Poland: A history
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- Author：Adam Zamoyski
- ISBN：0007556217
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Summary
Adam Zamoyski first wrote his history of Poland two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union。 This substantially revised and updated edition sets the Soviet era in the context of the rise， fall and remarkable rebirth of an indomitable nation。
In 1797， Russia， Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves， rewriting Polish history to show that they had brought much-needed civilisation to a primitive backwater。 But the country they wiped off the map had been one of Europe’s largest and most richly varied， born of diverse cultural traditions and one of the boldest constitutional experiments ever attempted。 Its destruction ultimately led to two world wars and the Cold War。
Zamoyski’s fully revised history of Poland looks back over a thousand years of turmoil and triumph， chronicling how Poland has been restored at last to its rightful place in Europe。
In 1797， Russia， Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves， rewriting Polish history to show that they had brought much-needed civilisation to a primitive backwater。 But the country they wiped off the map had been one of Europe’s largest and most richly varied， born of diverse cultural traditions and one of the boldest constitutional experiments ever attempted。 Its destruction ultimately led to two world wars and the Cold War。
Zamoyski’s fully revised history of Poland looks back over a thousand years of turmoil and triumph， chronicling how Poland has been restored at last to its rightful place in Europe。
Reviews
吕晓晓 Chinese
，
Poland is a sympathetic and surprising country。 In the 16th century， the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was once the largest country in Europe。 In the 18th century， it was divided up by strong neighbors three times and disappeared from the map。 After more than a century of hard work， in the 20th century， the immortal Poland was finally reborn。 The whole process is full of tragic and tragic colors as described in the Polish national anthem "Poland Is Not Perished"。 Why did Poland suffer such a se Poland is a sympathetic and surprising country。 In the 16th century， the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was once the largest country in Europe。 In the 18th century， it was divided up by strong neighbors three times and disappeared from the map。 After more than a century of hard work， in the 20th century， the immortal Poland was finally reborn。 The whole process is full of tragic and tragic colors as described in the Polish national anthem "Poland Is Not Perished"。 Why did Poland suffer such a setback？ What kind of country is Poland？ What kind of people are Poles？ These questions can be answered in the book "History of Poland" by the Polish-born British historian and writer Adam Zamoyski。 "History of Poland" starts with the creation of the Kingdom of Poland by Meszko I and shows how Poland entered the modern era after its rebirth， showing the ups and downs that Poland has experienced in the millennium。 After reading "History of Poland"， I have a feeling that Poland is different from other countries， and Polish people are also different from people in other countries。 Poles love freedom and oppose dictatorship from the bottom up。 Therefore， a very unique national system has been established in Poland。 The partition of Poland can be said to be the inevitable result of this fragile system， but the rebirth of Poland also benefits from the legacy of this system。 Poles’ fear of autocratic rule makes the King of Poland become senior wage earners Poles， or more precisely， the Polish aristocracy who can participate in politics， love freedom and actively maintain equal rights among aristocrats。 The fear of autocratic rule can be said to be deep in the bones。 They treat the kingship as a scourge， as if the king will become a tyrant once he has power， and ultimately damage their freedom and rights。 Therefore， they are extremely afraid of the royal power， always cautiously and strictly guarded， and seize every opportunity to continuously weaken the royal power。 Faced with the restrictions of the nobility， what did the Polish kings do？ The political skills of the kings themselves were not mature enough。 They could not consciously establish the authority of the kings and concentrate more power。 On the contrary， they complied with the requirements of the nobles in most cases， which made their status more and more embarrassing。 The kings of the Piast dynasty created the foundation of the Kingdom of Poland。 It can be said that the achievements have been remarkable。 For example， King Kazimierz expanded the land from 106，000 square kilometers when he took the throne to 260，000 square kilometers when he died。 But they are better at opening up territories externally， rather than establishing effective governance internally。 Their ruling power is not enough to manage the existing territories， nor can they stop the continuous expansion of local aristocratic power。 Sometimes they could not even maintain the unity of Poland's vast territory， but split the country into separate management for their sons。 