Stalinism in Poland, 1944 -1956 : selected papers from the Fifth World Congress of Central and East European Studies, Warsaw, 1995

Between the Nazi occupation and the anti-communist revolution of 1956, Poland underwent twelve years of Stalinist rule. Using recently-opened archives, historians and social scientists from four countries give the first analysis of the rise and fall of this system. The book is organised in three parts: Construction (external and domestic), Conflicts (above all, communists against the Church and peasantry) and Collapse (during 1956). An Epilogue reviews the whole period in the light of contemporary political debates. Understandably it is the social, political and cconomic upheavals in the former USSR and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe that have attracted the lion's share of attention from the academic community and the general public alike during the last decade. It is, however, also necessary to take note of the important linguistic changes that have accompanied these upheavals. Most of the papers in this volume deal with Russian which, as one of the languages exposed longest to 'Sovietization', has undergone a particularly complex process of readjustment. If it is still carly to draw definitive conclusions, each contribution from its own individual standpoint helps to provide a preliminary understanding of the new language situation of post-Soviet Russia. The remaining papers examine the Russian and Ukrainian languages, the position of Komi-Permiak, and ask fundamental questions about language and society. This selection of papers was first presented in August 1995, and was developed further at a conference held at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, in April 1996. The primarily Eastern European scholars who have contributed to this volume discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Stalinist project for Poland, between 1945 and 1956. Their articles, many of which are based on newly opened archival materials, explore topics such as the building of a one- party state, the ways Polish peasants responded to Stalinism, the social protests and political crisis of 1956, and the reactions of Polish leaders to the Hungarian Revolution and its suppression. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction: Reconstructing the Past....Pages 1-19 Front Matter....Pages 21-23 Diplomatic Prelude....Pages 25-40 Building the One-Party State....Pages 41-53 Front Matter....Pages 55-57 Polish Peasants versus Stalinism....Pages 59-77 The Terror, 1949–1954....Pages 78-94 Front Matter....Pages 95-97 Social Protest and Political Crisis in 1956....Pages 99-118 Polish Leaders and the Hungarian Revolution....Pages 119-143 Epilogue....Pages 144-157 Back Matter....Pages 159-163 "Post-communist developments in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union do not follow any predetermined pattern. The authors, all of whom are leading experts in their respective fields, analyse the diversity of the experience of democratisation in a number of different settings and contexts."--Jacket Edited By Sue Bridger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.