Publication Date:October 1993 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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ISBN13: 9780781802000
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Corrects Misconceptions on the 17th-Century Cossack Revolts, 20th-Century Jewish Poverty and Emigration, etc.November 26, 2009 Jan Peczkis(Chicago IL, USA) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This one-volume history of Poland covers the period of prehistory up through the "free" elections of 1989. Owing to the wealth of information presented, I focus only on a few reviewer-unmentioned facts.
Consider what Poles call the Deluge. "The Cossacks were not a people, they were a way of life. The very name `Cossack' derives from a Turkish-Tatar word denoting a free soldier...it is now generally accepted that they were originally a breakaway group of Tatars..." (p. 161). Only later, after Chmielnicki's [Khmelnytsky's] victories, were they joined by large groups of Ukrainians. The events surrounding the Cossack revolts have, in recent history, been distorted by Ukrainian nationalists as well as Communists. Zamoyski corrects this as he writes: "Cossack leaders were cast as either knights of Orthodoxy crusading against the Jewish and Polish interloper, or as folk heroes dreaming of liberation from under the Polish lord's boot. Such interpretation largely ignored the facts. The Cossack leader Sulima, who led a rebellion in the 1630s, turns out to have been a man of substance, and a creditor of no less a person than Prince Wisniowiecki himself. Sulima's friend Pavluk led his rebellion in the name of the King of Poland, and his first action was to massacre the elders of the Sich. Ivan Bruchowiecki, the leader of the Muscovite-inspired rising purporting to be on behalf of the Orthodox faith, was in fact a Polish Jew." (p. 163). Chmielnicki's background and motives are also questioned.
Fast forward three centuries. One of the main causes of the 20th-century Polish-Jewish conflict originated in the late 19th century, when the tsarist authorities made Russian-ruled eastern Poland a dumping ground for Russian Jews. Zamoyski comments: "As a result of mass expulsions from the Western Gubernias in the 1890's, vast numbers of Jews settled in the Kingdom, of whose entire population they now made up 14.6%. The Litwaki [Litvaks], as they were known, did not even speak Polish. They were strong in the Bund, which in 1898 allied itself with the Russian Social Democratic Party, turning its back on the PPS [Pilsudski's party] and the cause of Polish independence." (p. 329).
Against the misconception of pre-WWII Jewish poverty being caused primarily by Polish discrimination, and the misconception that "unproductive" Jewish middlemen were merely being replaced by "unproductive" Polish middlemen, Zamoyski writes: "Every time a new peasant co-operative was founded or a village combined to sell its produce directly to the buyer, the livelihood of several Jewish families vanished. By 1936 at least 1,000,000 Jews in Poland were losing their source of subsistence, and by 1939 just over that number were totally dependent for their survival on relief from Jewish agencies in the United States." (p. 346).
Was the Polish-encouraged mass emigration of interwar Polish Jews purely an anti-Semitic act? Hardly: Zamoyski points out that: "...the same representatives also appealed to the League [of Nations] to facilitate large-scale emigration of poor Polish peasants from the overpopulated countryside...Abraham Stern, the son of a dentist from Suwalki and a great admirer of Pilsudski's Bojowki [Warriors] visited Poland a number of times after settling in Palestine or order to recruit for the Irgun. The Polish authorities allowed him to buy arms and train men, and facilitated the illegal immigration of Polish Jews into the British mandate." (p. 346).
CHAPTER 21 ALONE WORTH PRICE OF BOOK - ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK ON TOPIC - SUPERBLY RESEARCHED - REFRESHINGLY OBJECTIVE - GET IT!August 29, 2009 Forhasta(Sweden) 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Zamoyski, as in all his books, gets right to the truth of the matter. His writings are truthful and objective. Zamoyski does not sensationalize history to sell books, he writes history to document the truth for posterity and for a better world future.
First, let me say that Chapter 21: "Ordeal by Fire," is in and of itself alone, worth the price of this wonderful book. Ch. 21 gives one of the best summations of Poland's losses of WWII in an objective, factual and calm manner.
When one thinks of a true gentleman and scholar, one thinks of credible historians like Dr. Zamoyski.
Ironic how the truth is upsetting to some people. Zamoyski' truths wake up the world to a better place in the long run. 100% pure credibility - period.
Dr. Zamoyski, thank you for your courageous and objective writings in balancing the way.
Is there a Polish Way II in the works?!
Finally, are there any of Zamoyskis' works in Spanish or Swedish?
Jane Kooyeh!
Other Zamoyski "must read," books: Warsaw 1920: Lenin's Failed Conquest of Europe
Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna
Moscow 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March
Poland
The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War
Chopin: A New Biography
Holy Madness
One of the best Historians on Poland - Enjoy!
Wonderful travel companionNovember 11, 2007 Brigette Russell(Santa Fe, NM) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I read this book on a trip to Poland and it enhanced the experience tremendously. Another reviewer wrote dismissively of this book, suggesting no one with any discernment need bother with it since they can read the far better work of Norman Davies instead. That sort of snobbery is undeserved. This book does not purport to be a definitive and exhaustive history of Poland, but it is an outstanding introductory work. Zamoyski's prose moves along as briskly as if the book were a novel, and yet he maintains rigorous academic standards.
WELL RESEARCHED; A GREAT READ!June 28, 2007 Academic 7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Zamoyski dosen't waste any words in the Polish Way. His writing is to the point and flows nicely. All chapters made for great reading, however, chapter 21 was to our book club, the most touching. Chapter 21 gives an amazing assessment of the tragedies endured by the Polish People/Nation during WWII. It makes a very strong case that "Poland" lost WWII...think about it.... Amazing Book!; I'm thinking about re-reading it. Just Excellent!!!
Well researched and comprehensiveNovember 11, 2006 Barbara Witke(Tampa Bay, FL) 15 out of 15 found this review helpful
This book has by far exceeded my expectactions. As a person who was born and raised in Poland, I was somewhat surprised when I realized I was learning quite a few new things about my country's history, as well as having been reminded of a few facts and details that I had forgotten over the years. I was very impressed with Mr. Zamoyski's attention to detail and wealth of knowledge. I would definitely recommend this tome to anyone interested in this beautiful country's rich history and customs.
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