Władysław I planned to divide the land between his two sons。 His youngest son Boleslaw III successfully drove his brother away and inherited the throne alone。 But in the end， Boleslaw III， under the coercion of the local nobles， distributed the land to his five sons。 This divided situation requires the subsequent kings to make more efforts to reunite。 The king took the initiative to split the country， instead of trying his best to unify the territory， which shows that they are indeed incapable of ruling the country。 The same is true for the kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty。 They are good at opening up territories。 The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the rule had occupied one third of the entire Europe at the end of the 15th century， but they lacked the experience of governing a huge empire and did not retain their power。 This gave the nobles an opportunity。 Poland had not established a system of feudal feudalism and had no channels to exercise central power。 The role of the "lord" assigned by the king to each city is limited， and each city is basically in a state of autonomy and controlled by the local nobles。 Now， the nobles seize every opportunity that the king needs funding or military support， bargaining with the king， and constantly exchange for more privileges。 As a result， the power of the nobility became greater and greater， and the power of the king was increasingly restricted。 When the Jagiellonian family died out， the nobles decided to elect a new king。 The candidates included foreign nobles in addition to their own nobles。 For the Polish nobles， “it’s never a problem without a king”， because national affairs are decided by the parliament， and the elected king is just a senior worker who temporarily sits on the throne， with very limited power。 Even the new king must swear allegiance to his subjects when he takes the throne， instead of swearing allegiance to the king by his subjects as in other countries。 If the king violates any agreement or agreement， he will lose his throne。 It is conceivable that such a king is not an enviable job， and it is difficult to do anything outstanding。 It is even more unreliable to choose a foreign nobleman to be the king。 Can you imagine pulling someone from your neighbor to take care of your own house？ A foreign nobleman is suddenly elected as the king of Poland。 It is like a pie in the sky。 He will not consider Poland's national interests wholeheartedly。 He is likely to have his own small abacus。 Gone。 Therefore， it is inevitable that the French nobleman Henry Wallois abandons the Polish throne and runs away。 As the author Adam Zamoyski said， “the fear of autocratic rule is the root of all the surprising practices in the political system of the Polish aristocratic republic”。 The king mixed into wage earners， this result is really unexpected。 Can other Polish institutions effectively manage Poland？ The answer is equally disappointing。 Henry Wallois flees Poland Defective democratic system， immature government agency Poland formed its own parliamentary system very early， which was earlier than that of Western European countries such as the United Kingdom。 But this kind of parliamentary democracy has been flawed since its birth。 First of all， because this kind of democracy is limited to the nobles， the Senate is controlled by the big nobles， and the House of Representatives is controlled by the small and medium aristocrats。 Because it is completely controlled by the aristocracy， this minority democratic system only focuses on the interests of the aristocracy and completely ignores the interests of the remaining 90% of the common people。 The members of the nobility have become more and more complex， and their opinions and interests are very different， and it is difficult to reach consensus。 Secondly， although the parliament is a legislative body， it also has the power to declare war， sign contracts， enter into alliances， etc。， and also have the power to audit the treasury， but the parliament itself cannot implement decisions。 Decisions that cannot be implemented become empty words。 This institutional defect is vividly called "epilepsy。" In addition， the "free veto" is also a major obstacle to the normal operation of the parliament。 Because one person cannot pass the objection， the "free veto power" gives individual members the possibility to prevent decision-making。 As long as the decision discussed is not in the interests of any member， or even just a certain member’s retaliation or frustration， the early efforts to fight for a decision can be wiped out。 This power does guarantee the freedom that Poles value most， and to a certain extent prevents Poland from becoming an autocratic monarchy， but it also makes the Polish government very fragile and inefficient。 The performance of the Polish-Lithuanian federal government agencies in other areas is equally unsatisfactory。 Poland does not have a formal financial management system。 In areas where the economy is most active， such as trade controlled by nobles and large-scale economic activities in Jewish communities， they are all tax-free。 Gdansk， the largest economic center， also enjoys many tax-free privileges。 