A History of Poland

Originally published as a revised edition in 1983 Oskar Halecki’s A History of Poland remains a classic work in its field through its brilliant synthesis and interpretation of Polish history. The final 2 chapters, added by Antony Polonsky cover the years under Gomulka and Gierek, and give an account of the rise of Solidarity and the introduction of martial law.

The volume covers the consolidation of the peaceful tribes of the ‘Polanie’ into an organized Christian state in the 10th century; the complex medieval history under the first dynasty of rulers culminating in the great figure of the last of the Piasts; the first enduring example of a Federation of Nations in the Polish-Lithuanian Union: the ensuing power of 15th and 16th century Poland under the Jugiellonian kings; the experiment of the Royal Republic and, at the close of the 18th century, the political collapse. Also discussed is Poland’s rebirth after World War I, her 21 years of independence and her contribution to the Allied cause in World War II.