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ISSN: 2451-4993
eISSN: 2543-733X
MNiSW points: 70
UIC ID: 491043
DOI: 10.4467/2543733XSSB
Editorial team
Affiliation
Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences
Publication date: 21.11.2024
Statistical Editor: Rafał Woźnica
Editor-in-Chief: Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Deputy Editor-in-Chief:
Marek Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 9 - 19
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.001.20025The paper examines the classification and subject representation of the concepts of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in the context of the knowledge organization, especially historical information, in American research and academic libraries during the Cold War and post-Cold War era. The author argues that classification and subject schemes such as Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) have reflected the concept of the region, generally referred to as Eastern Europe, as an intellectual and political invention, with its historical biases and ambiguous representation. As will be demonstrated, despite the emergence of new nation states and the expansion of the European Union, the concepts of Central and Eastern Europe as separate entities are still alive as if the Cold War’s East-West division had never ended. The paper concludes with the analysis of the latest changes to DDC and LCSH (or lack thereof) to reflect current conditions in the region.
Adam Oleksiuk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 21 - 38
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.002.20026Adrian Viţalaru
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 39 - 53
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.003.20027Tadeusz Kopyś
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 55 - 78
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.004.20028Andreea Dahlquist
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 79 - 93
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.005.20029Bogdan-Alexandru Schipor
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 95 - 112
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.006.20030Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 113 - 137
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.007.20031Konrad Kuczara
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 139 - 158
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.008.20032Mateusz Kamionka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 159 - 170
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.009.20033Alla Kyrydon, Serhiy Troyan
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 171 - 189
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.010.20034Andrzej Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 193 - 222
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.011.20035Bartłomiej Rusin
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 223 - 239
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.012.20036Krzysztof Popek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 241 - 256
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.013.20037The aim of the article is to present the fate of the would-be settlement of Poles from the Koźle county to the district of Svishtov in northern Bulgaria in 1882, based on the Ministry of Finance’s materials found in in the Central State Archives in Sofia. As a result of the information provided by the missionary Grzegorz Piegza operating in the area of Svishtov, about 150 families from Upper Silesia expressed their willingness to move to the Balkans and live among the Catholic communities functioning there. It seemed that they could take advantage of the settlement action organized by the Bulgarian authorities from 1880, which assumed the distribution of land to the newcomers. However, these petitions met with a refusal by the authorities in Sofia, who wanted to bring only Bulgarians living outside the Balkans. Petitions sent from Upper Silesia to the Bulgarian authorities in 1882 are a source of information not only on the causes of migrations from this part of Prussia, but also provide knowledge about the identity of Silesians at the end of the 19th century. The analysis also served as a starting point for reflection on Bulgarian migration policy of this period.
Tomasz Grzywański
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 257 - 270
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.014.20038Fought between 1919 and 1922, the Greek-Turkish War, also known as the Turkish War of Independence, involved numerous states that were superpowers at the time or aspired to such a role. The primary belligerents, Greece and Turkey (both Sultan loyalists and Kemal Pasha’s nationalists), were intermittently supported by external actors throughout the course of the conflict, including Britain, France, Italy, and Bolshevik Russia. Poland, as a country politically and militarily tied to the Western powers and fighting for its independence and the shape of its borders, was also interested in events in Asia Minor. Through its intelligence and diplomatic services, it received information on the course of this conflict and the aforementioned involvement of third countries. The principal objective of this article is to present the Polish perspective on these events, based on the available archival material of the Second Department of Polish General Staff.
Vihren Bouzov
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 271 - 286
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.015.20039The paper attempts to find an answer to the question of how a successful multivector policy by Turkey would be possible in today’s world of escalating global conflicts. This seems to have been bequeathed by Atatürk, and one could say that RT Erdogan’s mission is to achieve it and pass it on to his successors. This policy helped at the beginning of the Turkish Revolution to defeat foreign troops and establish a secular democratic republic. In the last two decades, it has become possible again in the conditions of the world’s development from a unipolar to a multipolar world. Thanks to this, Turkey can solve its most important national security problems, such as curbing Kurdish intentions for independence and conducting a nationally responsible policy with all its neighbors and especially with the major geopolitical powers. One can say that Turkey’s influence on decisions and actions in the field of security in several regions is testimony to the trend of its transformation from a regional to a great power. Successes in this regard are based on the consistent and uncompromising policy in defense of one’s own national interests, the successful finding of allies in the direction of the “geopolitical wind” and the understanding of the mutual complementarity of various political and economic processes. This analysis has been carried out through the methodology of the theory of regional security complexes.
Katarzyna Fijołek-Kwaśniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 287 - 306
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.016.20040The first years of democratic transition in Bulgaria were marked by profound social processes. One of the aims of the political elites of the time was to repair the state’s ethnic policies. However, the 1990s in the country also saw an explosion of nationalist and xenophobic sentiments. Nationalist communities sought not only what united the nation, but also appeared as a threat to its integrity. Therefore, the formation of a new identity also meant pointing to what constitutes a kind of antithesis of Bulgarian identity. The Turkish minority was entangled in this narrative of foreign influence, imposing the label of the so-called “fifth column” on this group. The myth of the “fifth column” itself was present in the Bulgarian public debate much earlier, but after 1989 it acquired a new dimension. Nowadays, it is mainly used to criticise the activities of the political organisations of the Turkish minority and their links with the Republic of Turkey. The aim of this article is to show the etiology of this issue and to identify the interest groups that are actively constructing a similar discourse in contemporary Bulgaria.
Nikos Papadakis, Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 307 - 328
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.017.20041This paper analyzes the main components, ideological features and practices that constitute the (overall) educational and specifically, the higher education policy of the “April” Dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974).
The analysis of the relevant research material shows that this policy was characterized by:
• the intention to redefine the relations of the Universities with the (“occupied”) State,• the coordinated effort to insert specific ideological authoritarian interpretations in the discourses and policies for higher education and consequently, in the reform efforts of the Dictatorship,
• the institutionalization of a new economy of power based on control technologies which favored the formation of (ideologically over-determined) discipline and extended state intervention into every aspect of the Higher Education Institutions,
• the construction of a surveillance, punishment, control and discipline framework, strictly demarcated and authoritarian.
Simultaneously, the above-mentioned policy aimed a) at the extensive criminalization of behavior, as well as of the “non-nationalistic” and ideologically “un-orthodox” thinking in universities and in other Educational Institutions, b) at the reduction of any degree of teaching staff and students autonomy, and c) at the promotion of some alleged- ostensible, seemingly “liberal”, measures and proposals. The ultimate objective was both these specific measures and the overall (authoritarian) higher education policy to become feasible (legitimizing-permissible strategy) and subsequently implemented.
In addition, students’ (persistent, influential and multi-level) resistance (at the level of both discourse and political action) to the higher education “reforms” attempted by the April Dictatorship, as well as against the Dictatorship per se and subsequently against the state and constitutional infringement, will be also analytically examined and contextualized.
Sławomir Lucjan Szczesio
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 329 - 342
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.018.20042One of the biggest challenges for the international community at the beginning of 1990s became the issue of the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Peter Galbraith’s appointment as the US ambassador to Croatia in 1993 came at a critical juncture in the Balkan conflicts. Prior to his ambassadorship, Galbraith was an advisor to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He visited the countries of the former Yugoslavia several times as an expert in the early 1990s. Ambassador Galbraith played a crucial role in addressing the Balkan conflicts. As the first US ambassador to Croatia, he actively supported the country’s territorial integrity after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Galbraith’s diplomacy was instrumental in fostering U.S. pressure that ended the Croat-Muslim conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, laying the groundwork for the Washington Agreement of 1994. This agreement, seen as a diplomatic success, paved the way for the Dayton Agreement in 1995.
Piotr Wróbel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 343 - 354
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.019.20043Biljana Vankovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 355 - 372
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.020.20044The article intricately explores the nexus of politics and security enveloping the notion of the Macedonian state, with a specific focus on analyzing the narrative and collective memory tied to the 1903 Ilinden Uprising. As the country marks its 120th anniversary, the state elites and socjety stand at a pivotal juncture, grappling with a pervasive wave of revisionism that extends beyond historiography, permeating public discourse and collective reflections on this seminal historical milestone for the Macedonian people. Even though Ilinden takes its place as a revered national holiday, the trajectory of Macedonian state-building unfolds as a dynamic journey shaped by the intricate interplay of both external and internal influences. The analytical framework employed is rooted in the Copenhagen school of security studies principles, enriched by the foundational tenets of political science and memory studies. This multidisciplinary approach aims to present a perspective on the significant historical event of Ilinden from a non-historian vantage point, offering profound insights into its enduring impact on Macedonian politics and statehood.
Dragica Popovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 373 - 387
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.021.20045The paper deals with the influences from the East and the West on culture, in the space of post-war Yugoslavia, from 1945 to 1952. Considering the position of Yugoslavia in a divided Europe, the paper examines the developments in culture that were inevitably intertwined with the sphere of politics. This period is marked by two major events: 1945 – the time of the country’s liberation and 1948 – the conflict surrounding the clash with the Information Bureau. These political events determined the direction in which the Yugoslav culture moved, situated within the framework of the Cold War, that is, in the constellations of power in Europe. In the fifties of the last century, in addition to “realism”, pro-Western“ modernism” began. In other words, Yugoslav culture was influenced by the East and the West. In this context, culture functioned as a marker of ideological distinctions between the two different ideological systems, which were constituted in opposition. The analysis of the available data makes it possible to trace the internal and external circumstances in which the state existed, which influenced the strategies of canonization and restriction of values in the field of culture in socialist Yugoslavia.
Danuta Gibas-Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 389 - 405
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.022.20046The main objective of the article is to show how China is putting into practice the idea of the development of the Digital Silk Road in the Balkans. The influence of China in terms of digitalization and new technologies is not the same in all the countries of the region. The author’s emphasis is on the fact that Serbia is the most involved in cooperation with China. Huawei, which has its regional headquarters in Belgrade, is a long-standing partner of the state-owned telecommunications company Telecom Srbija. Working with Huawei, more than a dozen Serbian cities are being equipped to become Smart Cities. The Serbs are using the latest Chinese software to monitor and analyze urban behaviour. In 2017, Huawei installed cameras in the building of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia. They tested them not only for facial recognition, but also for behaviour, collecting data that would allow them to assess whether a particular behaviour could lead to violence. The article also outlines the influence of China on the digitalization process in North Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Due to US policy and the implementation of the Clean Network principles, numerous Balkan countries have declined to engage in broader collaboration with Huawei, citing allegations of corruption and espionage practices. It is inaccurate to suggest that China has conquered the Balkans. In fact, the influence of EU countries in the region is much more significant and far-reaching than that of China. It is important to acknowledge that Beijing is adopting a highly proactive approach and is not deterred by isolated instances of failure. A significant number of industries in the Balkans are in a state of persistent financial need. Only the future will tell whether the Chinese will be able to dominate the Balkans economically, even if it does not seem possible now.
Krzysztof Koźbiał
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 407 - 423
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB .24.023.20047In 2023, Montenegro held both presidential and (early) parliamentary elections. They brought a change of power: the defeat of the former president Đukanović, the most influential figure in the political life of this country for 30 years, and the defeat of the DPS group, which failed to recover after losing the elections 3 years ago. The elections were held in a tense internal situation, resulting from religious and ethnic contradictions, as well as underlined identity issues, combined with the language used in the country. As a result, the group Europe Now! has taken over the power. And the government was headed by the leader of this movement, Milojko Spajić. Movement politicians face an important task, which is to continue negotiations related to the desire to join the European Union. Montenegro has been negotiating the membership since 2012, so far without any effect. The main problems on the path to the EU are insufficient anti-corruption measures, the need to fight organised crime and the relatively low assessments of Montenegrin democracy. The new authorities announced changes in this respect in the election campaign and accelerated the whole process.
Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 427 - 432
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.024.20048Aleksandra Ryś
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 433 - 436
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.025.20049Jakub Siatka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 437 - 440
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.026.20050Karolina Sikora
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 441 - 445
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.027.20051Marek Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 9 - 19
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.001.20025The paper examines the classification and subject representation of the concepts of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in the context of the knowledge organization, especially historical information, in American research and academic libraries during the Cold War and post-Cold War era. The author argues that classification and subject schemes such as Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) have reflected the concept of the region, generally referred to as Eastern Europe, as an intellectual and political invention, with its historical biases and ambiguous representation. As will be demonstrated, despite the emergence of new nation states and the expansion of the European Union, the concepts of Central and Eastern Europe as separate entities are still alive as if the Cold War’s East-West division had never ended. The paper concludes with the analysis of the latest changes to DDC and LCSH (or lack thereof) to reflect current conditions in the region.