Projects that can collect taxes are very inefficient。 The Polish army is small and lacks defensive capabilities。 This is not only because the nobles are afraid of spending money， but also because they are afraid that any standing army may eventually become a tool of the king's autocratic rule。 In the Taiping period， this shortcoming was not very obvious。 Once the surrounding strong neighbors confronted each other， the fragile army would not be able to defend the country。 Polish diplomacy is also ridiculous。 Throughout the 17th century， Polish diplomatic missions had a bad reputation in Europe。 They used a large number of camels and golden shovel to show a flashy diplomatic image of wealth。 They only gave people a misunderstanding of getting rich， but in fact they did not formulate any truly effective foreign policy。 In short， although the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century reached 990，000 square kilometers and became the largest country in Europe， it also maintained a state of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural symbiosis on the surface， but it had a flawed democratic system and an immature government。 The institution is really very fragile。 As the author commented: "The most surprising thing about the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is that this country has no administrative system at all。 This is even more puzzling considering its large area and many ethnic groups。" The fragile state could not withstand the impact of external forces。 Therefore， in the 18th century， facing the three partitions of the three strong neighbors， Poland had no power to fight back。 The political legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth helped Poland rebirth Although the fragile and inefficient government agencies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth failed to preserve Poland in the face of the partition of strong neighbors， the continued influence of its political heritage among the people ultimately helped Poland overcome the difficulties， allowing Poland to be reborn and find itself again。 The road。 Since the 14th century， Poland has gradually formed its own national concept。 This view holds that the sovereignty of the Polish state belongs to Poland in terms of geography， not to the Polish king himself。 The Polish land here includes land occupied by foreign countries。 Therefore， after Poland was partitioned， the Poles identified with the Poland they had always thought of， rather than the foreign government that ruled them at the time。 In addition， it is difficult for Poland to be colonized。 This is because the original Polish government institutions are very imperfect and have a weak sense of existence。 As a result， no matter which foreign government transfers its original government institutions， it makes Poles feel that this is a foreign object。 ， Produce a strong discomfort。 Even though the country was divided， the Polish nation was not divided by this。 Whether it is Poles under foreign rule or Poles forced to exile， they have always insisted on their Polish nationality。 The common language helps Poles strengthen the self-identity of the Polish nation。 When Polish teaching materials were banned， the lower-level clergy of the church set up schools in private to help Polish people preserve their common language。 Polish literature during the partition period was very prosperous， and even "underground conspiracy， illegal printing and smuggling of books have once again become part of the daily life of Polish society。" Polish prints united the scattered Polish people spiritually。 They have never forgotten that they are Polish， they have never forgotten their homeland Poland。 More importantly， the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth prompted Poles to reflect on the shortcomings of the previous political system。 They realized how fragile and inefficient the past system was， and further thought about what kind of country Poland should be built if Polish independence is to be restored。 Despite the lack of past experience， the Poles are indeed actively looking for new development directions and daring to try。 The process of trying to establish a new Poland is very long， and it has not been possible to avoid constant trial and error。 After all， the missing lessons in the millennium history have to be made up for in practice。 This is a challenge that Poland must face， and this is the future of Poland that Adam Zamoyski wants to explore in his "History of Poland"。 。。。more
Christian
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Solid， but not too inspired。
Emily
，
