Un-Polish Poland: 1989 and the illusion of restored historical continuity

The book "Non-Polish Poland" is a sharp and unconventional interpretation of the history of Polish statehood. The author analyzes whether modern Poland is truly the successor of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the interwar Second Republic, as the politics of memory often claims, or whether it is in fact a continuation of the traditions of the Polish People's Republic. A thorough study for those interested in Central European history, politics, and national identity.

***
The book examines the historical continuities and breaks between the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, interwar Poland, the Polish People's Republic, and modern Poland. As the author argues, although in the politics of memory the present-day Polish state appears to be the natural successor to interwar Poland as the "second republic" and the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as the "first republic," in reality it embodies the successor to the Polish People's Republic. Paradoxically, from the perspective of the Polishness that characterized the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in a legal, social, cultural, ethnic, and political sense, today's Poland is rather unPolish.