Changes in narration describing Polish‑Russian relations in history teaching course books in Polish People’s Republic from 1944 to 1989 (based on selected historical events)

The article shows how certain historical events were described in history teaching course books in Polish People’s Republic from 1944 to 1989. The author chose two important events from the Polish history – the battle of Grunwald and Polish interventions in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century.
The first event was chosen because the Polish army during the battle was supported among others by Russian and Lithuanian forces and that fact could be easily used by communist propaganda to underline Slavic unity, brotherhood and to show who the real enemy is/was (in simplification Germany).
The second event was chosen because the course books authors had to be very creative to conciliate two contradict interests and points of views (Polish and Russian) on that interventions.
Propaganda, very emotional language and ideologisation of the course books is easily visible especially in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. History is combined with Marx’s theory of the class struggle. Later those factors are also present but not as much as at the beginning of the communist period in Poland. However they never  isappear completely.

The article shows how certain historical events were described in history teaching course books in Polish People’s Republic from 1944 to 1989. The author chose two important events from the Polish history – the battle of Grunwald and Polish interventions in Russia at the beginning of the 17th century.
The first event was chosen because the Polish army during the battle was supported among others by Russian and Lithuanian forces and that fact could be easily used by communist propaganda to underline Slavic unity, brotherhood and to show who the real enemy is/was (in simplification Germany).
The second event was chosen because the course books authors had to be very creative to conciliate two contradict interests and points of views (Polish and Russian) on that interventions.
Propaganda, very emotional language and ideologisation of the course books is easily visible especially in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. History is combined with Marx’s theory of the class struggle. Later those factors are also present but not as much as at the beginning of the communist period in Poland. However they never  isappear completely.