Between Orwell and Fukuyama. Poland and its Neighbours: Disputes over History
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Jan Rydel
Abstract
The article provides an overview of the most important challenges in Poland’s relations with neighbouring countries at the beginning of the twentyfirst century in terms of understanding past events and their presence in the historical consciousness of societies. The “historical relations” with Lithuania, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were analysed. The Polish experience, like the experience of other countries, is very well illustrated by the words of the American writer William Faulkner: the past never dies. It is not even in the past. Historical disputes between Poland and its neighbours are varied depending on the internal state of historical discourse, opinion-forming elite views, but also on the current conditions and political interests. Polish experience also shows that both the state of conflict of states on historical issues and the processes of historical reconciliation are reversible
Abstract
The article provides an overview of the most important challenges in Poland’s relations with neighbouring countries at the beginning of the twentyfirst century in terms of understanding past events and their presence in the historical consciousness of societies. The “historical relations” with Lithuania, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were analysed. The Polish experience, like the experience of other countries, is very well illustrated by the words of the American writer William Faulkner: the past never dies. It is not even in the past. Historical disputes between Poland and its neighbours are varied depending on the internal state of historical discourse, opinion-forming elite views, but also on the current conditions and political interests. Polish experience also shows that both the state of conflict of states on historical issues and the processes of historical reconciliation are reversible
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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International Conflicts Employing History as Its Instrument: What they are and how to Measure them?
- Historical Memory as a Variable: Two Analytic Frameworks 11
- How (and why) to Measure Conflicts of Memory? 31
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History as an Instrument of Politics in Central and Eastern Europe
- Between Orwell and Fukuyama. Poland and its Neighbours: Disputes over History 43
- Overcoming Conflicting Memories: History in the Polish-German Relations after 1989 55
- Heritage Burnt, Heritage Born – Paradox of “Space of Memory” in Conflicts: Ukraine’s Experience Reconsidered 71
- The Accession Policy and Identity Conflict 79
- Narrating Conflicts in Post-Truth Era: Facing Revisionist Russia. Ukraine and Georgia in a Comparative Perspective 91
- The Dynamic Character of the Conflictual Historical Narrative (on the Example of the Georgian-Turkish Relations) 125
- The Politics of Graves – Negotiations, Practice and Reactions about Fallen German Soldiers of World War Two and Their Resting Places in Russia 133
- Peaceful Foreign Policy and Remembrance of War Effort. The Conceptualisation of Willingness to Defend in Finland and Its Connections to Previous Armed Conflict, 1960s–1989 147
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History and Politics beyond Europe
- Shadows of the Past. Japanese Imperial Policy and Its Influence on Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policy of Japan 159
- Disputes over Public Memory of U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Case of Smithsonian’s Enola Gay Exhibitions (1994–2003) 189
- Japan’s Power in East Sumatra and South Sumatra 201
- From Allies to Enemies; Putting the Israeli- Iranian Conflict in Historical Context 213
- History and its Impact on Contemporary International Relations: The Case of Rwanda 231
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Successes and Failures: Methods of Getting Out of Historical Conflicts
- The Resurfacing of the “Titanic” in the Balkan Bermuda Triangle: Political Conflicts over History between Sofia, Skopje and Athens before and after 1989 245
- Israeli-Polish Political Dispute over the Amendment of the Act of the Institute of National Remembrance 259
- Historical Commissions: A Mean to Overcome Traumatic Historical Experiences? 275
- Possibilities of Building a Memory Dialogue between Russia and Poland Concerning Soviet Repression 291
- List of Contributors 301
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
International Conflicts Employing History as Its Instrument: What they are and how to Measure them?
- Historical Memory as a Variable: Two Analytic Frameworks 11
- How (and why) to Measure Conflicts of Memory? 31
-
History as an Instrument of Politics in Central and Eastern Europe
- Between Orwell and Fukuyama. Poland and its Neighbours: Disputes over History 43
- Overcoming Conflicting Memories: History in the Polish-German Relations after 1989 55
- Heritage Burnt, Heritage Born – Paradox of “Space of Memory” in Conflicts: Ukraine’s Experience Reconsidered 71
- The Accession Policy and Identity Conflict 79
- Narrating Conflicts in Post-Truth Era: Facing Revisionist Russia. Ukraine and Georgia in a Comparative Perspective 91
- The Dynamic Character of the Conflictual Historical Narrative (on the Example of the Georgian-Turkish Relations) 125
- The Politics of Graves – Negotiations, Practice and Reactions about Fallen German Soldiers of World War Two and Their Resting Places in Russia 133
- Peaceful Foreign Policy and Remembrance of War Effort. The Conceptualisation of Willingness to Defend in Finland and Its Connections to Previous Armed Conflict, 1960s–1989 147
-
History and Politics beyond Europe
- Shadows of the Past. Japanese Imperial Policy and Its Influence on Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policy of Japan 159
- Disputes over Public Memory of U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Case of Smithsonian’s Enola Gay Exhibitions (1994–2003) 189
- Japan’s Power in East Sumatra and South Sumatra 201
- From Allies to Enemies; Putting the Israeli- Iranian Conflict in Historical Context 213
- History and its Impact on Contemporary International Relations: The Case of Rwanda 231
-
Successes and Failures: Methods of Getting Out of Historical Conflicts
- The Resurfacing of the “Titanic” in the Balkan Bermuda Triangle: Political Conflicts over History between Sofia, Skopje and Athens before and after 1989 245
- Israeli-Polish Political Dispute over the Amendment of the Act of the Institute of National Remembrance 259
- Historical Commissions: A Mean to Overcome Traumatic Historical Experiences? 275
- Possibilities of Building a Memory Dialogue between Russia and Poland Concerning Soviet Repression 291
- List of Contributors 301