A good overall view of Polish history。 I came to it with a general view of European history and a better view of British history， but not a clear view of Polish history。 My paternal grandmother's parents were both Polish immigrants to America。 I knew that my great grandmother was a Potocki， whose family were part of the szlachta class of Galicia。 She was a refugee of the first world war and it is assumed that her parents were killed during the war。 So I was keen to know more about this part of m A good overall view of Polish history。 I came to it with a general view of European history and a better view of British history， but not a clear view of Polish history。 My paternal grandmother's parents were both Polish immigrants to America。 I knew that my great grandmother was a Potocki， whose family were part of the szlachta class of Galicia。 She was a refugee of the first world war and it is assumed that her parents were killed during the war。 So I was keen to know more about this part of my family history。 This book covers Polish history from the beginning。 The author tends to write in sections， political， economical and social so sometimes I felt he covered sections more than once。 But his history put into context a lot of central European history because "Poland" often spilled over into other modern countries such as Lithuania， Ukraine， Belarus， Germany， Austria， Hungary and Russia。 I found his history up until 1945 most engaging。 Post 1945， it felt a bit messy， especially post 1989， but that could be because it's modern history。 But I found this book helped put into context a lot of central European history that was quite messy to me。 It also helped to give an idea of why my great grandmother was made homeless in 1916 and sent to America for her own safety。 It was a long book but worth the read if you are interested in the history of Poland。 。。。more
Isabella
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Considering that it's a work about the whole history of a country， it's very well done， even with family trees for better understanding the early royal families， successions and marriages。 Considering that it's a work about the whole history of a country， it's very well done， even with family trees for better understanding the early royal families， successions and marriages。 。。。more
Jim Reynolds
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Fantastic。 A little slim towards the beginning and end but Zamoyski tells a clear narrative of Polish politics over 1100 years。 The book works in a lot of surrounding history without losing focus。 In the name of concision， it does at times assume a working idea of medieval history。。。 had mine been better I'm sure I would have got more out of the earlier chapters。 Nonetheless， a dynamic and interesting recap of Poland's various roles in Europe。 Fantastic。 A little slim towards the beginning and end but Zamoyski tells a clear narrative of Polish politics over 1100 years。 The book works in a lot of surrounding history without losing focus。 In the name of concision， it does at times assume a working idea of medieval history。。。 had mine been better I'm sure I would have got more out of the earlier chapters。 Nonetheless， a dynamic and interesting recap of Poland's various roles in Europe。 。。。more
Nienke
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It is almost a review or two books。 The first part did not grasp me， whether through style or content I hardly know since I put the book aside for some time due to being bored by it。Then two weeks back I decided to give it another try and the part from the partitions reads like a thriller， a well researched fact based one that is。 The part from 1770 or so till the end is highly readable and interesting。So should you have the same experience， skip a part and move to the juicier bit in the second It is almost a review or two books。 The first part did not grasp me， whether through style or content I hardly know since I put the book aside for some time due to being bored by it。Then two weeks back I decided to give it another try and the part from the partitions reads like a thriller， a well researched fact based one that is。 The part from 1770 or so till the end is highly readable and interesting。So should you have the same experience， skip a part and move to the juicier bit in the second half to better understand modern day Polish society。 。。。more
Nevena Sladaković
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Very informative and sums up the most important events and people in Polish history， in a very well written way that is easy to follow and understand。 Definitely worth reading！
Ben
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Way to much detail， too focused on people and politics of Poland。 Read like a textbook。
Diego Zlotogora
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The history of Poland is to me a sad story with a （hopefully） happy ending。 And Adam Zamoyski opens up to the general public centuries of constant border changes， wars， suffering and cultures coexistence。 Because， after reading his book， you will realize how much these people have fought to become a unified country and their struggle to overcome their neighbours' tiranny。 The history of Poland is to me a sad story with a （hopefully） happy ending。 And Adam Zamoyski opens up to the general public centuries of constant border changes， wars， suffering and cultures coexistence。 Because， after reading his book， you will realize how much these people have fought to become a unified country and their struggle to overcome their neighbours' tiranny。 。。。more
Karolina Fratczak
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Very easy to read， cultural and international context included which adds another layer to perspective
Przemysław Piela
