Poles and Poland over the Centuries (966-2009) - Supplementary Courses 05-PaPoC-PIE

The course examines the history of Poles and their state, culture and language over the centuries. The course provides a very general introduction to the complex past of Poland. Special attention will be paid to the development of Polish culture in the European context. The introduction of Christianity at the end of the 10th century meant also the beginning of long-lasting and multisided culture changes. The medieval kingdom of Poland and later to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth formed a unique political system with its religious and civic tolerance. The course will also cover the formation of modern Polish nation in comparison to similar processes affecting other European nations. The rebirth of the independent Polish state after WWI was followed by enormous development of modern Polish culture. The tragedy of WW II and time of Communist regime marked very deep transformation of Poles and Poland. The fall of Communism and victory of the Solidarity movement began an absolutely new period with all its complex effects. Course-packet, maps and other materials will be provided.

Week 1 Introduction: Overview of the course. Turning Points in the History of Poles, their State, Culture and Language
S. Uminski, Poland's Contribution to the World's Civilisation, NYC 1942, p. 32;
Jerzy Topolski, „Nation, Society and the State as the Creative Factors in the History of Poland”, in: Dialectic and Humanism, no 2/1990, pp. 29-41
Week 2 Formation of Early Polish state (10th-11th Century)
Europe around the year 1000, ed. Przemysław Urbańczyk, Warszawa, Wydaw. DiG, 2001 (excerpts)
Week 3 Piast Poland (11th - 1370). Knights, Monks and Kings
Paul W. Knoll, The rise of the Polish monarchy. Piast Poland in East Central Europe, 1320-1370, Chicago-London, The University of Chicago Press, 1972 (excerpts).
Week 4 Polish-Lithuanian Unions (1385-1572).
Zigmantas Kiaupa, Jurate, Kiaupiene, Albinas Kuncevičius, The history of Lithuania before 1795, Vilnius, ARLILA Press, 2000 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Krzyżacy (Knights of the Teutonic Order) produced in 1960 and directed by Aleksander Ford (nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar)
Week 5 The "Golden Age” of Parliamentary Republic - a unique state in early modern Europe
Jacek Jędruch, Constitutions, elections and legislatures of Poland, 1493-1993. A guide to their history, foreword by Norman Davies, New York, EJJ Books, 1998 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Potop (Deluge), produced in 1973-1974, directed by Jerzy Hoffman (nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar)
Week 6 Sarmatian World: Melting pot of Polish, Lithuanian, Bielarussian, Ukrainian, Jewish, Scottish, German, Armenian and Muslim Cultures
Studies in the history of the Jews in old Poland in honor of Jacob Goldberg, ed. by Adam Teller, Jerusalem, Center for Research on the History and Culture of Polish Jews, 1998 (excerpts).
Pawel Jasienica, The Commonwealth of Both Nations: The silver age, transl. By Alexander Jordan, Miami-New York, Hippocrene Books, 1987 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Zemsta (Revenge), produced in 2002, directed by Andrzej Wajda
Week 7 The Fall of First Republic (1772-1795): Magnates, Politicians and "conservative Enlightenment”
Oskar Halecki, A History of Poland, with additional material by A. Polonsky, London, Henley Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983 (excerpts).
Week 8 Poles without Their Own State – Polish Lands under the Occupation (1795-1918) and the Roots of Modern Polish Society (1864-1914)
Piotr S. Wandycz, The Lands of Partitioned Poland 1795-1918, Washington, University of Washington Press, 1974 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Ziemia obiecana (The Promised Land), produced in 1974 and directed by Andrzej Wajda (nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar)
Week 9 Difficult Years of WW I (1914-1921). Pilsudski, Dmowski and "Miracle on the Vistula”
Piotr S. Wandycz, The price of freedom. A history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the present, London-New York, Routledge, 2001 (excerpts).
Week 10 The Glorious Years of Independent Republic (1921-1939)
Peter D. Stachura, Poland, 1918-1945: An interpretive and documentary history of the Second Republic, London-New York, Routledge 2004 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Katyń, produced in 2007, directed by Andrzej Wajda (nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar)
Week 11 The Tragedy of WW II (1939-1945)
The history of Poland since 1863, ed. by R.F. Leslie, Cambridge, Cambrigde University Press, 1987 (excerpts)
Film Seminar: Pianista (The Pianist), produced in 2002, directed by Roman Polański (Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adopted Screenplay; BAFTA Awards for Best Film in 2003; Palme d’Or in 2002)
Week 12 Poles in the Time of Communist Regime (1945-1981). Workers, Peasants and Soldiers
A. Kemp-Welch, Poland under communism. A Cold War history, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008 (excerpts).
Week 13 The Fall of Communism (1981-1989). Walesa, Solidarity, Emigrants.
From Solidarność to freedom: International Conference Warsaw-Gdańsk August 29-31, 2005, ed. Bronisław Geremek, Nina Smolar, Warsaw: The Solidarity Center Foundation; Gdańsk: Lech Wałęsa Institute, 2005 (excerpts).
Film Seminar: Człowiek z żelaza (Man of Iron), produced in 1981, directed by Andrzej Wajda ((nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, Palme d’Or in 1981)
Week 14 Poland as a member of NATO, EU and World's Community
Poland's way to NATO, ed. Andrzej Ajnenkiel, Warszawa, Bellona, 2001 (excerpts).
Week 15 Presentations followed by discussion