Polish historyin motion

by

Anna Widzińska and Małgorzata Zoń

Introduction• Each country has its own culture and its own history. The

way people behave and perceive the World is often a result of both of these aspects. It is not enough then to learn about the culture ignoring the history of the country and all the events that might have influenced the mentality of the nation. Therefore, the aim of this project is to briefly present Polish history and historical films that may help foreigners understand Polish past and therefore become a tool of intercultural communication.

Time line

966

Before Christianisation (966)Between IV and V c. AD the Sarmatians and the Slavs came

to inhabit parts of Poland in the place of the Germanic tribes. Most probably between VI/ VII c. the Slavic tribes spread to the West and North from the line of the upper Vistula. Later, on the territories between the Oder and the Bug River the Slavic peoples created several tribal organisms.

The most important Polish tribes were Polans, Masovians, Vistulans, Silesians and Pomeranians. These tribes lived in the territories that became Polish from around the mid-7th century to the creation of the Polish state by the Piast dynasty. However, it was not until the year 966 when the current headman of Poland, Mieszko I, became a Christian and was followed by his people. This act strengthened the position of Poland among other European countries and led to the coronation of the first Polish king - Boleslaw I, the Brave .

”An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God” (2003) directed by Jerzy Hoffman

• An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God takes place in pre-Christian Poland, when various Slavic tribes lived separately in lands that would later become  Poland; at a time when each tribe worshipped its own god – time of cruel princes, revenge and fight for domination.

• Watch: http://youtu.be/BIs5ls9XwYQ

Time line

966

1410

The Medieval Period – the Battle of Grunwald (1410)

Mieszko’s descendants continued to rule Poland for three centuries. The last of the Piast Dynasty, Casimir the Great, is said to have found a Poland made of wood and left one made of stone for he built hundreds of castles around the country to protect it. He is also known for inviting Jews to come and settle in Poland under his protection.

After Casimir’s death the throne passed to his nephew’s daughter, Jadwiga. As a monarch of Poland, she married the Great Duke of Lithuania, Wladyslaw Jagiello thus joining the nations in a union known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In the meantime, the north of Poland became the Prussian state of the Teutonic Knights, a powerful German monastic order. The order tried to expand their territory at the cost of Poland and Lithuania. In time, this led to the biggest battle of the Middle Ages, that of Grunwald in 1410.

”Knights of the Teutonic Order” (1960) directed by Aleksander Ford

• The plot is situated in the late-14th century and early-15th century Poland and centres around the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and the final Battle of Grunwald. It is based on the novel of the same title written by Henryk Sienkiewicz.

It was released on 15 July 1960 on the 550th anniversary of the battle of Grunwald.

( source: Wikipedia)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/ruivAt3_Tnw

Time line

966

1410

1655

The Swedish invasion on the Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–1660)

For the next couple of hundred years, the country prospered under the rule of the Jagiellonian Dynasty, gradually becoming more and more democratic. In 1493 the first bicameral Parliament was elected and the power of monarchy became restricted. In 1573, at the Confederation of Warsaw, a special Act was passed that recognized freedom for all to practice their faith without fear of persecution.

Besides the political changes, in the so-called Golden Age (16th c.) Polish culture flourished (partly thanks to many Italian artists and architects).

After the last of the Jagiellonian monarchs died childless, the throne passed to elected kings. One of them was a fervent Catholic brought up in Lutheran Sweden - Sigismund III. He involved Poland in a series of disastrous wars with Sweden, known as the Swedish Deluge.

”The Deluge” (1974) directed by Jerzy Hoffman

• The film is set in the 17th century during the Swedish invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the years 1655 to 1657, known as The Deluge, which was eventually thwarted by the Polish-Lithuanian forces. However, a quarter of the Polish-Lithuanian population died through war and plague, and the country's economy was devastated.

