The War that Never Ends: The Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk

The story of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk epitomizes one of the most important and dramatic clashes in the European culture of memory and public history in last decades. The museum became the arch-enemy for the nationalist right-wing as “cosmopolitan”, “pseudo-universalistic”, “pacifistic” and “not Polish enough”. Paweł Machcewicz, historian and museum`s founding director, was removed from his position by the Law and Justice government immediately after opening the museum to the public. In his book he presents this story as a part of cultural wars that tear apart not only Poland but also many countries in Europe and on other continents. Preface Contents Paweł Is a Dead Man I. The Beginnings It All Started with an Article ... Museum, but What Museum? “Disintegration of the Polish Nation” History Museums: Between Collective Imagination and Politics II. Making the Museum The First Months at the Office of the Prime Minister Assembling the Gdańsk Team Architecture, Archeology, and Construction Building the Collection and Planning the Exhibitions The Academic Advisory Committee, or a Multitude of Perspectives From the Concept to the Exhibitions and Everything in Between Before the Storm III. The War “The Polish Point of View” Minister Gliński Comes at Night The Race Against Time Parliamentary Committee on Culture: Hunting for “Encyclopedists” Reviewers Unmasked Stalingrad Instead of Blitzkrieg The Finale Not the End of the Story Bibliography Index of Names Photos

The story of the Museum of the Second World War in Gda?sk epitomizes one of the most important and dramatic clashes in the European culture of memory and public history in last decades. The museum became the arch-enemy for the nationalist right-wing as "cosmopolitan", "pseudo-universalistic", "pacifistic" and "not Polish enough".

Pawe? Machcewicz, historian and museum`s founding director, was removed from his position by the Law and Justice government immediately after opening the museum to the public. In his book he presents this story as a part of cultural wars that tear apart not only Poland but also many countries in Europe and on other continents.

The story of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdask epitomizes one of the most important and dramatic clashes in the European culture of memory and public history in last decades. The museum became the arch-enemy for the nationalist right-wing as "cosmopolitan", "pseudo-universalistic", "pacifistic" and "not Polish enough". Pawel Machcewicz, historian and museum`s founding director, was removed from his position by the Law and Justice government immediately after opening the museum to the public. In his book he presents this story as a part of cultural wars that tear apart not only Poland but also many countries in Europe and on other continents. This new book series seeks fresh and insightful scholarly perspectives on international public history, through contextually grounded case or comparative studies that engage an international readership and can shape transnational discourse about the modes, meanings and uses of public history.