Poland Under Communism: A Cold War History

By A. Kemp-Welch

Book Overview

This book was the first English-language history of Poland from the Second World War until the fall of Communism. Using a wide range of Polish archives and unpublished sources in Moscow and Washington, Tony Kemp-Welch integrates the Cold War history of diplomacy and inter-state relations with the study of domestic opposition and social movements. His key themes encompass political, social and economic history; the Communist movement and its relations with the Soviet Union; and the broader East-West context with particular attention to US policies. The book concludes with a first-hand account of how Solidarity formed the world's first post-Communist government in 1989 as the Polish people demonstrated what can be achieved by civic courage against apparently insuperable geo-strategic obstacles. This compelling new account will be essential reading for anyone interested in Polish history, the Communist movement and the course of the Cold War.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521711177
• ISBN13: 9780521711173
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 458 Pages
• Weight: 1.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"