Poland pioneered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Domestic reforms and the negotiated abdication of ruling elites in 1989 have structured the country's politics in the 1990s. But the division between the communist and Solidarity camps continues to cause problems for a potential reform coalition aiming to complete modernization through the restructuring required for EU membership. Secular-Catholic and rural-urban conflicts, as well as the growing regional split between the north-west and south-east, have fragmented political life and the party system. Nevertheless, Poland has made remarkable steps in the consolidation of democracy and the development of her political system, whilst maintaining social stability; she is also successfully transcending her historical security dilemma of open Western and Eastern frontiers and stronger, aggressive neighbours, by embedding herself in Europe through membership of NATO and the EU. Poland is overcoming her historical problems and is well on the way to modernization and the achievement of full security but the global democratic capitalism is now challenging the strong cultural traditions of this thousand-year-old nation.

Poland has had an exceptionally turbulent thousand-year history marked by extremes of national greatness and decline including patrition and foreign occupation. Currently undergoing another dramatic transformation, Poland has been building a democratic and market system since the fall of communism. The largest and most important nation in Eastern Europe, outside the ex-Soviet Union, is now returning to the European mainstream from which she was for long periods isolated politically and economically, although not culturally. Although Poland has been widely popularized in journalistic cliches in recent years because of Solidarity, the "Polish Pope" and the like, there is still much to be learned about the particular individuals and specific factors which have shaped her history in the past and which are molding her present development. The dictionary strikes a judicious balance in covering past and contemporary figures as well as Poland's richly-textured political, social, and cultural dimensions. The Dictionary has more than four hundred entries and a most comprehensive and up-to-date bibliography. It provides a stimulating and knowledgeable introduction for students, scholars, and librarians as well as a helpful overview-guide for tourists and for those involved in teaching, business, politics, journalism, and public service."

The Soviet massacre of Polish prisoners of war at Katyn and in other camps in 1940 was one of the most notorious incidents of the Second World War. The truth about the massacres was long suppressed, both by the Soviet Union, and also by the United States and Britain who wished to hold together their wartime alliance with the Soviet Union.

This informative book examines the details of this often overlooked event, shedding light on what took place especially in relation to the massacres at locations other than Katyn itself. It discusses how the truth about the killings was hidden, how it gradually came to light and why the memory of the massacres has long affected Polish-Russian relations.

In spring 1940 the NKVD, Stalin security police, massacred nearly 15,000 Polish prisoners of war captured in September 1939 during the Nazi-Soviet war against Poland. Taken from camps at Kozelsk, Starobelsk and Ostashkov, they were shot and buried at Katyn. The massacre was uncovered and publicized by the Nazis during their spring 1943 advance into the USSR, along with similar atrocities in Kharkov and at Mednoe near Tver. Another 7,300 Poles were shot in Ukranian and Belarussian prisons at the same time, bringing the total death toll to around 22,000.
This study is the first to use Soviet documentation released in the early 1990s to explain how the failure of NKVD interrogation and recruitment attempts along with acute Polish-Bolshevick rivalry lead the Stalinist leadership to decide on mass slaughter. In addition to an exploration of the rational of the Stalinist state, "Katyn and the Soviet Massacre of 1940" gives an authoritative case study of the processes used by Stalin through a detailed accounting of the mechanics of the transportation and execution of the victims. The truth about the massacre was suppressed both by the Soviet Union and by their post-war satellite regime in Poland. But the management of the issue by the American and British governments after 1943, examined in the second half of this book, also has major significance. The failure by the Western powers to question the Soviet cover-up stands as an embarrassing part of their wider policy of acceptance of Poland's takeover at the end of WWII. While the lingering effects of war continue to haunt Eastern Europe, this study is a vital contribution on the debate over how the memory of atrocities can be assuaged byjustice for victims through truth-telling, apologies and reconciliation.
Of interest to scholars and students of Eastern European and WWII history, this volume is a fascinating look into a dark chapter of mankind's bloodiest century.

Poland pioneered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Domestic reforms and the negotiated abdication of ruling elites in 1989 have structured the country's politics in the 1990s. But the division between the communist and Solidarity camps continues to cause problems for a potential reform coalition aiming to complete modernization through the restructuring required for EU membership. Secular-Catholic and rural-urban conflicts, as well as the growing regional split between the north-west and south-east, have fragmented political life and the party system. Nevertheless, Poland has made remarkable steps in the consolidation of democracy and the development of her political system, whilst maintaining social stability; she is also successfully transcending her historical security dilemma of open Western and Eastern frontiers and stronger, aggressive neighbours, by embedding herself in Europe through membership of NATO and the EU. Poland is overcoming her historical problems and is well on the way to modernization and the achievement of full security but the global democratic capitalism is now challenging the strong cultural traditions of this thousand-year-old nation.

The focus of this work is the international dimension of democratization in eastern Europe. Coverage of this theme includes: the role of national governments and international organizations; the behaviour of non-state actors such as entrepreneurs and ethnic groups with cross-border allegiances; unintentional effects, such as those of market forces; and deliberate attempts to exercise influence, such as the use of trade barriers.;The work argues that international factors have been a principal component of, and not always favourable to, democratization in eastern Europe. It examines in turn comparative perspectives, theories of democracy and democratization, problems on international security - including the collapse of Yugoslavia - and the roles of the EU and the former USSR. Also considered are the cases of the Czech Repbulic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.

The themes and data generated by Poland's move away from Communism are crucial for discussing prospects for democratization and marketization in Eastern Europe. This is a case-study of the mechanisms of power transfer, the dynamics of the initial transition and the prospects for democratization.

This is a new release of the original 1939 edition.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

THIS 38 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Why I Believe In God And Immortality, by George Sanford Foster. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1419168657.

THIS 38 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Why I Believe In God And Immortality, by George Sanford Foster. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1419168657.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!