( source: Wikipedia)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/i0Ll_hE2aeE

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

The Three Partitions (1772, 1793 and 1795)Three partitions which took place in the 2nd half of the 18th century

ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It resulted in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years. The partitions were perpetrated by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Habsburg Austria, which divided up the Commonwealth lands among themselves progressively in the process of territorial seizures.

The First Partition of Poland, which the Poles proved incapable of resisting, was decided in 1772. Two decades later, Russian and Prussian troops entered Poland again and the Second Partition was signed in 1793. Austria did not participate in the Second Partition. The Third Partition of Poland took place in 1795, as soon as the Polish Kosciuszko Uprising was defeated. With this partition, the independent Polish state ceased to exist.

There were two major rebellions to regain independence in the 19th century: in 1830-31 the November Uprising and in 1863 the January Uprising. Unfortunately for the Poles, they both were unsuccessful.

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

1918

Independence of Poland (1918-1939)

However, the yearning for independance was never ebbed.

The opportunity came with the outbreak of World War I. In the first days of November 1918, the Poles liberated themselves and on the 11th of November under the leadership of Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, they proclaimed their independence. During the twenty-one years of independence the Poles succeeded in their efforts of the reconstruction of their independent state.

”Battle of Warsaw 1920” (2011) directed by Jerzy Hoffman

• Soon after the end of World War I the Polish-Soviet war broke out, the decisive battle of which is known as the Battle of Warsaw or the Miracle at the Vistula. It took place in 1920; its stunning reversal and unexpected Polish victory crippled the Red Army and is believed to stop Soviets from seizing the rest of Europe.

• The film’s plot is based on Poland's winning battle against Soviet Russia as seen through the eyes of two young protagonists, Ola and Jan. She is a Warsaw cabaret dancer, while he is a cavalry officer and poet who believes in socialist ideals. 

( source: Internet Movie Database)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/DstyaGotWFM

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

1918

1939

World War II (1939-1945)World War II opened with the German Nazi invasion of Poland on

September 1, 1939. The Polish Army was defeated after over a month of fighting. After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile (headquartered in London), armed forces, and an intelligence service were established outside of Poland. These organizations contributed to the Allied effort throughout the war. Notable was the service of the Polish Air Force in the Allied victory in the Battle of Britain.

The main resistance force in German-occupied Poland was the Armia Krajowa ("Home Army"; "AK") and an underground ultra-nationalist resistance force called Narodowe Siły Zbrojne ("National Armed Forces”).

The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was a major operation by the Polish Home Army (AK) to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. However, the Germans demolished the city and defeated the Polish resistance, which fought for 63 days with little outside support.

The Nazis were responsible for The Holocaust, the killing of approximately 6 million Jews, as well as 2 million ethnic Poles and 4 million others who were deemed "unworthy of life" as part of a programme of deliberate extermination. About 12 million, most of whom were Eastern Europeans, were employed in the German war economy as forced labourers. German concentration camps included: Dachau, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Majdanek (KL Lublin). The aforementioned two camps were situated in Poland.

”Days of Honor” (broadcasted since 2008)

• Days of honor is a feature about a shortened youth, stormy passions, struggle in the name of freedom, and betrayal, actuated by deceit and fear. This is a story of those whom the war changed everything: took away their families, sense of security, tested their character and male pride many a time, but never dashed their hopes and appetite for life.

(source: http://dystrybusja.tvp.pl)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/dBfLlBt1roo

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

1918

1939-45

Postwar reality (1945-1946)The end of the war did not mean the

end of problems. Warsaw and some other Polish towns were destroyed. People lost their homes and families. The time of relocation of millions of people began. Polish people had to leave their homes in the east and to settle in the former German and new Polish territory in the north and west. Jews came back to Poland from the Soviet Union and elsewhere. The operation ‘Vistula’ forced many Ukrainians to leave their homes in eastern Poland and to move to the west and north.

Also, the end of the war did not equal the return of sovereignty and independence. As a result of the agreements reached by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, Poland was consigned to the Soviet sphere of influence and thereby to the Communist rule.