Adam Oleksiuk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 21 - 38
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.002.20026Adrian Viţalaru
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 39 - 53
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.003.20027Tadeusz Kopyś
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 55 - 78
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.004.20028Andreea Dahlquist
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 79 - 93
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.005.20029Bogdan-Alexandru Schipor
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 95 - 112
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.006.20030Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 113 - 137
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.007.20031Konrad Kuczara
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 139 - 158
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.008.20032Mateusz Kamionka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 159 - 170
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.009.20033Alla Kyrydon, Serhiy Troyan
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 171 - 189
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.010.20034Andrzej Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 193 - 222
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.011.20035Bartłomiej Rusin
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 223 - 239
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.012.20036Krzysztof Popek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 241 - 256
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.013.20037The aim of the article is to present the fate of the would-be settlement of Poles from the Koźle county to the district of Svishtov in northern Bulgaria in 1882, based on the Ministry of Finance’s materials found in in the Central State Archives in Sofia. As a result of the information provided by the missionary Grzegorz Piegza operating in the area of Svishtov, about 150 families from Upper Silesia expressed their willingness to move to the Balkans and live among the Catholic communities functioning there. It seemed that they could take advantage of the settlement action organized by the Bulgarian authorities from 1880, which assumed the distribution of land to the newcomers. However, these petitions met with a refusal by the authorities in Sofia, who wanted to bring only Bulgarians living outside the Balkans. Petitions sent from Upper Silesia to the Bulgarian authorities in 1882 are a source of information not only on the causes of migrations from this part of Prussia, but also provide knowledge about the identity of Silesians at the end of the 19th century. The analysis also served as a starting point for reflection on Bulgarian migration policy of this period.
Tomasz Grzywański
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 257 - 270
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.014.20038Fought between 1919 and 1922, the Greek-Turkish War, also known as the Turkish War of Independence, involved numerous states that were superpowers at the time or aspired to such a role. The primary belligerents, Greece and Turkey (both Sultan loyalists and Kemal Pasha’s nationalists), were intermittently supported by external actors throughout the course of the conflict, including Britain, France, Italy, and Bolshevik Russia. Poland, as a country politically and militarily tied to the Western powers and fighting for its independence and the shape of its borders, was also interested in events in Asia Minor. Through its intelligence and diplomatic services, it received information on the course of this conflict and the aforementioned involvement of third countries. The principal objective of this article is to present the Polish perspective on these events, based on the available archival material of the Second Department of Polish General Staff.
Vihren Bouzov
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 271 - 286
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.015.20039The paper attempts to find an answer to the question of how a successful multivector policy by Turkey would be possible in today’s world of escalating global conflicts. This seems to have been bequeathed by Atatürk, and one could say that RT Erdogan’s mission is to achieve it and pass it on to his successors. This policy helped at the beginning of the Turkish Revolution to defeat foreign troops and establish a secular democratic republic. In the last two decades, it has become possible again in the conditions of the world’s development from a unipolar to a multipolar world. Thanks to this, Turkey can solve its most important national security problems, such as curbing Kurdish intentions for independence and conducting a nationally responsible policy with all its neighbors and especially with the major geopolitical powers. One can say that Turkey’s influence on decisions and actions in the field of security in several regions is testimony to the trend of its transformation from a regional to a great power. Successes in this regard are based on the consistent and uncompromising policy in defense of one’s own national interests, the successful finding of allies in the direction of the “geopolitical wind” and the understanding of the mutual complementarity of various political and economic processes. This analysis has been carried out through the methodology of the theory of regional security complexes.
Katarzyna Fijołek-Kwaśniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 287 - 306
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.016.20040The first years of democratic transition in Bulgaria were marked by profound social processes. One of the aims of the political elites of the time was to repair the state’s ethnic policies. However, the 1990s in the country also saw an explosion of nationalist and xenophobic sentiments. Nationalist communities sought not only what united the nation, but also appeared as a threat to its integrity. Therefore, the formation of a new identity also meant pointing to what constitutes a kind of antithesis of Bulgarian identity. The Turkish minority was entangled in this narrative of foreign influence, imposing the label of the so-called “fifth column” on this group. The myth of the “fifth column” itself was present in the Bulgarian public debate much earlier, but after 1989 it acquired a new dimension. Nowadays, it is mainly used to criticise the activities of the political organisations of the Turkish minority and their links with the Republic of Turkey. The aim of this article is to show the etiology of this issue and to identify the interest groups that are actively constructing a similar discourse in contemporary Bulgaria.
Nikos Papadakis, Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 307 - 328
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.017.20041This paper analyzes the main components, ideological features and practices that constitute the (overall) educational and specifically, the higher education policy of the “April” Dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974).
The analysis of the relevant research material shows that this policy was characterized by:
• the intention to redefine the relations of the Universities with the (“occupied”) State,• the coordinated effort to insert specific ideological authoritarian interpretations in the discourses and policies for higher education and consequently, in the reform efforts of the Dictatorship,
• the institutionalization of a new economy of power based on control technologies which favored the formation of (ideologically over-determined) discipline and extended state intervention into every aspect of the Higher Education Institutions,
• the construction of a surveillance, punishment, control and discipline framework, strictly demarcated and authoritarian.
Simultaneously, the above-mentioned policy aimed a) at the extensive criminalization of behavior, as well as of the “non-nationalistic” and ideologically “un-orthodox” thinking in universities and in other Educational Institutions, b) at the reduction of any degree of teaching staff and students autonomy, and c) at the promotion of some alleged- ostensible, seemingly “liberal”, measures and proposals. The ultimate objective was both these specific measures and the overall (authoritarian) higher education policy to become feasible (legitimizing-permissible strategy) and subsequently implemented.
In addition, students’ (persistent, influential and multi-level) resistance (at the level of both discourse and political action) to the higher education “reforms” attempted by the April Dictatorship, as well as against the Dictatorship per se and subsequently against the state and constitutional infringement, will be also analytically examined and contextualized.
Sławomir Lucjan Szczesio
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 329 - 342
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.018.20042One of the biggest challenges for the international community at the beginning of 1990s became the issue of the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Peter Galbraith’s appointment as the US ambassador to Croatia in 1993 came at a critical juncture in the Balkan conflicts. Prior to his ambassadorship, Galbraith was an advisor to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He visited the countries of the former Yugoslavia several times as an expert in the early 1990s. Ambassador Galbraith played a crucial role in addressing the Balkan conflicts. As the first US ambassador to Croatia, he actively supported the country’s territorial integrity after the breakup of Yugoslavia. Galbraith’s diplomacy was instrumental in fostering U.S. pressure that ended the Croat-Muslim conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, laying the groundwork for the Washington Agreement of 1994. This agreement, seen as a diplomatic success, paved the way for the Dayton Agreement in 1995.
Piotr Wróbel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 343 - 354
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.019.20043Biljana Vankovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 355 - 372
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.020.20044The article intricately explores the nexus of politics and security enveloping the notion of the Macedonian state, with a specific focus on analyzing the narrative and collective memory tied to the 1903 Ilinden Uprising. As the country marks its 120th anniversary, the state elites and socjety stand at a pivotal juncture, grappling with a pervasive wave of revisionism that extends beyond historiography, permeating public discourse and collective reflections on this seminal historical milestone for the Macedonian people. Even though Ilinden takes its place as a revered national holiday, the trajectory of Macedonian state-building unfolds as a dynamic journey shaped by the intricate interplay of both external and internal influences. The analytical framework employed is rooted in the Copenhagen school of security studies principles, enriched by the foundational tenets of political science and memory studies. This multidisciplinary approach aims to present a perspective on the significant historical event of Ilinden from a non-historian vantage point, offering profound insights into its enduring impact on Macedonian politics and statehood.
Dragica Popovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 373 - 387
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.021.20045The paper deals with the influences from the East and the West on culture, in the space of post-war Yugoslavia, from 1945 to 1952. Considering the position of Yugoslavia in a divided Europe, the paper examines the developments in culture that were inevitably intertwined with the sphere of politics. This period is marked by two major events: 1945 – the time of the country’s liberation and 1948 – the conflict surrounding the clash with the Information Bureau. These political events determined the direction in which the Yugoslav culture moved, situated within the framework of the Cold War, that is, in the constellations of power in Europe. In the fifties of the last century, in addition to “realism”, pro-Western“ modernism” began. In other words, Yugoslav culture was influenced by the East and the West. In this context, culture functioned as a marker of ideological distinctions between the two different ideological systems, which were constituted in opposition. The analysis of the available data makes it possible to trace the internal and external circumstances in which the state existed, which influenced the strategies of canonization and restriction of values in the field of culture in socialist Yugoslavia.
Danuta Gibas-Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 389 - 405
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.022.20046The main objective of the article is to show how China is putting into practice the idea of the development of the Digital Silk Road in the Balkans. The influence of China in terms of digitalization and new technologies is not the same in all the countries of the region. The author’s emphasis is on the fact that Serbia is the most involved in cooperation with China. Huawei, which has its regional headquarters in Belgrade, is a long-standing partner of the state-owned telecommunications company Telecom Srbija. Working with Huawei, more than a dozen Serbian cities are being equipped to become Smart Cities. The Serbs are using the latest Chinese software to monitor and analyze urban behaviour. In 2017, Huawei installed cameras in the building of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia. They tested them not only for facial recognition, but also for behaviour, collecting data that would allow them to assess whether a particular behaviour could lead to violence. The article also outlines the influence of China on the digitalization process in North Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Due to US policy and the implementation of the Clean Network principles, numerous Balkan countries have declined to engage in broader collaboration with Huawei, citing allegations of corruption and espionage practices. It is inaccurate to suggest that China has conquered the Balkans. In fact, the influence of EU countries in the region is much more significant and far-reaching than that of China. It is important to acknowledge that Beijing is adopting a highly proactive approach and is not deterred by isolated instances of failure. A significant number of industries in the Balkans are in a state of persistent financial need. Only the future will tell whether the Chinese will be able to dominate the Balkans economically, even if it does not seem possible now.
Krzysztof Koźbiał
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 407 - 423
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB .24.023.20047In 2023, Montenegro held both presidential and (early) parliamentary elections. They brought a change of power: the defeat of the former president Đukanović, the most influential figure in the political life of this country for 30 years, and the defeat of the DPS group, which failed to recover after losing the elections 3 years ago. The elections were held in a tense internal situation, resulting from religious and ethnic contradictions, as well as underlined identity issues, combined with the language used in the country. As a result, the group Europe Now! has taken over the power. And the government was headed by the leader of this movement, Milojko Spajić. Movement politicians face an important task, which is to continue negotiations related to the desire to join the European Union. Montenegro has been negotiating the membership since 2012, so far without any effect. The main problems on the path to the EU are insufficient anti-corruption measures, the need to fight organised crime and the relatively low assessments of Montenegrin democracy. The new authorities announced changes in this respect in the election campaign and accelerated the whole process.
Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 427 - 432
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.024.20048Aleksandra Ryś
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 433 - 436
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.025.20049Jakub Siatka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 437 - 440
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.026.20050Karolina Sikora
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXXIII, 2024, pp. 441 - 445
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.24.027.20051Publication date: 09.2023
Editor-in-Chief: Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Volume Editor:
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 9 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.001.18427In the autumn of 1940, the British Mandate authorities interned approximately twenty Polish war refugees at the Mazra’a camp in Palestine. In the subsequent months, over a dozen more were detained. The majority of the refugees were interned at the behest of Polish military intelligence, which accused them of collaboration with foreign agencies. The events concerning the detention of the Poles are detailed in the “Kronika Mazryjska” (“Mazra’a Chronicle”) by Czesław Horain. This document is part of the collection at the Archives of the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London. The narrative was penned by one of the internees and covers topics such as everyday life in the camp and the situations leading to the arrests of the Poles, and the mood among the inmates. As these issues have not been explored in research thus far, publishing the “Mazra’a Chronicle” is both necessary and recommended.
Jakub Polit
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 29 - 45
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.002.18428Certain parallels exist between the perception of Germany in Poland and Japan in China. This similarity was observed by Chinese historian Yinan He. Poland and China associate their neighbouring nations with a negative, bellicose stereotype that harks back to the Second World War. However, this war is perceived as merely the latest incident in a long history of transgressions. Post-war, both countries came under communist rule, further demonising the former enemy.
In the 1970s, both China/Japan and Poland/(West) Germany set aside historical grievances in favour of immediate diplomatic normalisation. In the 1980s and 1990s in Poland, this superficial reconciliation evolved into genuine reconciliation, thanks largely to the efforts of the Catholic Church and the joint membership of Poland and a united Germany in NATO and the EU. Concurrently in Japan, but particularly in communist China, practices of elite mythmaking only served to accentuate historical animosities. In East Asia, there appears to be a mutual lack of willingness for true reconciliation and forgiveness
Andrzej Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 65 - 87
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.004.18430Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 89 - 103
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.005.18431This research examines the foreign policy of the Republic of Turkey towards the Balkan region during the Cold War. The article aims to elucidate the fundamental principles underpinning Turkey’s approach to the region within the context of the bipolar international system. With the onset of the Cold War, the Balkan Peninsula found itself bifurcated into two blocs, reflecting the reconfigured international order. Consequently, segments of the Balkan states fell under Soviet sway. While Turkey had previously maintained a stance of active neutrality during the Second World War, there was a swift shift in its foreign policy. Driven by security imperatives and apprehensions regarding the Soviet threat to its territorial integrity, Turkey aligned itself with the Western bloc. This article seeks to address the nature of Turkey’s policy towards the Balkan nations that were part of the opposing political and military bloc and the factors influencing its relations with these countries.
