Author Description

Much more than a recitation of well-known highlights from contemporary Polish history, this reference work provides a balanced and comprehensive year-by-year treatment of cumulatively powerful events. Jakub Karpinski, a prominent Polish intellectual and former dissident, incorporates his own insight and analysis of political trends as he creates a unique portrait of life in a central European country under communism and during the recent demise of the system. Each year's events are set in the context of the international trends that had a profound influence on the domestic scene in Poland. Karpinski delves into the role of the media, artists, and the opposition throughout the communist period; looks at the impact of government decisions on the daily lives of its citizens; and explores the fate of the victims of the regime.