”Róża” [Rose] (2011) directed by Wojciech Smarzowski

• In summer 1945 Tadeusz Mazur, an officer of the Armia Krajowa and veteran of the Warsaw uprising, moves to Masuria, a region in former German East Prussia, which became part of Poland as a result of the Potsdam Agreement after World War II. He visits Róża, a widow of a German Wehrmacht soldier whose death Tadeusz had witnessed, to hand over her husband’s possessions. While Róża is regarded a German by the new Polish authorities, thus facing her expulsion, Tadeusz wants her to declare her Polish nationality as many Masurians did in a "humiliating nationality verification procedure”. She invites Tadeusz to stay at her farm to protect her against marauders and the brutal rapes she had previously experienced in the lawless atmosphere of postwar Masuria.

(source: Wikipedia)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/vV7OW7BmoJU

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

1918

1939-45

1989

CommunismPeople’s Republic of Poland was created behind the Iron

Curtain. At that time, the life of the Poles was under severe control. There was no free expression, much regimentation, a lack of consumer goods. The Secret Police was everywhere and each form of uprising was suppressed by military forces.

In August 1980, the shipyard workers in Gdansk led by Lech Wałęsa, reacting to Poland’s spiralling economic decline called a strike. The government agreed on the formation of a national union movement, Solidarity. However, in December 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski declared the state of Marshal Law and Solidarity was outlawed.

It was the year 1989 that brought the final turn in Polish political situation. The Round Table Talks resulted in semi-free elections won by Solidarity. In 1990 the Communist Party dissolved itself and in 1991 new, totally free elections took place.

”Man of Iron” (1981) directed by Andrzej Wajda

• The film continues the story of Maciej Tomczyk, the son of Mateusz Birkut, the protagonist of Wajda's earlier film, Man of Marble. Here, Maciej is a young worker involved in the anti-Communist labour movement, described as "the man who started the Gdańsk Shipyard strike”. The other film character is a journalist working for the Communist regime's radio station, who is given a task of slandering Maciej. The young man is clearly intended as a parallel to Lech Wałęsa (who appears as himself in the movie).

(source: Wikipedia)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/B7GU98L4Ml0

Time line

966

1410

1655

1772

1918

1939-45

1989

Modern timesIn 1978 a Polish cardinal became the Pope known as John Paul

II. The situation had a great impact on the Polish society. The Pope became an authority until his death in 2005.

Since 1989 Poland has undergone serious political and economic changes which have determined the conditions of the Polish society. During this period the level of education and living conditions have significantly improved. Yet, people struggle with other problems e.g. unemployment and the negative population growth. The latter phenomenon results mostly from young people’s postponement to start a family due to economic reasons.

After 2004, when Poland became a member of the European Union, more and more Polish people (including well-educated persons) emigrated to other EU countries in search of better working opportunities. It is estimated that over 2 million of Polish citizens live and work abroad.

”Karol: The Pope, the Man” (2005) by Giacomo Battiato

• The film chronicling Pope John Paul II's life as pope, from October 22, 1978's papal inauguration to his death in 2005. It is the sequel to the TV miniseries Karol: A Man Who Became Pope, which portrayed John Paul's life before the papacy.

(source: Wikipedia)

• Watch: http://youtu.be/rvjwY74pu-o

You can read more in:

Bubczyk, R. (2011) A History of Poland in Outline. Lublin: Wydawnictwo UMCS.

Lukowski, J. and Zawadzki H. (2006) A Concise History of Poland. Cambridge: CUP.

Davies, N. (2003) God’s Playground: A History of Poland. Oxford: OUP.

Bonus: An Animated History of Poland (EXPO 2010, Shanghai)

http://youtu.be/2DrXgj1NwN8

Discussion1. Think about important events in the

history of your country and songs or films commemorating them.

2. What are the benefits and possible threats of promoting one’s culture through art?