Poland, 1918-1945, An Interpretive and Documentary History of the Second Republic.pdf

POLAND, 1918–1945

In the turbulent history of twentieth-century Europe, the reborn Polish

State faced the most formidable and diverse array of problems imaginable.

From 1918 until the end of the Second World War, Poland struggled to

retain and consolidate independence, finally falling prey to the alien

ideology and political system of Communism. The period of the Second

Polish Republic, from its establishment in 1918 until its end in 1945, has

often been viewed in the context of its negative aspects and failures. This

lucid new study demonstrates that a far more positive assessment is

needed, through an informed, balanced and objective approach.

Based on an extensive range of Polish, British, German, Jewish and

Ukrainian primary and secondary sources, this work provides an objective

appraisal of the interwar period. Peter Stachura demonstrates how the

Polish Republic overcame giant obstacles at home and abroad to achieve

consolidation as an independent state in the early 1920s, made relative

economic progress, created a coherent social order, produced an out-

standing cultural scene, advanced educational opportunity, and adopted

constructive and even-handed policies towards its ethnic minorities.

Without denying the defeats suffered by the republic, Peter Stachura

demonstrates that the fate of Poland after 1945, with the imposition of

an unwanted, Soviet-dominated Communist system, was thoroughly

undeserved.

Poland, 1918–1945 is a controversial and challenging revisionist

analysis and interpretation, making essential reading for all those who

study Modern European History.

Peter D. Stachura is Professor of Modern European History and Director

of the Centre for Research in Polish History at the University of Stirling.

He has published extensively, including Themes of Modern Polish History

(1992), Poland Between the Wars (1998), Poland in the Twentieth Century

(1999), Perspectives on Polish History (2001), and The Poles in Britain,

1940–2000 (2004).

POLAND, 1918–1945

An Interpretive and Documentary History

of the Second Republic

Peter D. Stachura

First published 2004

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon,

Oxfordshire OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.

reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,

mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,

including photocopying and recording, or in any information

storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from

the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Stachura, Peter D.

Poland, 1918–1945: an interpretive and documentary

history of the Second Republic / Peter D. Stachura.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Poland–History–1918–1945. I. Title.

DK4400.S73 2001

943.8′04–dc22

2003026325

ISBN 0-203-40375-4 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-68195-9 (Adobe eReader Format)

ISBN 0–415–34357–7 (hbk)

ISBN 0–415–34358–5 (pbk)

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