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A highly enjoyable read thanks to the unusual approach focused on describing the social and economic relations between states and groups of interest across centuries。 Most of the works on the history of Poland are overfocused on the military aspects of it， which are instead the result of the economic struggles in societies， then their root cause。 I rate it only 4 stars though， with a tendency to 3， as the chapters on the 20th century are political and biased by author’s personal views。 That’s fi A highly enjoyable read thanks to the unusual approach focused on describing the social and economic relations between states and groups of interest across centuries。 Most of the works on the history of Poland are overfocused on the military aspects of it， which are instead the result of the economic struggles in societies， then their root cause。 I rate it only 4 stars though， with a tendency to 3， as the chapters on the 20th century are political and biased by author’s personal views。 That’s fine and natural but was irritating for me in some places。 。。。more
Olivia
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Boring and confusing。
JonasB
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A clear to-the-point history of the Polish nation。 Many aspects are discussed in detail， but never to such degree that it becomes cumbersome。 The book has a speed to it， and you will find it easy to comprehend at least the big lines of Polish history through the ages。 Especially the later chapters on the more recent ages are clear， short but contain amazing insight。
Kamila Jast
，
Very good read， interestingly written with plenty of facts covering Polish history from around year 900 with no statehood yet to modern era。 I particularly like the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of Polish rule， successes and failures， missed opportunities and lost advantages at the backdrop of history of other European courts and powerful dynasties with which Polish history was intertwined， with some more then the others。 Great read for those seeking better understanding of reasons and ci Very good read， interestingly written with plenty of facts covering Polish history from around year 900 with no statehood yet to modern era。 I particularly like the analysis of strengths and weaknesses of Polish rule， successes and failures， missed opportunities and lost advantages at the backdrop of history of other European courts and powerful dynasties with which Polish history was intertwined， with some more then the others。 Great read for those seeking better understanding of reasons and circumstances of certain historic events， influences and decisions across Europe， from very credible historian and writer， a descendant of 2 most powerful families of Polish history - Zamojski and Czartoryski。 。。。more
Rudyard L。
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This book is how nationalist histories ought to be written。
Justin
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An accessible introduction to Polish history。 While Zamoyski's coverage is not comprehensive， he provides rich sketches of key periods of the country's past。 At times he brings his own moral and political judgements to bear， but overall this is an account which gives a sense of the development of Polish identity and statehood over the longue durée。 An accessible introduction to Polish history。 While Zamoyski's coverage is not comprehensive， he provides rich sketches of key periods of the country's past。 At times he brings his own moral and political judgements to bear， but overall this is an account which gives a sense of the development of Polish identity and statehood over the longue durée。 。。。more
Eric Bea
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A brilliant book describing in precis the development of the Polish state through the First Rzeczpospolita。 A good introdcution for the beginner in Polish history。 Wisely， Zamoyski does not go into detail about the Second or Third Republics， since there is a wealth of material on 20th century Polish history。 It would have been a good idea to focus on how the relatively little Prussia became Poland's downfall， but I guess one could also refer to more specialist works on Prussian history as well。 A brilliant book describing in precis the development of the Polish state through the First Rzeczpospolita。 A good introdcution for the beginner in Polish history。 Wisely， Zamoyski does not go into detail about the Second or Third Republics， since there is a wealth of material on 20th century Polish history。 It would have been a good idea to focus on how the relatively little Prussia became Poland's downfall， but I guess one could also refer to more specialist works on Prussian history as well。 For what it is， Zamoyski's study of a millenium of Polish history works。 。。。more
Michal
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17 years in Polish schools， but most of this was new to me。 One of the final sentences appears to explain recent issues the country has been having: "education system geared towards obtaining good grades" as opposed to thinking critically。 17 years in Polish schools， but most of this was new to me。 One of the final sentences appears to explain recent issues the country has been having: "education system geared towards obtaining good grades" as opposed to thinking critically。 。。。more