Anna Szczepańska-Dudziak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 105 - 125
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.006.18432Political relations between Warsaw and Prague in 1989 were influenced by the disproportion between the rate of the systemic changes taking place in both countries and the critical stance of the KSČ leadership towards the changes taking place in Poland. The negative assessment of the decision to convene the Round Table talks, the capitulating attitude of the PZPR, which de facto agreed to abandon the principles of socialism in the economy and accepted the strengthening of the Solidarity opposition, influenced the reduction of official political contacts, especially in the second half of 1989. This also applied to cooperation between social organisations, especially youth organisations, cultural cooperation and individual border traffic. All these issues were perceived by PLR diplomats making attempts to counteract the isolation by party activists of various levels and trying to counteract the unfavourable presentation of Poland in the Czechoslovak media and supporting their citizens subjected to persecution by Czechoslovak border guards
Marcela Gruszczyk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 120 - 130
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.003.18429After the Second World War, Henryk Batowski became deeply involved in fostering post- -war cooperation among the Slavic nations. From 1945 to 1952, he served as an activist and a member of the governing body of the Polish Slavic Committee, which was responsible for promoting the idea of Slavic unity to a wide audience. For many years, he also worked as an editor for “Życie Słowiańskie” [“Slavic Life”], the primary publication of the association. He perceived the emergent Slavic movement as non-political and non-ideological, a stance that often conflicted with the communist authorities. This research aims to shed light on Henryk Batowski’s contributions to the Slavic Committee and evaluate the significant role this distinguished scholar played in advancing the aforementioned concept amidst the socio-political landscape of post-war Poland.
Roman Kochnowski, Anna Kochnowska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 127 - 136
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.007.18433The break-up of the SFRY in 1991 led to a significant reshaping of the region’s political landscape. Four of the six former Yugoslav republics subsequently joined NATO, enhancing the geopolitical stability in the North Atlantic Alliance’s vicinity. Given the intricate socio-political dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, the affiliation of these former Yugoslav republics with NATO undoubtedly contributes to regional stability. Conversely, in the prevailing political climate, the Russian Federation, leveraging its influence among the Bosnian Serbs and within Serbia, is introducing destabilizing factors to the area.
Krzysztof Krysieniel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 137 - 150
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.008.18434In the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as in the states that emerged after its break-up, various types of conflict were evident at many levels. One such conflict has been sports rivalries, which, although intended to be separate from the prevailing political disputes, became a significant element in the escalating conflict between the federation’s nations and republics. This article aims to present and analyze the role of sport and its associated competitions in political conflict, both before and after Yugoslavia’s break-up.
Maria Pandevska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 151 - 167
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.009.18435Through the presentation of a part of the deviations of the social life, which appeared in Yugoslavian socialism, we are actually returning to the deep roots of the disorientation and resignation of the common people towards the contemporary Macedonian social trends and towards the contemporary Macedonian political elite. All of these deviations in the social sphere appeared everywhere across the SFRY, but got a stronger hold over the consciousness of the common people in some republics more than in others. In the Socialist Republic of Macedonia/Republic of Macedonia/ Republic of North Macedonia, another important factor added up to the economic underdevelopment: the previous historical inexperience in coping with its own national
Aleksandra Zdeb
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 169 - 184
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.010.18436New institutionalism resurrected political institutions, arguing that they constrain behavior of political actors. Consequently, the consociational model was founded on the assumption that the institutions and practices associated with it create a structure of incentives for leaders of ethnic groups that should encourage them to moderate and cooperate. However, in post-conflict, deeply divided countries where institutions are weak and often externally imposed, political actors can interpret and exploit them, stretching their boundaries and adapting them to new conditions, or simply avoiding them. As Robert D. Putnam notes, “two centuries of constitution-writing around the world warn us that the designers of new institutions often write on water – institutional reform does not always change fundamental patterns of politics” (1993: 17). Following this statement, the main aim of the article is an analysis, rooted in the new institutionalism, of the relationship and the inevitable tension between political institutions and actors in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. By proposing the term “rebound effect”, the paper tries to explain the dysfunctionality of the Bosnian model of consociationalism. Using congruence theory (Almond & Verba 1965), I also hypothesize that coherence between political actors (their political culture) and political institutions (the patterns of behavior they imply) is crucial for the so-called “behavioral realisation” of any constructed structure – institution, and, as a result, for the entire political system and its functionality
Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 185 - 199
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.011.18437Social welfare is a vital aspect of modern democracies, encompassing development, ideas, and public policy implementation. This study focuses on the theoretical foundations and practical dimensions of social welfare, aiming to understand its conceptual background and address contemporary challenges. Analyzing the relationship between social welfare and the concept of “need,” the study highlights the role of welfare policies in meeting essential requirements. It further explores the connection between social welfare, poverty, and social exclusion, emphasizing the need to combat marginalization through effective policies. The study delves into the interdependence of social welfare with economic development and growth, emphasizing their mutual reliance. It also examines the link between social welfare and social rights, advocating the combination of universal and selective policies to achieve welfare for all. Moreover, the study addresses emerging challenges such as digitization, robotization, and the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of social investment and active policy implementation to adapt to new circumstances. The aim is to strike a balance between theoretical foundations, philosophical relationships, and practical solutions, ensuring that fundamental values are upheld while addressing contemporary needs. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of social welfare by bridging theoreticalparameters with practical policies. It underscores the importance of implementing relevant social policies to achieve social welfare and emphasizes the need to adapt social policies to evolving challenges.
Marijana Hameršak, Marta Stojić Mitrović
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 202 - 226
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.012.18438This article focuses on multiple bordering practices introduced in the context of the initial COVID -19 responses in Croatia and Serbia. These practices, often focused on the imposition of mobility control, were differently framed, executed and challenged in these two contexts and demonstrated a long-term restructuring of the European border regime at the gates of the EU . The paper outlines and contextualizes constant interplay and mutual stimulation of movement suppression and movement resilience in response to the new virus, blurring and sharpening borders, as seen from these two states at the political and geographical peripheries of Europe. Croatia and Serbia employed spectacularization and invisibilization of movement control, which steadily fostered the further compartmentalization of the population in both countries but with notable differences, especially regarding the control over unwanted migration toward the EU . In the period under discussion, borders were activated, imposed and challenged, exposing the changeability of relations between the EU border regime and the sovereign-nation states which comprise it. Different positions of Serbia and Croatia in the EU border regime also led to differences with regard to movement control, bordering, encampment and the repression exhibited toward people on the move. Old and new typologies of movement repression were tested and employed within the COVID -19 crisis framework, resulting in the further compartmentalization of societies and exclusions
Srđan Mladenov Jovanović
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 227 - 246
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.013.18439This article analyzes the post-Yugoslav Serbian-Russian political, economic and security connection. The research examines bilateral cooperation and its effects on regional and global security using history, political science and international relations. Ideological affinities, political maneuverings, economic dependency and mutual security interests define the relationship, which has major ramifications for Balkan stability and European security. The essay continues by examining the policy implications of the Serbian-Russian alliance for regional and global players and suggesting future research options in light of the changing geopolitical landscape
Konrad Kuczara
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 247 - 261
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.014.18440The bespopovtsy are Orthodox Christians without clergy. They hold the belief that the reign of the Antichrist on earth invalidates the priesthood and sacraments (except baptism) of any Christian Church. This belief emerged in response to the liturgical reforms undertaken by the Orthodox Church in Muscovy, which they deem to have introduced unacceptable alterations to traditional rites. Consequently, the bespopovtsy contend that following the death of the last clergymen ordained according to the rite preceding the reform, genuine priests no longer exist in the world, leaving Jesus Christ as the sole guiding priest for believers. Bespopovtsy communities are organized into communes overseen by regulators, and their places of worship are termed molenna. Due to the absence of a clerical hierarchy, various distinct communities rapidly evolved within the bespopovtsy group.
Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 265 - 267
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.015.18441Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 265 - 267
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.015.18441Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 9 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.001.18427In the autumn of 1940, the British Mandate authorities interned approximately twenty Polish war refugees at the Mazra’a camp in Palestine. In the subsequent months, over a dozen more were detained. The majority of the refugees were interned at the behest of Polish military intelligence, which accused them of collaboration with foreign agencies. The events concerning the detention of the Poles are detailed in the “Kronika Mazryjska” (“Mazra’a Chronicle”) by Czesław Horain. This document is part of the collection at the Archives of the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London. The narrative was penned by one of the internees and covers topics such as everyday life in the camp and the situations leading to the arrests of the Poles, and the mood among the inmates. As these issues have not been explored in research thus far, publishing the “Mazra’a Chronicle” is both necessary and recommended.
Jakub Polit
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 29 - 45
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.002.18428Certain parallels exist between the perception of Germany in Poland and Japan in China. This similarity was observed by Chinese historian Yinan He. Poland and China associate their neighbouring nations with a negative, bellicose stereotype that harks back to the Second World War. However, this war is perceived as merely the latest incident in a long history of transgressions. Post-war, both countries came under communist rule, further demonising the former enemy.
In the 1970s, both China/Japan and Poland/(West) Germany set aside historical grievances in favour of immediate diplomatic normalisation. In the 1980s and 1990s in Poland, this superficial reconciliation evolved into genuine reconciliation, thanks largely to the efforts of the Catholic Church and the joint membership of Poland and a united Germany in NATO and the EU. Concurrently in Japan, but particularly in communist China, practices of elite mythmaking only served to accentuate historical animosities. In East Asia, there appears to be a mutual lack of willingness for true reconciliation and forgiveness
Andrzej Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 65 - 87
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.004.18430Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 89 - 103
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.005.18431This research examines the foreign policy of the Republic of Turkey towards the Balkan region during the Cold War. The article aims to elucidate the fundamental principles underpinning Turkey’s approach to the region within the context of the bipolar international system. With the onset of the Cold War, the Balkan Peninsula found itself bifurcated into two blocs, reflecting the reconfigured international order. Consequently, segments of the Balkan states fell under Soviet sway. While Turkey had previously maintained a stance of active neutrality during the Second World War, there was a swift shift in its foreign policy. Driven by security imperatives and apprehensions regarding the Soviet threat to its territorial integrity, Turkey aligned itself with the Western bloc. This article seeks to address the nature of Turkey’s policy towards the Balkan nations that were part of the opposing political and military bloc and the factors influencing its relations with these countries.
Anna Szczepańska-Dudziak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 105 - 125
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.006.18432Political relations between Warsaw and Prague in 1989 were influenced by the disproportion between the rate of the systemic changes taking place in both countries and the critical stance of the KSČ leadership towards the changes taking place in Poland. The negative assessment of the decision to convene the Round Table talks, the capitulating attitude of the PZPR, which de facto agreed to abandon the principles of socialism in the economy and accepted the strengthening of the Solidarity opposition, influenced the reduction of official political contacts, especially in the second half of 1989. This also applied to cooperation between social organisations, especially youth organisations, cultural cooperation and individual border traffic. All these issues were perceived by PLR diplomats making attempts to counteract the isolation by party activists of various levels and trying to counteract the unfavourable presentation of Poland in the Czechoslovak media and supporting their citizens subjected to persecution by Czechoslovak border guards
Marcela Gruszczyk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 120 - 130
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.003.18429After the Second World War, Henryk Batowski became deeply involved in fostering post- -war cooperation among the Slavic nations. From 1945 to 1952, he served as an activist and a member of the governing body of the Polish Slavic Committee, which was responsible for promoting the idea of Slavic unity to a wide audience. For many years, he also worked as an editor for “Życie Słowiańskie” [“Slavic Life”], the primary publication of the association. He perceived the emergent Slavic movement as non-political and non-ideological, a stance that often conflicted with the communist authorities. This research aims to shed light on Henryk Batowski’s contributions to the Slavic Committee and evaluate the significant role this distinguished scholar played in advancing the aforementioned concept amidst the socio-political landscape of post-war Poland.
Roman Kochnowski, Anna Kochnowska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 127 - 136
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.007.18433The break-up of the SFRY in 1991 led to a significant reshaping of the region’s political landscape. Four of the six former Yugoslav republics subsequently joined NATO, enhancing the geopolitical stability in the North Atlantic Alliance’s vicinity. Given the intricate socio-political dynamics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, the affiliation of these former Yugoslav republics with NATO undoubtedly contributes to regional stability. Conversely, in the prevailing political climate, the Russian Federation, leveraging its influence among the Bosnian Serbs and within Serbia, is introducing destabilizing factors to the area.
Krzysztof Krysieniel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 137 - 150
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.008.18434In the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as well as in the states that emerged after its break-up, various types of conflict were evident at many levels. One such conflict has been sports rivalries, which, although intended to be separate from the prevailing political disputes, became a significant element in the escalating conflict between the federation’s nations and republics. This article aims to present and analyze the role of sport and its associated competitions in political conflict, both before and after Yugoslavia’s break-up.
