Poland

Poland: The United Nations Series offers a profound exploration of Poland’s history, culture, and political trajectory, particularly through the lens of the challenges and transformations it faced in the interwar period (1919-1939). Part of a larger initiative aimed at fostering mutual understanding among the Allied nations during World War II, this volume provides a detailed account of Poland’s struggle to emerge as a cohesive and independent nation after over a century of partition and foreign rule. It examines the monumental task Poland faced in uniting a populace shaped by disparate political, economic, and social systems, highlighting both its achievements and its setbacks during this critical period.

Under the editorial guidance of Bernadotte E. Schmitt and Professor Robert J. Kerner, the book candidly evaluates the factors that hindered Poland’s aspirations, including fraught relations with powerful neighbors, unresolved minority tensions, and a shift from democracy to authoritarianism after Marshal Piłsudski’s death. Despite these challenges, the volume remains hopeful about Poland’s future, envisioning a postwar nation that is smaller but more ethnically unified, politically stable, and aligned with democratic ideals. It is a poignant tribute to Poland’s resilience and its enduring hope, encapsulated in the rallying cry of its national anthem: "Poland is not lost forever!"

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1945.