Simone
，
As I previously knew little about Polish history， this book was a good introduction。 At 400 pages it is not a large tome， and hence 1000+ years of history was necessarily diluted。 At times， events seem to hop， skip and jump a bit， and occassionally broader contextual information was lacking （in terms of the wider European stage in particular）。 The unfamiliar Polish names also caused me a bit of difficulty。 But what I did like， was that the author clearly respects Poland， honouring its struggles As I previously knew little about Polish history， this book was a good introduction。 At 400 pages it is not a large tome， and hence 1000+ years of history was necessarily diluted。 At times， events seem to hop， skip and jump a bit， and occassionally broader contextual information was lacking （in terms of the wider European stage in particular）。 The unfamiliar Polish names also caused me a bit of difficulty。 But what I did like， was that the author clearly respects Poland， honouring its struggles and ideals， but managed to avoid writing a panegyric。 。。。more
J Reva
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This wasn’t just the history of Poland， this was the STORY of Poland。 It was well researched and delivered in a way that I really connected with。I very much enjoyed this journey through the spirit and story of the Polish people， not just intellectually， but also emotionally。
Dominic Arbuthnott
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Excellent short history of Poland。
Blue Tango
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That’s a very beautiful ， well written， eye-opener and engaging book on Poland’s history from medieval age to the last decade。 It really helps understanding why church was so critical in polish society and identity ， why an entire generation of now 60-70 year-old was “broken” by the rapid change of events around 1989 ， it explain the soul of a country that suffered a lot and was the big looser of WWII despite being one of the formal winners or that was able to create the first multicultural， ope That’s a very beautiful ， well written， eye-opener and engaging book on Poland’s history from medieval age to the last decade。 It really helps understanding why church was so critical in polish society and identity ， why an entire generation of now 60-70 year-old was “broken” by the rapid change of events around 1989 ， it explain the soul of a country that suffered a lot and was the big looser of WWII despite being one of the formal winners or that was able to create the first multicultural， open and democratic Commonwealth in the world back in the day。A must if you love Poland。 。。。more
Ruth Dipple
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I think Poland must lay claim to having the most complex history of any European nation （if you can call it a nation， which I doubt， having read Mr Z's book）。 Before reading this clear narrative， illustrated with very necessary maps， I had hazy ideas of certain islets of fact， but reading the book has really joined up the gaps for me， and made me aware of things I had no idea about at all， for instance the 18th century fascination of Poles with Muslim culture， especially from the Tatars。 I also I think Poland must lay claim to having the most complex history of any European nation （if you can call it a nation， which I doubt， having read Mr Z's book）。 Before reading this clear narrative， illustrated with very necessary maps， I had hazy ideas of certain islets of fact， but reading the book has really joined up the gaps for me， and made me aware of things I had no idea about at all， for instance the 18th century fascination of Poles with Muslim culture， especially from the Tatars。 I also know exactly who the Teutonic Knights were。This is an admirable attempt to create a fluent narrative about a very complicated area of Europe and I commend it to anyone wishing to appreciate the significance of Poland today。 。。。more
Eeva
，
In case you wonder about Poland， its people， culture， churches， people， language， towns， countryside， religion， and how some extremely dramatic events led to their the current situation， this is your book。 Such an interesting and clarifying view to the last 1000 years before today。 And a remarkable piece of European history as a bonus。 You will understand so much more about the current day politics and power play after this book。 A must-read。
William L Jones
，