Maria Pandevska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 151 - 167
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.009.18435Through the presentation of a part of the deviations of the social life, which appeared in Yugoslavian socialism, we are actually returning to the deep roots of the disorientation and resignation of the common people towards the contemporary Macedonian social trends and towards the contemporary Macedonian political elite. All of these deviations in the social sphere appeared everywhere across the SFRY, but got a stronger hold over the consciousness of the common people in some republics more than in others. In the Socialist Republic of Macedonia/Republic of Macedonia/ Republic of North Macedonia, another important factor added up to the economic underdevelopment: the previous historical inexperience in coping with its own national
Aleksandra Zdeb
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 169 - 184
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.010.18436New institutionalism resurrected political institutions, arguing that they constrain behavior of political actors. Consequently, the consociational model was founded on the assumption that the institutions and practices associated with it create a structure of incentives for leaders of ethnic groups that should encourage them to moderate and cooperate. However, in post-conflict, deeply divided countries where institutions are weak and often externally imposed, political actors can interpret and exploit them, stretching their boundaries and adapting them to new conditions, or simply avoiding them. As Robert D. Putnam notes, “two centuries of constitution-writing around the world warn us that the designers of new institutions often write on water – institutional reform does not always change fundamental patterns of politics” (1993: 17). Following this statement, the main aim of the article is an analysis, rooted in the new institutionalism, of the relationship and the inevitable tension between political institutions and actors in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. By proposing the term “rebound effect”, the paper tries to explain the dysfunctionality of the Bosnian model of consociationalism. Using congruence theory (Almond & Verba 1965), I also hypothesize that coherence between political actors (their political culture) and political institutions (the patterns of behavior they imply) is crucial for the so-called “behavioral realisation” of any constructed structure – institution, and, as a result, for the entire political system and its functionality
Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 185 - 199
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.011.18437Social welfare is a vital aspect of modern democracies, encompassing development, ideas, and public policy implementation. This study focuses on the theoretical foundations and practical dimensions of social welfare, aiming to understand its conceptual background and address contemporary challenges. Analyzing the relationship between social welfare and the concept of “need,” the study highlights the role of welfare policies in meeting essential requirements. It further explores the connection between social welfare, poverty, and social exclusion, emphasizing the need to combat marginalization through effective policies. The study delves into the interdependence of social welfare with economic development and growth, emphasizing their mutual reliance. It also examines the link between social welfare and social rights, advocating the combination of universal and selective policies to achieve welfare for all. Moreover, the study addresses emerging challenges such as digitization, robotization, and the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of social investment and active policy implementation to adapt to new circumstances. The aim is to strike a balance between theoretical foundations, philosophical relationships, and practical solutions, ensuring that fundamental values are upheld while addressing contemporary needs. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of social welfare by bridging theoreticalparameters with practical policies. It underscores the importance of implementing relevant social policies to achieve social welfare and emphasizes the need to adapt social policies to evolving challenges.
Marijana Hameršak, Marta Stojić Mitrović
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 202 - 226
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.012.18438This article focuses on multiple bordering practices introduced in the context of the initial COVID -19 responses in Croatia and Serbia. These practices, often focused on the imposition of mobility control, were differently framed, executed and challenged in these two contexts and demonstrated a long-term restructuring of the European border regime at the gates of the EU . The paper outlines and contextualizes constant interplay and mutual stimulation of movement suppression and movement resilience in response to the new virus, blurring and sharpening borders, as seen from these two states at the political and geographical peripheries of Europe. Croatia and Serbia employed spectacularization and invisibilization of movement control, which steadily fostered the further compartmentalization of the population in both countries but with notable differences, especially regarding the control over unwanted migration toward the EU . In the period under discussion, borders were activated, imposed and challenged, exposing the changeability of relations between the EU border regime and the sovereign-nation states which comprise it. Different positions of Serbia and Croatia in the EU border regime also led to differences with regard to movement control, bordering, encampment and the repression exhibited toward people on the move. Old and new typologies of movement repression were tested and employed within the COVID -19 crisis framework, resulting in the further compartmentalization of societies and exclusions
Srđan Mladenov Jovanović
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 227 - 246
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.013.18439This article analyzes the post-Yugoslav Serbian-Russian political, economic and security connection. The research examines bilateral cooperation and its effects on regional and global security using history, political science and international relations. Ideological affinities, political maneuverings, economic dependency and mutual security interests define the relationship, which has major ramifications for Balkan stability and European security. The essay continues by examining the policy implications of the Serbian-Russian alliance for regional and global players and suggesting future research options in light of the changing geopolitical landscape
Konrad Kuczara
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXII, 2023, pp. 247 - 261
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.23.014.18440The bespopovtsy are Orthodox Christians without clergy. They hold the belief that the reign of the Antichrist on earth invalidates the priesthood and sacraments (except baptism) of any Christian Church. This belief emerged in response to the liturgical reforms undertaken by the Orthodox Church in Muscovy, which they deem to have introduced unacceptable alterations to traditional rites. Consequently, the bespopovtsy contend that following the death of the last clergymen ordained according to the rite preceding the reform, genuine priests no longer exist in the world, leaving Jesus Christ as the sole guiding priest for believers. Bespopovtsy communities are organized into communes overseen by regulators, and their places of worship are termed molenna. Due to the absence of a clerical hierarchy, various distinct communities rapidly evolved within the bespopovtsy group.
Publication date: 12.2022
Editor-in-Chief: Jan Machnik, Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Please be informed that volume XXXI of "Central European and Balkan Studies" was published with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Tomasz Lis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 9 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.001.16703In the article, the author would like to present the analysis of a historical source – a student catalog from the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna. We research how to change the Croatian students’ religion and language from the Austro-Hungarian lands in the 19th century; Banovina, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Istria, Bosnia, and Hercegovina. On the basis of these catalogs, we look to answer how to create Croatian nationality in the second half of the 19th century, because this process was different in all these lands, such as Bosnia and Hercegovina where we have Muslim people with Croatian nationality or Croatian people in Dalmatia who think of themselves as Yugoslavs.
Józef Łaptos, Władysław Werstiuk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 29 - 45
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.002.16704The article is an attempt to underline the difference in the conduct of foreign policy by two allied countries. One of them – France, had the opinion of the most powerful state in Europe after World War I, and the other – Belgium, was a small country that decided to abandon its neutrality (imposed by the great powers in 1839). Such an alliance, salutary for strengthening the security guarantees towards the former occupant, brought with it fears of domination and instrumental treatment. In matters of eastern policy, both countries were concerned about the loss of numerous investments and capital investments in tsarist Russia. It was through this prism that the Polish-Bolshevik war was assessed. The second factor that distinguished the two countries in their approach to the war was the different composition of the government. While in France the electoral victory of the National Bloc facilitated the conduct of politics, the government of catholic-socialist coalition in Belgium faced serious obstacles from the socialists, which was manifested in the decision concerning the transit of weapons to Poland. French aid in the form of weapons supplies and support for Poland from the diplomatic side led to an alliance with Poland. Belgium took advantage of the end of the war to establish, above all, economic cooperation.
Wollfy Krašić
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 47 - 79
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.003.16705The paper presents forms of commemoration of the Bleiburg tragedy and the Way of the Cross in the communities of Croatian political refugees in the West and different interpretations of the mentioned events. It also analyzes some cases in which the world public was made aware of the massacres committed by communist Yugoslavia, as well as forms of repression and diplomatic pressure by the Yugoslav authorities to prevent commemorations in Bleiburg.
Tomasz Stryjek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 81 - 103
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.004.16706Firstly, the author analyzes those resources of historical memory that distinguish Hungary and Poland from the other states of Central and Eastern Europe. On the one hand, these resources most strongly associate them with the West, and on the other, they allow them to oppose it to justify their alternative development path. Secondly, he analyzes the cases of populists of various types across the region since 1989, highlighting those who campaigned with interpretations of the past to delegitimize political opponents, mainly from the left. Finally, and thirdly, he presents policies of memory of the right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland. In his opinion only they meet the criteria for the definition of historical populism. This term is what he calls a consistent governmental policy aimed at liberal elites and globalization as embodied by the West. It is conducted by changing the sense given to the entire past following the ideology of ethnocentrism and neo-traditionalism. This ideology is addressed to people-nation (lat. populus) to whom it assigns the role of an heir of a unique history and national tradition.
Jędrzej Paszkiewicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 105 - 124
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.005.16707The article aims to show the main circumstances influencing the evolution of the Italian diplomatic attitude towards the post-Yugoslav and Albanian area from 1991 through 2001. Both the international and internal contexts are included (the change of international order after the collapse of communist regimes, relations with NATO and the European Union, and the weakening of the international position of Italy as the result of its internal political crisis in 1992–1994). Two mutually supportive elements can be distinguished within the Italian policy toward the Balkans. Traditionally, Italian diplomats were focused on bilateral and multilateral activities aiming at the protection of territorial security and economic interests, primarily in the Adriatic region. They criticized all international military intervention in the post-Yugoslav area. This attitude was partially changed in 1999, when Italy decided to take part in NATO’s air operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia, although many controversies regarding this action arose on the Italian political scene. The article is based on published diplomatic documents, scientific publications and the press.
Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis, Dimitrios Kotroyannos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 125 - 141
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.006.16708The Greek welfare state has faced multidimensional crises from the first period of its existence until now. From the traditional unstable democratic and institutional context to the financial crisis, which exacerbated social problems, and from the latter to the pandemic, which posed challenges for the immediate handling of the health needs as well as long term necessities for measures in order to address the economic shortcomings of the pandemic, the Greek welfare state has been in a permanent strain. This study aims to present the main historical as well as contemporary challenges of the Greek welfare state and to draw some conclusions about its role in the post-covid era as well as to emphasize the main directions in order to address old and new social problems, always with reference to relative empirical data.
Magdalena Ickiewicz-Sawicka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 143 - 158
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.007.16709Statutory law based on the philosophy and doctrine of Roman law is the basic principle of organization, management and functioning of modern state bodies, assuming the form of a democratic state ruled by law. At the same time, the alternative (already existing in antiquity) organization of social life was primeval communities, the identity of which was shaped and sustained by clantribal rules of a hierarchically shaped community. The text consists of four parts. The first one presents the concept of the democratic rule of law (basic assumptions). The second part contains considerations on tribalism and neotribalism, i.e. a return to the idea of clan-tribal communities. The third part, in turn, was devoted to discussing the Albanian tribes being an example of clan-tribal culture in southern Europe, along with empirical research. The last part presents information on Kanunu, Besa, Gjakmarrji – the basic concepts of Albanian customary law. The text includes an introduction and ending as well as relevant literature on the subject.
Przemysław Łukasik
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 159 - 176
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.008.16710Contemporary analyses of the international reality allow it to be seen as more and more complex. Globalization, new wars and failed states are examples of challenges faced by individual actors and the entire international community. The interdependence of phenomena in their global scope necessitates the creation of international coalitions of states and organizations as part of creating resourcesin the global management of these problems. The steady growth of China’s power and the prospect of a return to global competition between superpowers complicates this picture even more. Heads of state and international organizations set ambitious goals for their organizations in the face of emergingchallenges. They assume the strengthening of unity, adaptation to the changing international reality and expansion of resources. Plans to meet the challenges of the present, go together with a demographic determinant. The low birth rate associated with the aging of the population is likely to increase social benefits in the general budget balance of countries. The article aims to analyze the development of the situation of EU and NATO countries from the perspective of the demographic challenges that they and the whole world will face in the first half of the 21st century. The text will take into account both the presentation of demographic changes from the past and in the present in the theoretical (Malthusianism, Neo-Malthusianism) and practical (population policy) dimensions.
Magdalena Bogusławska, Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 177 - 188
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.009.16711The paper follows in the assumption that the transformations of central-European and Balkan cities taking place in the second half of the 20th century can be considered a symptom of complex economic, social and political processes related to the development and decline of the culture of socialism. Changes after the Second World War were closely interconnected with the urbanization project, which was implemented in two ways – either by rebuilding, reorganizing and resemantizing old cities, or by creating cities and urban communities – in a modernist spirit – from scratch. We consider these issues by comparing three examples of cities with different historical experience, which shaped their identities within culturally and politically different frames of reference.
The subject of thus oriented considerations is the question of what happened to the socialist utopia which at the end of the 20th century was put to the test. What was its fate depending on various politically – but also culturally-motivated scenarios of political transformation? In what way and by whom is its heritage appropriated in the 1990’s? While analyzing the fate of the utopia of the new city from a post-communist perspective, it should be noted that although individual projects did not meet the ideals and hopes of their designers, they proved to be an impulse that released social activityqualitatively different from existing traditional patterns and initiated a thorough redefinition of urban identities.
Alicja Szumowiecka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 189 - 215
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.010.16712The purpose of this work was to examine the role that the subject of Central Europe plays in cultural politics in the Czech Republic. In the first part of this work, there are definitions of national identity, cultural politics and Central Europe. Moreover, there is information about institutions that are responsible for the development of the Czech culture. The second chapter is an analysis of the activity of Czech artists which is related to Central Europe and the states of the region. The last chapter is research about the participation of artistic events related to the region among those subsidized by the minister’s programs for the development of international cultural relations.
Jacek Szymala
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 217 - 244
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.011.16713The catalog contains an alphabetical list of 932 Montenegrin films and films about Montenegro; the author based his work on the publications of Gojko Kastratović and his research. The summary can be used as material for basic research in various disciplines.
Kamila Brodzińska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 247 - 250
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.012.16714Adam Siwiak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 251 - 254
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.013.16715Dominika Tabis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 255 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.014.16716Dariusz Grabowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 259 - 262
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.015.16717Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 263 - 268
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.016.16718Maja Biernacka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 269 - 273
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.017.16719Krystian Pachucki-Włosek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 275 - 278
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.018.16720Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 279 - 282
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.019.16721Anna Słupek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 283 - 287
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.020.16722Anna Słupek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 283 - 287
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.020.16722Tomasz Lis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 9 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.001.16703In the article, the author would like to present the analysis of a historical source – a student catalog from the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna. We research how to change the Croatian students’ religion and language from the Austro-Hungarian lands in the 19th century; Banovina, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Istria, Bosnia, and Hercegovina. On the basis of these catalogs, we look to answer how to create Croatian nationality in the second half of the 19th century, because this process was different in all these lands, such as Bosnia and Hercegovina where we have Muslim people with Croatian nationality or Croatian people in Dalmatia who think of themselves as Yugoslavs.
