Jews Working in Agriculture in Poland in the First Years After the Second World War

The article presents the political and geographical considerations and the development of Jews in agriculture in Poland in the first years after the Second World War. The analysis was made in the context of the implementation of the policy so-called productivisation, which was based on increasing employment among the Jews (and other groups) in the industry, the cooperative sector and the rural economy. The areas of the largest concentration of Jewish farms were Lower Silesia and north-western Poland, especially two counties: Stargard and Choszczno. Despite the financial and material support (among others the Society for the Propagation of Professional Knowledge ORT), many farmers did not succeed at ensuring the profitability of their farms. However, the launch of farms quite quickly improved the dire material situation of Jews. The most resigned, fearful and hurt among them, who saw handing over their fate to appropriate institutions as their only chance for a change in living conditions, found employment in agriculture

Ethno-Religious Heritage of Former Eastern Territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in Contemporary Poland

The main objective of this paper is to present the national and religious heritage of the Eastern Borderlands in contemporary Poland. The paper deals with the genesis and selected aspects of the spatial development of the ethnic and religious minorities (mainly Tartars-Muslims, Karaites and Armenians) that date back to the eastern areas of the former Republic (including the territories of Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine) but, due to the post-war border changes and migrations, formed clusters in contemporary Poland and organized various forms of group life

Wprowadzenie. Czym jest i po co nam granica?

Wszystko, co istnieje, ma granice. Powodują one, że coś jest właśnie tym, a nie czymś innym. Na zasadzie odniesienia „do” (odróżnienia „od”) granice pozwalają budować jednostkową i grupową tożsamość. Myśleć kategoriami: „my – oni”. Powstaje w ten sposób ważna świadomość tego, kim się jest. Budowana na zasadzie negacji ulega jednak wypaczeniu – zamienia się w poczucie wyższości czy też wrogości wobec innego. Świadomość kształtuje się tym łatwiej, gdy towarzyszą jej zinstytucjonalizowane formy, w tym te o charakterze państwowym, uzupełniające ją i wzmacniające, stanowiące jej prawne, administracyjne i gospodarcze ramy. Bogactwo różnorodności (narodowej, religijnej, językowej) – zarówno podtrzymywanej radykalnymi odrębnościami, jak i rozmywanej ich częściowym znoszeniem – jest dla badacza naukowym skarbem. Studia nad granicami podejmują systematycznie, choć z właściwej sobie perspektywy badawczej, tytułowe dyscypliny: geografia historyczna i geografia polityczna. Z problematyki granic i – nabierających od nich swojej osobliwości – pograniczy, ta druga uczyniła nawet podstawowe pole badawcze. Mimo zawieszenia w ostatnich latach niektórych funkcji granic państwowych, wydaje się być ono niewyczerpanym źródłem tematów, czego egzemplifikacją jest wachlarz problemów podjętych w niniejszym tomie. Z perspektywy geografii politycznej i historycznej niektóre z nich nie były dotąd podejmowane, stąd w niektórych aspektach tom wychodzi poza nomen omen granice i kanon dotychczasowych badań.Czasopismo współfinansowane ze środków Wydziału Nauk Geograficznych Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego

Wprowadzenie. O przyczynach i specyfice geograficznych badań nad mniejszościami narodowymi i etnicznymi

Czasopismo współfinansowane ze środków Wydziału Nauk Geograficznych Uniwersytetu Łódzkieg

Przywracanie pamięci o odbudowanej dumie narodowej. Alina Cała – Ochrona bezpieczeństwa fizycznego Żydów w Polsce powojennej. Komisje Specjalne przy Centralnym Komitecie Żydów w Polsce Żydowski Instytut Historyczny, Warszawa 2014, 461 ss.

Czasopismo współfinansowane ze środków Wydziału Nauk Geograficznych Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego

Origin and geopolitical determinants of Protestantism in Poland in relation to its modern spatial range

At its outset, although Polish Protestantism gained big popularity, it did not manage to cover a broad social scope. It gained members mainly among the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie. Cieszyn Silesia region was an exception – Lutheranism was adopted by many Polish peasants from this area. The spatial analysis of Protestantism’s development proves that it gained the most influence within areas dominated by Latin Christian confession. This resulted from the postulates of the new religious movement, especially in: the fiefdoms of Poland (Ducal Prussia, Courland), lands independent from Poland (Silesia, Western Pomerania), areas of wide autonomy (Royal Prussia) and lands belonging to noble and magnate do-mains, whose owners became protectors of different Protestant confessions. The Counter-Reformation and further persecutions of Protestants in post- -partition Poland, and also in the People’s Republic of Poland, resulted in decrease in their ranks and decline of many of their existing clusters. The modern offspring of the initial Polish Protestant movement includes two of the most numerous factions – Lutheran and Calvinist, represented by Evangelical-Augsburg Church and Evangelical Reformed Church. As opposed to the initial influence of both these confessions, since the late 18th century the Lutherans have dominated in numbers over the members of Evangelical Reformed Church. It was caused mainly by the partitions of Poland, especially under Prussian occupation, where Lutheranism was supported by the local authorities. Many Protestants from Saxony, Silesia and Bohemia immigrated to Poland to settle in the developing, industrial cities of the Kingdom of Poland. The changes in numbers of followers of both confessions led to substantial shifts in their spatial influences. The changes were less significant in case of Evangelical-Augsburg Church, as under Prussian occupation it strengthened its influence within the areas of its original domain. In case of Evangelical Reformed Church, which suffered continuous losses in its ranks, the changes were more significant. They resulted mainly from the 18th and 19th century immigration of Bohemian Brethren, who later became members of the Evangelical Reformed Church, as well as from later migrations within this area, especially during the second half of the 20th century

Spatial and historical conditions of the Basques aiming to obtain political independence

The problem raised in the title involves a general truth that present forms of statehood – independent nations – are viewed from a historical perspective. We look to past times for factors indicating the future in respect of statehood and national sovereignty. We seek clues and links indicating historical continuance of the said elements. In the case of the Basques attempts to project present realities upon the historical background are rather complicated. The reason is that Basques, inhabiting the northern region of Spain and south-west France, do not have their own state, and never in the history have had a fully adequate form of statehood. The lack of the tradition of statehood – for they have always formed part of a larger political unit – has not lead to the loss of their sense of national identity and has not weakened their struggle for political independence. What is more, the Basques today share a strong sense of national cohesion and national awareness, which is expressed in the Spanish constitution. It is indeed remarkable that a nation lacking the major form of protection of national identity, i.e. statehood, managed to retain it, giving it new dynamics and character. To understand the process of development of Basque national identity it is necessary to examine the historical background and to identify relevant issues. The aim of this study is systematic investigation and presentation of the problem in question with reference to the history of Spain and specific space, so that the historical and geographical perspectives are combined to provide a comprehensive vie

Łódź na mapie skupisk żydowskich Polski (po 1945 r.)

Przedstawienie struktury demograficznej, społecznej, kulturalnej i politycznej Łodzi po 1945 r. w odniesieniu do społeczności żydowskiej.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00