Different strokes （of the pen） for different folks。 I'm an OCD history reader and am trying to cover the world before I pass on。 Zamoyski had the perfect balance of detail and big picture for my purposes。 How often （honestly） do most readers -- not post docs -- read the footnotes？ One of my reasons for reading it is that I want to continue my Polish research and go to Poland to find living relatives -- those who were not slaughtered or displaced by the stunningly brutal inhumanity of the Nazis a Different strokes （of the pen） for different folks。 I'm an OCD history reader and am trying to cover the world before I pass on。 Zamoyski had the perfect balance of detail and big picture for my purposes。 How often （honestly） do most readers -- not post docs -- read the footnotes？ One of my reasons for reading it is that I want to continue my Polish research and go to Poland to find living relatives -- those who were not slaughtered or displaced by the stunningly brutal inhumanity of the Nazis and Soviets。 Sadly， after Zamoyski's treatment of the wars， I now believe that there is little chance of that。 For those wanting a more personal history and view of the role of women in Polish history， Michener's fascinating historical novel POLAND is spellbinding。 And Zamoyskis family is in it。PS Both of these books are on Kindle。 。。。more
Chris Thorley
，
Poland has an interesting history that seem to be largely overlooked， considering how large a part of Europe Poland-Lithuania once was。 It is often quite a tragic history， particularly WW2 and the aftermath as a Soviet satellite。 Poland's present would be very different if it was not surrounded by aggressive neighbours。 As Nationalism and racism becomes more prevalent in Britain it is important to remember Poland's role in European history and WW2， as well as the reasons why so many Poles have e Poland has an interesting history that seem to be largely overlooked， considering how large a part of Europe Poland-Lithuania once was。 It is often quite a tragic history， particularly WW2 and the aftermath as a Soviet satellite。 Poland's present would be very different if it was not surrounded by aggressive neighbours。 As Nationalism and racism becomes more prevalent in Britain it is important to remember Poland's role in European history and WW2， as well as the reasons why so many Poles have emigrated away from their home country。 。。。more
Youthknives
，
I deeply appreciate this work because it is a highly complex topic that is not often shared to English speaking circles in any reasonable detail。 Zamoyski's book is compact but dense and this at times can be a bit challenging to get through。 However， I have found that reading this book in a kind of "encyclopedia" format （e。g。 Select a topic from the listed chapters that interest you and read it） is beneficial and helped make the piece more interesting。 That being said， the information here is re I deeply appreciate this work because it is a highly complex topic that is not often shared to English speaking circles in any reasonable detail。 Zamoyski's book is compact but dense and this at times can be a bit challenging to get through。 However， I have found that reading this book in a kind of "encyclopedia" format （e。g。 Select a topic from the listed chapters that interest you and read it） is beneficial and helped make the piece more interesting。 That being said， the information here is really good and dense enough to get a thorough understanding while also presenting enough "teaser" information to warrant further， deeper research。 As someone who is studying Polish culture， history， and tradition this was a fantastic starting point for me。 。。。more
Luke Gardiner
，
This is a very interesting book following the history of a part of the world that is often ignored！ The story of Poland is a harrowing one， but also one of incredible resilience， and this book is great at getting that across to the unfamiliar reader。 My only major gripe is the lack of referencing in the book as it makes it somewhat hard to find out more about the topic。 However， despite this， I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants an overview of Polish history！
David Trawinski
，
I am a writer of Polish Historical Fiction， so I found this read to be exceptional as a reference for my current writing project。 What a fantastic review of Poland since 966 when it was first Christianized under Duke Mieszko I。 The book details how his son， Bolesław the Brave， the first King of Poland， unified the country。 Then it's off to the races。。。right up until life the end of communism in 1989。Very detailed， and rich in historical accuracy。 Mr。 Zamoyski highlights the prominent families of I am a writer of Polish Historical Fiction， so I found this read to be exceptional as a reference for my current writing project。 What a fantastic review of Poland since 966 when it was first Christianized under Duke Mieszko I。 The book details how his son， Bolesław the Brave， the first King of Poland， unified the country。 Then it's off to the races。。。right up until life the end of communism in 1989。Very detailed， and rich in historical accuracy。 Mr。 Zamoyski highlights the prominent families of the Szlachta， the noble class throughout the centuries。 This includes his own， which is factual， I know， from the Zamoyski family of Zamość being noted so prominently in Michener's Poland。An exceptional reference book。 It may came across as dry to some， so I rated it four stars not five。 But this seems to be consistent with the community review。 。。。more
Dave Sheen
，
Lot of it is opinion and zero quotes。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Poland: A history
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Poland: A history&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Poland: A history&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0