man of noble character, a Russian sympathizing with Poland's tragic fate. Having mentioned the most important facts from Muravev's life against the anti-Polish atmosphere of the Petersburg court, the author presents in detail Muravev's tragedy 'Boleslaw'. The work, preserved only in manuscript, is devoted to the Polish king Boleslaus III the Wrymouth, who at the turn of the 13th century united Poland as a state. A hypothesis is put forward that with this work Muravev tried to react to the partitioning of Poland. An analysis of the work is proposed, followed by the presentation the tragic figure of the main protagonist. Finally, the poem 'Boleslaus, the Polish king' is quoted, in which Muravev synthesizes what he did not manage to include in the unfinished tragedy. Muravev initiated a new kind of attitude of Russians to Poland and its misfortune, a tradition including, among others, Lev Tolstoi's short story 'For what?' (1906), devoted to the fate of a Polish exile.
More...Keywords: Polish language
On the occasion of Poland’s regaining its independence in 1918, several papers have been written to depict the development and transformations of the Polish language over the period 1918–2018. However, none of the studies covered popularising Polish by emigrant communities in various countries around the world, preserving it and passing it down to new generations in a bilingual environment, and its teaching not only in ethnic schools but also in higher education institutions. This paper addresses the abovementioned issues by presenting relations between the Polish state and emigration communities in the period 1918–1939 first. A characteristic typical of this period was the fact that governmental authorities treated emigrants and their descendants as Poles around the world who may pursue the objectives of the Polish foreign policy. With this in mind, the World Union of Poles (Światpol) was established in 1934, which was opposed by representatives of the Polish American community. A further part of the paper presents the organisation of summer school of the Polish language and culture at the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University in Kraków beginning from 1931, teaching of the Polish language in Polish schools abroad and aid provided to them by Poland, and finally, courses of Polish and programmes in Polish Studies offered at foreign universities.
More...