Józef Łaptos, Władysław Werstiuk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 29 - 45
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.002.16704The article is an attempt to underline the difference in the conduct of foreign policy by two allied countries. One of them – France, had the opinion of the most powerful state in Europe after World War I, and the other – Belgium, was a small country that decided to abandon its neutrality (imposed by the great powers in 1839). Such an alliance, salutary for strengthening the security guarantees towards the former occupant, brought with it fears of domination and instrumental treatment. In matters of eastern policy, both countries were concerned about the loss of numerous investments and capital investments in tsarist Russia. It was through this prism that the Polish-Bolshevik war was assessed. The second factor that distinguished the two countries in their approach to the war was the different composition of the government. While in France the electoral victory of the National Bloc facilitated the conduct of politics, the government of catholic-socialist coalition in Belgium faced serious obstacles from the socialists, which was manifested in the decision concerning the transit of weapons to Poland. French aid in the form of weapons supplies and support for Poland from the diplomatic side led to an alliance with Poland. Belgium took advantage of the end of the war to establish, above all, economic cooperation.
Wollfy Krašić
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 47 - 79
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.003.16705The paper presents forms of commemoration of the Bleiburg tragedy and the Way of the Cross in the communities of Croatian political refugees in the West and different interpretations of the mentioned events. It also analyzes some cases in which the world public was made aware of the massacres committed by communist Yugoslavia, as well as forms of repression and diplomatic pressure by the Yugoslav authorities to prevent commemorations in Bleiburg.
Tomasz Stryjek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 81 - 103
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.004.16706Firstly, the author analyzes those resources of historical memory that distinguish Hungary and Poland from the other states of Central and Eastern Europe. On the one hand, these resources most strongly associate them with the West, and on the other, they allow them to oppose it to justify their alternative development path. Secondly, he analyzes the cases of populists of various types across the region since 1989, highlighting those who campaigned with interpretations of the past to delegitimize political opponents, mainly from the left. Finally, and thirdly, he presents policies of memory of the right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland. In his opinion only they meet the criteria for the definition of historical populism. This term is what he calls a consistent governmental policy aimed at liberal elites and globalization as embodied by the West. It is conducted by changing the sense given to the entire past following the ideology of ethnocentrism and neo-traditionalism. This ideology is addressed to people-nation (lat. populus) to whom it assigns the role of an heir of a unique history and national tradition.
Jędrzej Paszkiewicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 105 - 124
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.005.16707The article aims to show the main circumstances influencing the evolution of the Italian diplomatic attitude towards the post-Yugoslav and Albanian area from 1991 through 2001. Both the international and internal contexts are included (the change of international order after the collapse of communist regimes, relations with NATO and the European Union, and the weakening of the international position of Italy as the result of its internal political crisis in 1992–1994). Two mutually supportive elements can be distinguished within the Italian policy toward the Balkans. Traditionally, Italian diplomats were focused on bilateral and multilateral activities aiming at the protection of territorial security and economic interests, primarily in the Adriatic region. They criticized all international military intervention in the post-Yugoslav area. This attitude was partially changed in 1999, when Italy decided to take part in NATO’s air operation Allied Force against Yugoslavia, although many controversies regarding this action arose on the Italian political scene. The article is based on published diplomatic documents, scientific publications and the press.
Stylianos Ioannis Tzagkarakis, Dimitrios Kotroyannos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 125 - 141
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.006.16708The Greek welfare state has faced multidimensional crises from the first period of its existence until now. From the traditional unstable democratic and institutional context to the financial crisis, which exacerbated social problems, and from the latter to the pandemic, which posed challenges for the immediate handling of the health needs as well as long term necessities for measures in order to address the economic shortcomings of the pandemic, the Greek welfare state has been in a permanent strain. This study aims to present the main historical as well as contemporary challenges of the Greek welfare state and to draw some conclusions about its role in the post-covid era as well as to emphasize the main directions in order to address old and new social problems, always with reference to relative empirical data.
Magdalena Ickiewicz-Sawicka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 143 - 158
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.007.16709Statutory law based on the philosophy and doctrine of Roman law is the basic principle of organization, management and functioning of modern state bodies, assuming the form of a democratic state ruled by law. At the same time, the alternative (already existing in antiquity) organization of social life was primeval communities, the identity of which was shaped and sustained by clantribal rules of a hierarchically shaped community. The text consists of four parts. The first one presents the concept of the democratic rule of law (basic assumptions). The second part contains considerations on tribalism and neotribalism, i.e. a return to the idea of clan-tribal communities. The third part, in turn, was devoted to discussing the Albanian tribes being an example of clan-tribal culture in southern Europe, along with empirical research. The last part presents information on Kanunu, Besa, Gjakmarrji – the basic concepts of Albanian customary law. The text includes an introduction and ending as well as relevant literature on the subject.
Przemysław Łukasik
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 159 - 176
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.008.16710Contemporary analyses of the international reality allow it to be seen as more and more complex. Globalization, new wars and failed states are examples of challenges faced by individual actors and the entire international community. The interdependence of phenomena in their global scope necessitates the creation of international coalitions of states and organizations as part of creating resourcesin the global management of these problems. The steady growth of China’s power and the prospect of a return to global competition between superpowers complicates this picture even more. Heads of state and international organizations set ambitious goals for their organizations in the face of emergingchallenges. They assume the strengthening of unity, adaptation to the changing international reality and expansion of resources. Plans to meet the challenges of the present, go together with a demographic determinant. The low birth rate associated with the aging of the population is likely to increase social benefits in the general budget balance of countries. The article aims to analyze the development of the situation of EU and NATO countries from the perspective of the demographic challenges that they and the whole world will face in the first half of the 21st century. The text will take into account both the presentation of demographic changes from the past and in the present in the theoretical (Malthusianism, Neo-Malthusianism) and practical (population policy) dimensions.
Magdalena Bogusławska, Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 177 - 188
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.009.16711The paper follows in the assumption that the transformations of central-European and Balkan cities taking place in the second half of the 20th century can be considered a symptom of complex economic, social and political processes related to the development and decline of the culture of socialism. Changes after the Second World War were closely interconnected with the urbanization project, which was implemented in two ways – either by rebuilding, reorganizing and resemantizing old cities, or by creating cities and urban communities – in a modernist spirit – from scratch. We consider these issues by comparing three examples of cities with different historical experience, which shaped their identities within culturally and politically different frames of reference.
The subject of thus oriented considerations is the question of what happened to the socialist utopia which at the end of the 20th century was put to the test. What was its fate depending on various politically – but also culturally-motivated scenarios of political transformation? In what way and by whom is its heritage appropriated in the 1990’s? While analyzing the fate of the utopia of the new city from a post-communist perspective, it should be noted that although individual projects did not meet the ideals and hopes of their designers, they proved to be an impulse that released social activityqualitatively different from existing traditional patterns and initiated a thorough redefinition of urban identities.
Alicja Szumowiecka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 189 - 215
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.010.16712The purpose of this work was to examine the role that the subject of Central Europe plays in cultural politics in the Czech Republic. In the first part of this work, there are definitions of national identity, cultural politics and Central Europe. Moreover, there is information about institutions that are responsible for the development of the Czech culture. The second chapter is an analysis of the activity of Czech artists which is related to Central Europe and the states of the region. The last chapter is research about the participation of artistic events related to the region among those subsidized by the minister’s programs for the development of international cultural relations.
Jacek Szymala
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 217 - 244
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.011.16713The catalog contains an alphabetical list of 932 Montenegrin films and films about Montenegro; the author based his work on the publications of Gojko Kastratović and his research. The summary can be used as material for basic research in various disciplines.
Kamila Brodzińska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 247 - 250
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.012.16714Adam Siwiak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 251 - 254
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.013.16715Dominika Tabis
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 255 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.014.16716Dariusz Grabowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 259 - 262
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.015.16717Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 263 - 268
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.016.16718Maja Biernacka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 269 - 273
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.017.16719Krystian Pachucki-Włosek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 275 - 278
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.018.16720Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Vol. XXXI, 2022, pp. 279 - 282
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.22.019.16721Publication date: 07.2021
Editor-in-Chief:
Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 7 - 8
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.001.13794Marcin Lasoń
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 9 - 10
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.002.13795Tomasz Graff
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 13 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.003.13796This research paper discusses the evolution of the attitude of Stefan Bathory (1576–1586), king of Poland, towards the University of Krakow. Being aware of the university’s obsolete structures and its functioning, the king planned to create an elite royal college, in which foreign scholars, especially Italians, were to provide education. Due to the failure of his plan, Batory changed his attitude towards the University, and became its important patron and benefactor. At the same time, however, he also contributed to the establishment of the Jesuit Vilnius University (1578/1579). The author analyses the monarch’s relations with the Krakow Alma Mater over ten years of his reign, trying to explain the circumstances and motives of his conduct towards Krakow’s university elites.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 29 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.004.13797
In 1939–1948, an important center of Polish pro-independence emigration emerged in Tel Aviv. In January 1945 2,291 Polish civilian war refugees resided there (6,718 in all of the Holy Land). Palestine was at the time a Mandatory Territory of the League of Nations, governed by Great Britain.
The refugees created a community which differed from the local one. It had clear distinguishing features – it included a large percentage of ill and lonely persons who required care; it had a high rate of feminization, an atypical social and occupational structure (a high percentage of intelligentsia and freelance professions), and a varied ethnic and religious composition. The refugees included many members of pre-war elites, people of culture and politicians.
The majority of the Poles declared their attachment to national values. However, this was also accompanied by negative phenomena – political divisions and internal feuds. The unlikelihood of returning home in the near future led to frustration. In some people, war experiences weakened ethical and moral standards; some came into conflict with the law.
The lot of the Poles from Tel Aviv showed all problems of pro-independence emigration: (1) an interest in politics pervaded their lives; (2) material concerns caused increasing worry; (3) awareness of having no say in changing the political situation in the homeland.
Jan Rydel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 53 - 64
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.005.13798The article presents the brilliant military career of Wehrmacht officer Reinhard Gehlen, who led the intelligence of the German land forces on the eastern front from 1942 to 1945. He developed this intelligence and became Germany’s best expert in the Soviet Army, which made it easier for him to establish close cooperation with the CIA after the war and become head of West German Intelligence (BND ). During the war, General Gehlen’s intelligence was, among other things, involved in the development of the Polish resistance movement. For this reason, when in the last weeks of the war, the German leadership considered the creation of a major Nazi resistance movement after the Third Reich’s capitulation, Gehlen presented an extensive one in April 1945, The final report under the title Militärische und nachrichtendienstliche Kräfte im Gesamtrahmen der Polnischen Widerstandsbewegung [Military and Intelligence Forces within the overall framework of the Polish Resistance], because he considered the Polish underground to be the best resistance movement in Europe. The report contains, among others, positive opinions about the will to survive and the resistance of the Polish society, high professional evaluations of the Polish underground army and even words of admiration for the activities of Polish military intelligence
Inga Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 65 - 78
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.006.13799The article concerns the conflict between Tito and Stalin in 1948. The aim of the article is to define how the Belgian diplomacy perceived the split between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and, above all, how it diagnosed its causes and effects. Moreover, the analysis of Belgian diplomatic documents shows the great importance that Western countries attached to the first major breach in the Eastern bloc.
Jacek Wojnicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 79 - 82
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.007.13800The article discusses the issues of transformation processes in Central and Eastern Europe. The analysis took many factors into account: geographical, historical, political, political, social and economic. Internal and external premises decided about the course of political and political changes initiated at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Classical political theories about the Transition to democracy were included. A research hypothesis was put forward that the traditions of democratic political institutions have a positive impact on the pace and extent of consolidation of the democratic system.
Roman Kochnowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 93 - 104
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.008.13801Contrary to the arrangements from Potsdam, the remilitarization of both German states began as early as 1950. In 1956 the East German army was officially created under the name of the National People’s Army. The NVA was organized into four branches: Ground Forces (Landesstreitkräfte), Navy (Volksmarine), Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte) and Border Troops (Grenztruppen). In the years 1956–1990 they were the third largest (after the Soviet and Polish army) armed forces of the Warsaw Pact. As in other armies of the Eastern Bloc, the NVA was subject to strict party control. However, when the Berlin Wall was overthrown, this army remained a passive observer of events. After the reunification of Germany, only a few of its officers and soldiers were taken over by the Bundeswehr.
Agnieszka Małgorzata Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 105 - 119
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.009.13802The paper concerns the position of Polish MPs and senators on shaping the principles of German-Polish cooperation in a situation in which Poland regains full sovereignty in foreign policy. The position of Polish deputies was analysed on the basis of stenographic reports from plenary sessions of the Sejm and Senate concerning the preparation and ratification of treaties with Germany on confirming the border and on good neighbourhood. In particular, it was a question of examining whether MPs and senators supported the concept of a G erman-Polish community of interest, which was defined and presented in the Sejm by Foreign Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski. During the ratification debate, supporters of both treaties pointed out that they enabled Poland to leave the Eastern Bloc, making Poland independent of the support of the USSR for the western border. They also provided an opportunity for German support on Poland’s way to the European Communities. MPs and senators understood that it was possible to build a G erman-Polish community of interest on the basis of supporting and expanding the integration process and thus completely change Poland’s geopolitical situation. This did not mean that the solutions adopted in the treaty on good neighbourhood, especially with regard to compensation, the status of Poles in Germany and the German minority in Poland, were fully accepted.
