A Brief Outline of the History of Poland

general courses

The lecture gives the main information about political, military, social and economic historical situation of Poland. The Course will help You to understand Polish regional differentiation like political, economic and cultural activity. We will also try to find a key for specific of Polish National Heroes, like: Boleslaus The Brave, Nicolaus Coprenicus, John III Sobieski, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Joseph Pilsudski, St John Paul ll and Lech Wałęsa. We underline the meaning of Self-governing Labour Union “Solidarity” and especially role of the words Freedom and Independent in the History of Poland.

This course covers the following topics:

I. Historical problems

II. Political problems

III. Cultural problems

IV. Socio-economic problems

V. Military problems

The topics of particular lecture will be:

1. Poland – Birth of Nation. Piast monarchy

2. Boleslaus I the Brave - the first king of Poland.

3. The first real union in Europe. Jagiellonian dynasty.

4. Nicolaus Copernicus - astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe.

5. Elective monarchy. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

6. John III Sobieski - "Lion of Lechistan".

7. Reforms and loss of Polish independence. The Great Sejm of 1788-91 and the Constitution of May 3, 1791; The Kościuszko Uprising of 1794

8. Slavery - Partitioned Poland (1795-1918)

9. Maria Skłodowska-Curie – the first woman to win a Nobel Prize

10. The issue of Poland's independence at the beginning of XX century

11. Second Republic of Poland

12. Joseph Pilsudski - a Polish statesman.

13. Poland – “First to fight”. World War II

14. In communist captivity. Polish People's Republic (1945–89)

15. Freedom and solidarity. Heroes of those days – John Paul II, Lech Wałęsa

Davies, N., 2003, God’s Playground: A History Of Poland, (Oxford University Press).

Davies, N., 2001: Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present (Oxford University Press)

Karski J., 2014, Great Powers and Poland, (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)

Kłaczkow J., Radzimiński S., Roszak S., 2014: The History of Poland. A Nation and State between West and East, (Wydawnictwo Adam Marzszałek)

Zamoyski, A., 2009, Poland: A History, (Harper Press).

Selected Internet Resources and Books

http://www.zincavage.org/paintings-index.html

https://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Poland:_Primary_Documents

https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Poland

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the History of Poland. The course is directed to students with an interest in different aspects of political, military, social and economic History of Poland. During the course we will also analyze the biographies of the most important figures in Polish History. Forms of work in the classes include lectures, multimedia presentations, documentaries, discussions.

On successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

- understand and explain the main facts of the History of Poland;

- explain the main historical aspects which shaping Polish society in many political, social, economic and cultural conditions;

- describe and assess the life Polish National Heroes.

Attendance at lectures.

Activity in class.

A written final exam (test with the mixture of multiple choice).

To pass the course students have a total score of 35% (or higher) of the total possible test points.

Do not worry! Apprenticeships are not provided.