Civil war in Poland 1942-1948 /

This splendid study of the origins of Poland's communist government draws upon recently opened archives and synthesizes an impressive body of recent scholarship. Prazmowska (London School of Economics and Political Science) presents a closely argued picture of the various groups whose rivalry is reflected in the book's title. She shows the internal conflicts within the government-in-exile in London, the divisions within occupied Poland, and the various tensions on the Left in both these areas and the Soviet Union. As a result, the political debates and maneuvers regarding wartime resistance and plans for postwar Poland appear more complex than in previous scholarship and the outcome far less determined. Some of the author's most impressive insights come in the analysis of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and her treatment of the nationality question with respect to Jews, Germans, and Ukrainians, as the various parties of the Left, center, and Right strove to create a nation-state. The numerous acronyms in the text may be confusing to some readers, but they are essential to the much better understanding this book provides of Poland's fate in this period. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. P. W. Knoll University of Southern California