Paweł Skorut
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 121 - 142
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.010.13803The Polish constitutional drafts from the 1990s were one of the source texts of the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Some of them tried very hard to refer to the solutions of the Polish Constitution of 1921. The article carried out an analysis to what extent the individual constitutional drafts referred to the solutions of the 1921 Constitution. The analysis of constitutional drafts and their similarities to the solutions of the 1921 Constitution were carried out on the basis of comparisons regarding, among others, the parliament, the president of Republic of Poland and legislative initiative.
Redžep Škrijelj
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 143 - 157
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.011.13804The fall of the deeply rooted communism in the countries of the Eastern Bloc in the 1980s has differed according to the level of achieved rights and freedoms, especially in Poland, as it was finalized with the breakup of the Soviet Union. The changes announced with the foundation of “Solidarity” – the first independent syndicate – which spread to the factories and enterprises across Poland beginning in the Lenin Shipyard. The staunch national pride and freedoms, empowered with the strength of the Catholic Church effectively eliminated the weak Soviet-imposed communism. The foundation of the first independent and free Polish syndicate in the strong Soviet Bloc catalyzed the initiation of abrupt and serious reforms in the countries of the Eastern Bloc. The fall of the Berlin Wall intensified the initiated processes of reintegration and independence from external political torture and poverty. The initiated processes intensified amplified changes in SFR Yugoslavia even though the breakup of this country in the early 1990s cost more than its establishment.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 159 - 173
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.012.13805The article focuses on the ways of treating the monumental memory of the past in the states that were established after the disintegration of Yugoslavia. These examples, which are not exhaustive, show that the process of transformation in the symbolic sphere does not create a uniform image in all countries. It oscillates between the destruction of the monuments of the past period in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the different intensity of the events of the tragic war of the last decade of the 20th century. Breaking such a description, Serbia protects the monuments of the Yugoslavian era, while at the same time recalling the memory of the Serbian liberation struggle in the anti-Turkish uprising of 1804. The protection of the monuments of the NOB (struggle for national liberation) period in Montenegro not only proves the connection with the federal Yugoslavia, but also reflects a kind of Yugonostalgia. In turn, the monuments of this period on Macedonian territory, preserved in various states, gave way to a “flood of monuments” referring to the ancient and medieval history of this land. The changes in the monumental sphere in all countries, however, prove the willingness to justify the ideological existence of independent state entities embedded in the native tradition confirming their sovereignty.
Piotr Żurek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 175 - 191
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.013.13806In 2019, the thirtieth anniversary of the famous speech of Slobodan Milošević delivered on the day of St. Vitus (Vidovdan) on June 28, 1989, on 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, was marked. This speech was considered ominous and as an announcement of a future bloody war by many citizens of Yugoslavia and, above all, Albanians and Croats. The author of the article undertook to analyze this speech in terms of phraseology.
Katerina Todoroska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 193 - 204
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.014.13807The article addresses the complex relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the neighboring countries formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Several reasons behind said difficulties are discussed, namely: the dispute between Serbia and Macedonia concerning Belgrade’s lack of recognition of the Autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox church, the conflict with Albanians, who point out to human rights violations by the government in Skopje, and the contestations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria addressing Bulgaria’s suppression of Macedonian national identity and language in the province of Pirin Macedonia (Blagoevgrad Province). Finally, we discuss the conflict with Greece concerning the name of the Macedonian state and the rights of Macedonian immigrants.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 205 - 226
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.015.13808
After the SDSM (Socijaldemokratski sojuz na Makedonija – Social Democratic Union of Macedonia) took over the government in 2017, the party proposed reforms which, although fundamental for the future of the country, were difficult to accept by the majority of Macedonian society. Nevertheless, SDSM’s policy, approved and monitored by the European Union and the US, was to lead to Macedonia joining NATO and EU structures in the near future. It should also be noted that both the US and the EU are strategic partners of the Republic, which actively support the processes taking place there.
Having signed the agreement with Greece, on 17 June 2018 the Republic of Macedonia changed its official name. After the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution and ratification of the Greek-Macedonian bilateral agreement by both parties, the country adopted the name of the Republic of North Macedonia (mac. Република Серверна Македонија). In February 2019, just after the parliaments of North Macedonia and Greece ratified the Prespa Agreement, the accession process of North Macedonia to NATO began. The condition for accession was the consent of the parliaments of all members of the Alliance for enlargement. Immediately after such approval, on 27 March 2020, the decision on membership was announced in Brussels by its chairman, Jens Stoltenberg.
Macedonia’s relations with Bulgaria and Serbia have also changed, and the Albanians have been granted further privileges and rights in this country – in the opinion of the Macedonians it is very difficult to accept and implement. The escalation of nationalist sentiment in the country’s internal relations is important, caused not only by foreign policy but also by concessions to the Albanians. The Law on the Use of Languages, also known as the ‘language law’, criticized not only by the Macedonian scientific elite, but also by the Venice Commission, which sees certain threats to Macedonia in granting such extensive rights to the Albanian population, strengthens the opposition.
On 26 March 2020, the EU gave its consent to start accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Negotiations with Bulgaria are ongoing and it will be difficult to find a compromise. The biggest challenge for the government will be to convince the public that it is in the interest of its citizens to make compromises with both Greeks and Albanians and in the future with Bulgarians. In this case, the EU position will be very important, both in relation to the Albanian and Bulgarian demands.
Naoum Kaytchev
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 227 - 237
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.016.13809
The article begins with a re-evaluation of the often neglected importance of 1989 developments in Skopje that inaugurated the subsequent transition of Yugoslav Macedonia leading to its transformation into an independent republic. The text argues that the outcome of the often overlooked congress of the League of Communists of Macedonia in late November 1989 dismantled a small break out of the pan-European Berlin Wall that autumn.
After 1989 Bulgaria maintained a policy aimed at limiting and the non-proliferation of the conflict from the dissolving Yugoslav federation and contributed to the stabilization of the former Yugoslav and wider region. One of the most sensitive aspects of Sofia’s regional policy was that towards Skopje. The article offers evidence and argues that Bulgaria’s approach since 1989 went through different phases but nonetheless was based on three key constant principles: first, support for the independence and for the statehood of the new Republic of Macedonia; second, the countering and dismantling of Macedonianism (in its ‘Yugoslav’ and ‘antiquated’ versions alike) both as a provocative construct of history and as Skopje’s foreign policy practice; third, seeking of solutions within the wider EU and NATO framework and support for the Republic of /North/ Macedonia’s integration into NATO and EU structures.
Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 239 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.017.13810In 1989, Romania belonged to the communist countries, which particularly strongly attacked communist Poland for carrying out democratic reforms. For many months the diplomacy of communist leader Nicolae Ceaşescu tried to organize a conference of socialist countries on the subject of Poland, but as a result of Moscow’s opposition it did not come to fruition. During the Gorbachev era, the Soviet Union rejected the Brezhnev doctrine, while Romania actually urged its restoration. This was in contradiction with the current political line of Ceauşescu in favor of not interfering in the internal affairs of socialist countries. However, in 1989 it was a threat to communism, which is why historians also have polemics about Romanian suggestions for the armed intervention of the Warsaw Pact in Poland. In turn, Romania did not allow Poland to interfere in the problems of the Polish minority in Bukovina.
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 259 - 267
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.018.13811In 1989, the diplomacy of communist Czechoslovakia watched the political changes in communist Poland moving towards democratization with care and concern. However, due to the passive attitude of the Gorbachev ruler in Moscow, Prague did not intend to take any practical steps towards creating a political bloc proposed by Romania that could stop systemic changes in Poland. Despite the announcement of support for Polish communists, Prague chose to isolate Czechs and Slovaks from Poland and Poles and limit her own reforms to the economic sphere. It also did not open the border with Poland closed in 1981 for individual movement.
Katarzyna Fijołek-Kwaśniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 269 - 285
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.019.13812The aim of this paper is to identify the individual political elements of the United Patriots’ coalition. The nationalist electoral alliance formed in 2016 by Attack, the IMRO -Bulgarian National Movement and National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria took a part of the third Boyko Borissov government. Starting this new partnership with the populist radical right, the GER B has resigned from promoting EU values, including minorities’ rights, much more than before. This coalition established xenophobia and making racists statements as a standard of Bulgarian parliamentary discussion. Its attitude towards the Turkish minority in Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey shows hostility and prejudice.
Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 289 - 293
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.020.13813Piotr Obacz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 295 - 296
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.021.13814Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 297 - 304
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.022.13815Piotr Obacz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 305 - 307
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.023.13816Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 289 - 293
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.020.13813Piotr Obacz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 295 - 296
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.021.13814Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 297 - 304
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.022.13815Piotr Obacz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 305 - 307
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.023.13816Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 7 - 8
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.001.13794Marcin Lasoń
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 9 - 10
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.002.13795Tomasz Graff
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 13 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.003.13796This research paper discusses the evolution of the attitude of Stefan Bathory (1576–1586), king of Poland, towards the University of Krakow. Being aware of the university’s obsolete structures and its functioning, the king planned to create an elite royal college, in which foreign scholars, especially Italians, were to provide education. Due to the failure of his plan, Batory changed his attitude towards the University, and became its important patron and benefactor. At the same time, however, he also contributed to the establishment of the Jesuit Vilnius University (1578/1579). The author analyses the monarch’s relations with the Krakow Alma Mater over ten years of his reign, trying to explain the circumstances and motives of his conduct towards Krakow’s university elites.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 29 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.004.13797
In 1939–1948, an important center of Polish pro-independence emigration emerged in Tel Aviv. In January 1945 2,291 Polish civilian war refugees resided there (6,718 in all of the Holy Land). Palestine was at the time a Mandatory Territory of the League of Nations, governed by Great Britain.
The refugees created a community which differed from the local one. It had clear distinguishing features – it included a large percentage of ill and lonely persons who required care; it had a high rate of feminization, an atypical social and occupational structure (a high percentage of intelligentsia and freelance professions), and a varied ethnic and religious composition. The refugees included many members of pre-war elites, people of culture and politicians.
The majority of the Poles declared their attachment to national values. However, this was also accompanied by negative phenomena – political divisions and internal feuds. The unlikelihood of returning home in the near future led to frustration. In some people, war experiences weakened ethical and moral standards; some came into conflict with the law.
The lot of the Poles from Tel Aviv showed all problems of pro-independence emigration: (1) an interest in politics pervaded their lives; (2) material concerns caused increasing worry; (3) awareness of having no say in changing the political situation in the homeland.
Jan Rydel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 53 - 64
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.005.13798The article presents the brilliant military career of Wehrmacht officer Reinhard Gehlen, who led the intelligence of the German land forces on the eastern front from 1942 to 1945. He developed this intelligence and became Germany’s best expert in the Soviet Army, which made it easier for him to establish close cooperation with the CIA after the war and become head of West German Intelligence (BND ). During the war, General Gehlen’s intelligence was, among other things, involved in the development of the Polish resistance movement. For this reason, when in the last weeks of the war, the German leadership considered the creation of a major Nazi resistance movement after the Third Reich’s capitulation, Gehlen presented an extensive one in April 1945, The final report under the title Militärische und nachrichtendienstliche Kräfte im Gesamtrahmen der Polnischen Widerstandsbewegung [Military and Intelligence Forces within the overall framework of the Polish Resistance], because he considered the Polish underground to be the best resistance movement in Europe. The report contains, among others, positive opinions about the will to survive and the resistance of the Polish society, high professional evaluations of the Polish underground army and even words of admiration for the activities of Polish military intelligence
Inga Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 65 - 78
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.006.13799The article concerns the conflict between Tito and Stalin in 1948. The aim of the article is to define how the Belgian diplomacy perceived the split between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and, above all, how it diagnosed its causes and effects. Moreover, the analysis of Belgian diplomatic documents shows the great importance that Western countries attached to the first major breach in the Eastern bloc.
Jacek Wojnicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 79 - 82
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.007.13800The article discusses the issues of transformation processes in Central and Eastern Europe. The analysis took many factors into account: geographical, historical, political, political, social and economic. Internal and external premises decided about the course of political and political changes initiated at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. Classical political theories about the Transition to democracy were included. A research hypothesis was put forward that the traditions of democratic political institutions have a positive impact on the pace and extent of consolidation of the democratic system.
Roman Kochnowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 93 - 104
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.008.13801Contrary to the arrangements from Potsdam, the remilitarization of both German states began as early as 1950. In 1956 the East German army was officially created under the name of the National People’s Army. The NVA was organized into four branches: Ground Forces (Landesstreitkräfte), Navy (Volksmarine), Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte) and Border Troops (Grenztruppen). In the years 1956–1990 they were the third largest (after the Soviet and Polish army) armed forces of the Warsaw Pact. As in other armies of the Eastern Bloc, the NVA was subject to strict party control. However, when the Berlin Wall was overthrown, this army remained a passive observer of events. After the reunification of Germany, only a few of its officers and soldiers were taken over by the Bundeswehr.
