This book investigates the argument that Polish independence following World War I was not a peaceful transition, but rather the result of a violent, multi-year conflict defined as the Central European Civil War. Jochen Böhler, a historian specializing in 20th-century European conflict, utilizes archival research and regional case studies to reframe the post-war period. He posits that the collapse of empires necessitated a brutal process of national consolidation, forcing populations in border regions to choose between competing German and Polish identities through violent confrontation.

Historians recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of post-WWI border conflicts and the violent origins of modern nation-states. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the author's meticulous use of primary source documentation to support his central thesis.