Review
"Clearly written in straightforward prose with many comments and pithy insights, the book suceeds admirably.... Maps and illustrations are particularly well chosen and helpful, as is the seven-page bibliography of works in English. All levels and collections." Choice


Book Description
Poland only sporadically makes the headlines of the Anglo-Saxon world, and its history remains comparatively unknown. It has suffered the dubious distinction of being wiped off the political map in 1795, to be resurrected after the First World War, to suffer seeming annihilation during the Second World War, reduction to satellite status of the Soviet Union after 1945, only to emerge during the 1980s. It is presently a contender for membership in the European Union. The only general introduction to the politics of Polish history in English, The Concise History of Poland covers medieval times to the present. The authors describe how Polish society developed under foreign rule in the 19th century and how it was altered by and responded to 45 years of communism, and developments since its collapse. Primarily a political outline of Poland's turbulent and complex past, it traces the process of its rise and fall from the middle ages, from a dynastic realm to a remarkable constitutional experiment in multinational, consensual politics, embracing much of Lithuania, Ukraine, and Belarus. Jerzy Lukowski is Senior Lecturer in Modern History, School of Historical Studies, at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is also the author of, The Partitions of Poland (Addison Wesley, 1998), and Liberty's Folly (Routledge, 1991), and many journal articles. Herbert Zawadzki is Teacher of History at Abingodn School, in Abingdon, UK. He spent the first ten years of his life in various Polish resettlement camps across the length and breadth of Britain, eventually settling near Stratford-on-Avon. He has since traveled extensively in Poland, Belarus, and Lithuania. He has written for several journals and contributed to the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the former Soviet Union (1994).

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Poland is a country which sporadically hits the headlines of the Anglo-Saxon world. It has suffered the dubious distinction of being wiped off the political map in 1795, to be resurrected after the First World War, only to suffer apparent annihilation during the Second and reduction to satellite status of the Soviet Union, to emerge in the van of resistance to Soviet domination during the 1980s. Yet the history of Poland remains comparatively little known. This book offers a primarily political outline of its turbulent and complex past, from medieval times to the present day, and is the only brief history of the country available in English.

SYNOPSIS

Lukowski (history, U. of Birmingham, UK) and Zawadzki (history, Abingdon School, UK) have written a clear account of the political events in Poland from the Middle Ages to the present, with the bulk of the account devoted to the 18th-20th centuries. An extensive bibliography, genealogical charts of rulers, and lists of heads of state are provided in appendices. The volume is illustrated with historical paintings in b&w.