The 18th century was a time of enormous cultural, political and societal upheaval for the West. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was a period of decline that was completed by the partitions. However, reducing the 18th-century history of the Polish-Lithuanian state to a mere falling into political non-existence would be a simplified and thus false…
A brilliant strategist or a risk taker who was incurable but got lucky at a few key moments? A man of compromise, capable of coping with the greatest opponents when national interests demanded it, or an authoritative autocrat instead? A supporter of democracy, both radical and sincere, or a conservative at heart who readily found…
In historiography, he is usually shown as a politician and diplomat. He himself felt most of all a soldier who on Piłsudski’s orders assumed responsibility for Poland’s foreign policy. Unlike Piłsudski, Józef Beck lost the most important battle – for the historical memory of his countrymen. Will this book by Marek Kornat and Mariusz Wołos…
Polish-Turkish relations in the modern era are primarily seen through the prism of the conflicts that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had with the Ottoman Empire over several hundred years. Many works have been written on this subject, whose authors have discussed military campaigns, territorial changes, the economic consequences of war, as well as diplomatic relations in…
In Poland, the contribution to the victory in the coalition against Hitler, including the participation of Polish airmen in the Battle of Britain, is widely recognized as a reason for pride. The reminiscences of the fighter ace of the 303 Squadron are worthy of interest, especially since they read like an adventure novel. by Michał…
Kris Van Heuckelom is Associate Professor in Literary Theory and Cultural Studies at the University of Leuven (Belgium). His well-written and informative study Polish Migrants in European Film, investigates the long-running tradition of Polish migration, with its developments over the course of a century. The starting point lies in the partitions-era, the “Great Emigration”, when…