Agnieszka Małgorzata Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 105 - 119
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.009.13802The paper concerns the position of Polish MPs and senators on shaping the principles of German-Polish cooperation in a situation in which Poland regains full sovereignty in foreign policy. The position of Polish deputies was analysed on the basis of stenographic reports from plenary sessions of the Sejm and Senate concerning the preparation and ratification of treaties with Germany on confirming the border and on good neighbourhood. In particular, it was a question of examining whether MPs and senators supported the concept of a G erman-Polish community of interest, which was defined and presented in the Sejm by Foreign Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski. During the ratification debate, supporters of both treaties pointed out that they enabled Poland to leave the Eastern Bloc, making Poland independent of the support of the USSR for the western border. They also provided an opportunity for German support on Poland’s way to the European Communities. MPs and senators understood that it was possible to build a G erman-Polish community of interest on the basis of supporting and expanding the integration process and thus completely change Poland’s geopolitical situation. This did not mean that the solutions adopted in the treaty on good neighbourhood, especially with regard to compensation, the status of Poles in Germany and the German minority in Poland, were fully accepted.
Paweł Skorut
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 121 - 142
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.010.13803The Polish constitutional drafts from the 1990s were one of the source texts of the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of Poland. Some of them tried very hard to refer to the solutions of the Polish Constitution of 1921. The article carried out an analysis to what extent the individual constitutional drafts referred to the solutions of the 1921 Constitution. The analysis of constitutional drafts and their similarities to the solutions of the 1921 Constitution were carried out on the basis of comparisons regarding, among others, the parliament, the president of Republic of Poland and legislative initiative.
Redžep Škrijelj
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 143 - 157
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.011.13804The fall of the deeply rooted communism in the countries of the Eastern Bloc in the 1980s has differed according to the level of achieved rights and freedoms, especially in Poland, as it was finalized with the breakup of the Soviet Union. The changes announced with the foundation of “Solidarity” – the first independent syndicate – which spread to the factories and enterprises across Poland beginning in the Lenin Shipyard. The staunch national pride and freedoms, empowered with the strength of the Catholic Church effectively eliminated the weak Soviet-imposed communism. The foundation of the first independent and free Polish syndicate in the strong Soviet Bloc catalyzed the initiation of abrupt and serious reforms in the countries of the Eastern Bloc. The fall of the Berlin Wall intensified the initiated processes of reintegration and independence from external political torture and poverty. The initiated processes intensified amplified changes in SFR Yugoslavia even though the breakup of this country in the early 1990s cost more than its establishment.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 159 - 173
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.012.13805The article focuses on the ways of treating the monumental memory of the past in the states that were established after the disintegration of Yugoslavia. These examples, which are not exhaustive, show that the process of transformation in the symbolic sphere does not create a uniform image in all countries. It oscillates between the destruction of the monuments of the past period in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also the different intensity of the events of the tragic war of the last decade of the 20th century. Breaking such a description, Serbia protects the monuments of the Yugoslavian era, while at the same time recalling the memory of the Serbian liberation struggle in the anti-Turkish uprising of 1804. The protection of the monuments of the NOB (struggle for national liberation) period in Montenegro not only proves the connection with the federal Yugoslavia, but also reflects a kind of Yugonostalgia. In turn, the monuments of this period on Macedonian territory, preserved in various states, gave way to a “flood of monuments” referring to the ancient and medieval history of this land. The changes in the monumental sphere in all countries, however, prove the willingness to justify the ideological existence of independent state entities embedded in the native tradition confirming their sovereignty.
Piotr Żurek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 175 - 191
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.013.13806In 2019, the thirtieth anniversary of the famous speech of Slobodan Milošević delivered on the day of St. Vitus (Vidovdan) on June 28, 1989, on 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, was marked. This speech was considered ominous and as an announcement of a future bloody war by many citizens of Yugoslavia and, above all, Albanians and Croats. The author of the article undertook to analyze this speech in terms of phraseology.
Katerina Todoroska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 193 - 204
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.014.13807The article addresses the complex relations between the Republic of Macedonia and the neighboring countries formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Several reasons behind said difficulties are discussed, namely: the dispute between Serbia and Macedonia concerning Belgrade’s lack of recognition of the Autocephaly of the Macedonian Orthodox church, the conflict with Albanians, who point out to human rights violations by the government in Skopje, and the contestations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria addressing Bulgaria’s suppression of Macedonian national identity and language in the province of Pirin Macedonia (Blagoevgrad Province). Finally, we discuss the conflict with Greece concerning the name of the Macedonian state and the rights of Macedonian immigrants.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 205 - 226
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.015.13808
After the SDSM (Socijaldemokratski sojuz na Makedonija – Social Democratic Union of Macedonia) took over the government in 2017, the party proposed reforms which, although fundamental for the future of the country, were difficult to accept by the majority of Macedonian society. Nevertheless, SDSM’s policy, approved and monitored by the European Union and the US, was to lead to Macedonia joining NATO and EU structures in the near future. It should also be noted that both the US and the EU are strategic partners of the Republic, which actively support the processes taking place there.
Having signed the agreement with Greece, on 17 June 2018 the Republic of Macedonia changed its official name. After the entry into force of the amendments to the Constitution and ratification of the Greek-Macedonian bilateral agreement by both parties, the country adopted the name of the Republic of North Macedonia (mac. Република Серверна Македонија). In February 2019, just after the parliaments of North Macedonia and Greece ratified the Prespa Agreement, the accession process of North Macedonia to NATO began. The condition for accession was the consent of the parliaments of all members of the Alliance for enlargement. Immediately after such approval, on 27 March 2020, the decision on membership was announced in Brussels by its chairman, Jens Stoltenberg.
Macedonia’s relations with Bulgaria and Serbia have also changed, and the Albanians have been granted further privileges and rights in this country – in the opinion of the Macedonians it is very difficult to accept and implement. The escalation of nationalist sentiment in the country’s internal relations is important, caused not only by foreign policy but also by concessions to the Albanians. The Law on the Use of Languages, also known as the ‘language law’, criticized not only by the Macedonian scientific elite, but also by the Venice Commission, which sees certain threats to Macedonia in granting such extensive rights to the Albanian population, strengthens the opposition.
On 26 March 2020, the EU gave its consent to start accession negotiations with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Negotiations with Bulgaria are ongoing and it will be difficult to find a compromise. The biggest challenge for the government will be to convince the public that it is in the interest of its citizens to make compromises with both Greeks and Albanians and in the future with Bulgarians. In this case, the EU position will be very important, both in relation to the Albanian and Bulgarian demands.
Naoum Kaytchev
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 227 - 237
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.016.13809
The article begins with a re-evaluation of the often neglected importance of 1989 developments in Skopje that inaugurated the subsequent transition of Yugoslav Macedonia leading to its transformation into an independent republic. The text argues that the outcome of the often overlooked congress of the League of Communists of Macedonia in late November 1989 dismantled a small break out of the pan-European Berlin Wall that autumn.
After 1989 Bulgaria maintained a policy aimed at limiting and the non-proliferation of the conflict from the dissolving Yugoslav federation and contributed to the stabilization of the former Yugoslav and wider region. One of the most sensitive aspects of Sofia’s regional policy was that towards Skopje. The article offers evidence and argues that Bulgaria’s approach since 1989 went through different phases but nonetheless was based on three key constant principles: first, support for the independence and for the statehood of the new Republic of Macedonia; second, the countering and dismantling of Macedonianism (in its ‘Yugoslav’ and ‘antiquated’ versions alike) both as a provocative construct of history and as Skopje’s foreign policy practice; third, seeking of solutions within the wider EU and NATO framework and support for the Republic of /North/ Macedonia’s integration into NATO and EU structures.
Krzysztof Nowak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 239 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.017.13810In 1989, Romania belonged to the communist countries, which particularly strongly attacked communist Poland for carrying out democratic reforms. For many months the diplomacy of communist leader Nicolae Ceaşescu tried to organize a conference of socialist countries on the subject of Poland, but as a result of Moscow’s opposition it did not come to fruition. During the Gorbachev era, the Soviet Union rejected the Brezhnev doctrine, while Romania actually urged its restoration. This was in contradiction with the current political line of Ceauşescu in favor of not interfering in the internal affairs of socialist countries. However, in 1989 it was a threat to communism, which is why historians also have polemics about Romanian suggestions for the armed intervention of the Warsaw Pact in Poland. In turn, Romania did not allow Poland to interfere in the problems of the Polish minority in Bukovina.
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 259 - 267
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.018.13811In 1989, the diplomacy of communist Czechoslovakia watched the political changes in communist Poland moving towards democratization with care and concern. However, due to the passive attitude of the Gorbachev ruler in Moscow, Prague did not intend to take any practical steps towards creating a political bloc proposed by Romania that could stop systemic changes in Poland. Despite the announcement of support for Polish communists, Prague chose to isolate Czechs and Slovaks from Poland and Poles and limit her own reforms to the economic sphere. It also did not open the border with Poland closed in 1981 for individual movement.
Katarzyna Fijołek-Kwaśniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXX, 2021, pp. 269 - 285
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.21.019.13812The aim of this paper is to identify the individual political elements of the United Patriots’ coalition. The nationalist electoral alliance formed in 2016 by Attack, the IMRO -Bulgarian National Movement and National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria took a part of the third Boyko Borissov government. Starting this new partnership with the populist radical right, the GER B has resigned from promoting EU values, including minorities’ rights, much more than before. This coalition established xenophobia and making racists statements as a standard of Bulgarian parliamentary discussion. Its attitude towards the Turkish minority in Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey shows hostility and prejudice.
Publication date: 06.2020
Editor-in-Chief:
Volume Editor:
Stanisław A. Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 7 - 11
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.001.12188Professor Jerzy Wyrozumski is one of the greatest Polish historians, researcher of the Middle Ages, Dean of the Faculty of History and Vice-Rector of the Jagiellonian University, an active member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences and its Secretary General, President of the Society of History and Monuments Lovers of Krakow. He was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa by six universities for his scientific achievements, and decorated with many orders and medals (including the Commander’s Cross of St. Sylvester, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order). Scholar with excellent achievements. Author of over 700 scientific papers, including a textbook of Polish history until 1505, the monumental first volume of the History of Krakow, the biography of Casimir the Great and Queen Hedwig of Anjou. An educator of many generations of historians, a Master for his students, a defender of the autonomy of the University and students in the 1980s.
Stanisław A. Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 15 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.002.12189The author discusses the medical career of Jan Noskowski, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Krakow. Noskowski, after studying in Krakow, was educated in Bologna, where in 1511 he obtained a doctorate in medicine. After returning to Krakow, discouraged by the high costs of nostrification of the diploma, he spent several years in various places (among others, he was a doctor of Primate Jan Łaski). In 1523 he was incorporated into the Faculty of Medicine and devoted himself to academic work (he was, among others, the dean of the faculty). He kept personal notes on the margins of one of the manuscripts, thanks to which we know the most important events of his life. In 1537 in Krakow, he promoted Feliks Chojnowski to Doctor of Medicine, one of the first Doctors of Medicine at the University of Krakow. Noskowski died in 1542 and was buried in the presbytery of St. Mary’s Church
Janusz Smołucha
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 29 - 40
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.003.12190The article deals with the circumstances behind the negotiations in Krakow in the summer of 1596, the aim of which was to form the Holy League against Turkey under the auspices of Pope Clement VIII. Both the representatives of the Polish Sejm and Senate as well as the delegates of Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg gathered there together to discuss the matter. The Pope, on his part, sent Cardinal Enrico Caetani, elevated to the rank of legatus de latere, with the mission to preside over and facilitate the negotiations. One of the many challenges faced by the congress, which brought together a number of significant political and religious leaders, was to ease he tensions between Poland and Austria and focus their efforts on the idea of war against Turkey. In order to present the background and the course of these consultations, the authors draws extensively from both Polish and foreign primary sources, including the ones housed in the collections of the Vatican Archive and the Vatican Library. The most valuable of them is The Diary written by Paolo Mucante, who accompanied Cardinal Caetani Giovanni throughout his journey. As a keen observer, with a sharp eye for cultural, religious and political differences, Mucante left a captivating description of peoples, customs and events to posterity.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 41 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.004.12191The article attempts to answer the questions: when and why among the Serbian and Bulgarian elites of the 19th century was there a black Jesuit legend that reproduced the negative image of the order that existed in Europe as early as in 16th century. Referring to the activities of the Jesus Societyand the atmosphere of hostility created around them in Europe, stigmatizing the image of the order has been shown to be rooted within the language and reproduced in lexicographic publications and selected texts of several Serbian and Bulgarian artists. In the context of historical conditions, the anti-Catholicism of the Orthodox Church was shown, for which the Jesuits became the new enemy, who did not conduct any mission neither in Bulgaria nor in Serbia in the 19th century.
Roman Kochnowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 53 - 64
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.005.12192The Habsburg fleet existing since the 14th century was finally dissolved after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy. Throughout its history, it has been an effective weapon in the fight for dominion at sea. She had several impressive victories in naval battles. Lepanto in 1571 and Lissa in 1866 can be mentioned in first order. The victorious commander in these battles Prince Juan d’Austria and Admiral Tegetthoff are widely known in the history of naval conflicts. The Austrian fleet was not defeated in battle. It was dissolved because the state, the flag of which it wore, ceased to exist
Paweł Hamera
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 65 - 79
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.006.12193In the 19th century, Poland and Ireland were often compared and parallels were drawn between the fate of the two Catholic nations. Irish and Polish nationalists inspired one another and they were interested in what was happening in either the Polish lands or Ireland. Polish insurrections drew particular interest in Ireland. Poles, on the other hand, were keen observers of Daniel O’Connell’s actions and agitation as well as the activity of the representatives of Young Ireland. In the 19th century, the similarities between Poland and Ireland were pointed out by politicians, travellers and they were also commented upon, inter alia, in the Irish, British, French, German and Polish press. The aim of this article is to discuss how the image of Ireland and its leaders was presented in the Krakow press in the first half of the 19th century.
Marek Kornat
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 81 - 97
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.007.12194The article deals with the opinions of Józef Beck on his foreign partners and the perception of his personality in the eyes of foreign political and diplomatic spheres. The text was created in connection with the biography of the Polish minister of foreign affairs prepared by the author (together with Prof. Mariusz Wołos). As a politician, he was an extremely controversial person. Due to his policy, he aroused dislike especially in Paris, Moscow and Prague. Many assessments devoted to him have been preserved, which is confirmed by sources. There are many reflections about his personality, and many sources testify to a dislike towards him. He was attributed to excessive ambitions, a kind of arrogance and excessive self-confidence and prejudice against France. Beck’s opinions about his foreign partners are not very numerous, and in any case few of them are confirmed by sources. He did not particularly value his Central European (regional) colleagues: Benesz and Titulescu. Beck undeservedly gave high marks to the foreign ministers of the Western powers: Eden and Delbos. He trusted Swedish Minister Sandler and Romanian Victor Antonescu very much. An analysis of foreign opinions about Beck and his own judgements about his partners seriously supplements our knowledge of his seven years of work as a Polish minister of foreign affairs in the turbulent time of the international crisis that took place in Europe in the years 1933–1939.
Radosław Zenderowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 99 - 118
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.008.12195The article is devoted to the beginnings and course of ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s in the narratives of people who were witnesses of these events, currently living as an emigrant community in Austria. The presented picture of the conflict – its origins and course – was based on the analysis of 53 non-standardized interviews conducted in 2014–2016 in Austria. Individual relations are included in three thematic blocks: (a) Confusion over the conflict; (b) Behaviour of people in a (growing) conflict; (c) Characteristics of the conflict and its selected aspects.
Dominika Kaniecka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 119 - 134
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.009.12196The article is an attempt to summarize the observations conducted as part of the didactic student project implemented at the Institute of Slavonic Studies in the 2017/2018 academic year. The outgoing part of the project was implemented in April 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was aimed at improving and diversifying the didactic process related to teaching about the area of cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project was directed to advanced Slavic students and assumed the participation of local experts. The initiator and organizer, who is also the author of this article, entrusted the implementation of individual points of the program on the spot to local experts in order to enable a thorough observation of participants’ reactions (and their own) to individual elements of the project. The program was inspired by the anthropological order of work in the field. The activities carried out by the Krakow Slavists on the spot will not contribute significantly to the observed culture, but they certainly changed the participants’ optics and sensitized them to the key issues for comprehending Bosnia. Project participants (including the author of the text herself) abandoned the search for answers to the question in the title of the project about whether Sarajevo is the space of community or division. This question was abandoned for a better understanding of how to learn and teach about Bosnia and Herzegovina, not to deepen its divisions and how to contribute to changes in the perception of Bosnia by Europe. The experience of elements of the project implemented in the field has also raised a number of new questions and doubts that are desirable in the teaching process, as they may increase interest in the explored area and the desire to return to both issues and places
Magdalena Bogusławska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 135 - 152
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.010.12197The article deals with institutional transformations of the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade and their influence on the exhibition policy and practice of institution. Belgrade museum, initially functioning as a spatial and symbolic centre of Yugoslav political religion focused on the cult of Josip Broz Tito, today tries to realize the formula of a modern historical museum focused on the deconstruction of a mythologized image of socialist Yugoslavia and a critical presentation of the discourse of remembrance of this experience. The aim of the article is to answer the question regarding what mechanisms enabled this kind of transformation and how the Museum of Yugoslavia, while developing the post-Yugoslavian symbolic space, became an important actor of social processes acting not only in the field of tourism, but also in the field of the culture of knowledge and in the sphere of identity policies.
Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 153 - 168
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.011.12198The text examines how the Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 exhibitions, opened in 2014–2016 in Tirana fit in the main narrative trends of the Albanian memory of the communist past. The project of the Italian journalist Carlo Bollino has become one of the key elements of the new policy of socialist memory of the government of Edi Rama, and at the same time an attempt to create modern cultural institutions in the old atomic bunkers from the time of Enver Hoxha, in which history becomes a space dominated by artists and journalists, and at the same time competitive towards professional histori ans
Przemysław Fałowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 168 - 184
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.012.12199
In the 1990s, after the declaration of independence by Croatia, many Croatian linguists started to pursue a radical puristic language policy aimed at the elimination of foreign elements from the Croatian language, many Turkish loanwords as well.
The main purpose of the present publication is to investigate status, frequency and function of seven Turkish loanwords: ćošak, dućan, dugme, dušmanin, đubre, marama, maramica in modern Croatian. These words do have neutral synonyms that are native words and therefore, since the 1990s, were exposed to purist activities pursued by the Croatian linguists in dictionaries and popular language guides. This paper attempts to compare the thesis regarding this loanwords put forward by Croatian linguists with the usage in practise presented in online corpora. On this basis, regarding the intensity of language policy against Turkish loanwords as well as their frequency in journalistic and official texts, the preliminary classification of stylistically marked Turcisms was created.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 187 - 190
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.013.12200Andrzej Essen
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 191 - 194
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.014.12201Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 195 - 202
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.015.12202Joanna Świątek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 303 - 307
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.016.12203Stanisław A. Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 7 - 11
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.001.12188Professor Jerzy Wyrozumski is one of the greatest Polish historians, researcher of the Middle Ages, Dean of the Faculty of History and Vice-Rector of the Jagiellonian University, an active member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences and its Secretary General, President of the Society of History and Monuments Lovers of Krakow. He was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa by six universities for his scientific achievements, and decorated with many orders and medals (including the Commander’s Cross of St. Sylvester, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order). Scholar with excellent achievements. Author of over 700 scientific papers, including a textbook of Polish history until 1505, the monumental first volume of the History of Krakow, the biography of Casimir the Great and Queen Hedwig of Anjou. An educator of many generations of historians, a Master for his students, a defender of the autonomy of the University and students in the 1980s.
Stanisław A. Sroka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 15 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.002.12189The author discusses the medical career of Jan Noskowski, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Krakow. Noskowski, after studying in Krakow, was educated in Bologna, where in 1511 he obtained a doctorate in medicine. After returning to Krakow, discouraged by the high costs of nostrification of the diploma, he spent several years in various places (among others, he was a doctor of Primate Jan Łaski). In 1523 he was incorporated into the Faculty of Medicine and devoted himself to academic work (he was, among others, the dean of the faculty). He kept personal notes on the margins of one of the manuscripts, thanks to which we know the most important events of his life. In 1537 in Krakow, he promoted Feliks Chojnowski to Doctor of Medicine, one of the first Doctors of Medicine at the University of Krakow. Noskowski died in 1542 and was buried in the presbytery of St. Mary’s Church
Janusz Smołucha
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 29 - 40
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.003.12190The article deals with the circumstances behind the negotiations in Krakow in the summer of 1596, the aim of which was to form the Holy League against Turkey under the auspices of Pope Clement VIII. Both the representatives of the Polish Sejm and Senate as well as the delegates of Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg gathered there together to discuss the matter. The Pope, on his part, sent Cardinal Enrico Caetani, elevated to the rank of legatus de latere, with the mission to preside over and facilitate the negotiations. One of the many challenges faced by the congress, which brought together a number of significant political and religious leaders, was to ease he tensions between Poland and Austria and focus their efforts on the idea of war against Turkey. In order to present the background and the course of these consultations, the authors draws extensively from both Polish and foreign primary sources, including the ones housed in the collections of the Vatican Archive and the Vatican Library. The most valuable of them is The Diary written by Paolo Mucante, who accompanied Cardinal Caetani Giovanni throughout his journey. As a keen observer, with a sharp eye for cultural, religious and political differences, Mucante left a captivating description of peoples, customs and events to posterity.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 41 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.004.12191The article attempts to answer the questions: when and why among the Serbian and Bulgarian elites of the 19th century was there a black Jesuit legend that reproduced the negative image of the order that existed in Europe as early as in 16th century. Referring to the activities of the Jesus Societyand the atmosphere of hostility created around them in Europe, stigmatizing the image of the order has been shown to be rooted within the language and reproduced in lexicographic publications and selected texts of several Serbian and Bulgarian artists. In the context of historical conditions, the anti-Catholicism of the Orthodox Church was shown, for which the Jesuits became the new enemy, who did not conduct any mission neither in Bulgaria nor in Serbia in the 19th century.
Roman Kochnowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 53 - 64
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.005.12192The Habsburg fleet existing since the 14th century was finally dissolved after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy. Throughout its history, it has been an effective weapon in the fight for dominion at sea. She had several impressive victories in naval battles. Lepanto in 1571 and Lissa in 1866 can be mentioned in first order. The victorious commander in these battles Prince Juan d’Austria and Admiral Tegetthoff are widely known in the history of naval conflicts. The Austrian fleet was not defeated in battle. It was dissolved because the state, the flag of which it wore, ceased to exist
Paweł Hamera
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 65 - 79
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.006.12193In the 19th century, Poland and Ireland were often compared and parallels were drawn between the fate of the two Catholic nations. Irish and Polish nationalists inspired one another and they were interested in what was happening in either the Polish lands or Ireland. Polish insurrections drew particular interest in Ireland. Poles, on the other hand, were keen observers of Daniel O’Connell’s actions and agitation as well as the activity of the representatives of Young Ireland. In the 19th century, the similarities between Poland and Ireland were pointed out by politicians, travellers and they were also commented upon, inter alia, in the Irish, British, French, German and Polish press. The aim of this article is to discuss how the image of Ireland and its leaders was presented in the Krakow press in the first half of the 19th century.
Marek Kornat
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 81 - 97
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.007.12194The article deals with the opinions of Józef Beck on his foreign partners and the perception of his personality in the eyes of foreign political and diplomatic spheres. The text was created in connection with the biography of the Polish minister of foreign affairs prepared by the author (together with Prof. Mariusz Wołos). As a politician, he was an extremely controversial person. Due to his policy, he aroused dislike especially in Paris, Moscow and Prague. Many assessments devoted to him have been preserved, which is confirmed by sources. There are many reflections about his personality, and many sources testify to a dislike towards him. He was attributed to excessive ambitions, a kind of arrogance and excessive self-confidence and prejudice against France. Beck’s opinions about his foreign partners are not very numerous, and in any case few of them are confirmed by sources. He did not particularly value his Central European (regional) colleagues: Benesz and Titulescu. Beck undeservedly gave high marks to the foreign ministers of the Western powers: Eden and Delbos. He trusted Swedish Minister Sandler and Romanian Victor Antonescu very much. An analysis of foreign opinions about Beck and his own judgements about his partners seriously supplements our knowledge of his seven years of work as a Polish minister of foreign affairs in the turbulent time of the international crisis that took place in Europe in the years 1933–1939.
Radosław Zenderowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 99 - 118
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.008.12195The article is devoted to the beginnings and course of ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s in the narratives of people who were witnesses of these events, currently living as an emigrant community in Austria. The presented picture of the conflict – its origins and course – was based on the analysis of 53 non-standardized interviews conducted in 2014–2016 in Austria. Individual relations are included in three thematic blocks: (a) Confusion over the conflict; (b) Behaviour of people in a (growing) conflict; (c) Characteristics of the conflict and its selected aspects.
Dominika Kaniecka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 119 - 134
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.009.12196The article is an attempt to summarize the observations conducted as part of the didactic student project implemented at the Institute of Slavonic Studies in the 2017/2018 academic year. The outgoing part of the project was implemented in April 2018 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was aimed at improving and diversifying the didactic process related to teaching about the area of cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project was directed to advanced Slavic students and assumed the participation of local experts. The initiator and organizer, who is also the author of this article, entrusted the implementation of individual points of the program on the spot to local experts in order to enable a thorough observation of participants’ reactions (and their own) to individual elements of the project. The program was inspired by the anthropological order of work in the field. The activities carried out by the Krakow Slavists on the spot will not contribute significantly to the observed culture, but they certainly changed the participants’ optics and sensitized them to the key issues for comprehending Bosnia. Project participants (including the author of the text herself) abandoned the search for answers to the question in the title of the project about whether Sarajevo is the space of community or division. This question was abandoned for a better understanding of how to learn and teach about Bosnia and Herzegovina, not to deepen its divisions and how to contribute to changes in the perception of Bosnia by Europe. The experience of elements of the project implemented in the field has also raised a number of new questions and doubts that are desirable in the teaching process, as they may increase interest in the explored area and the desire to return to both issues and places
Magdalena Bogusławska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 135 - 152
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.010.12197The article deals with institutional transformations of the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade and their influence on the exhibition policy and practice of institution. Belgrade museum, initially functioning as a spatial and symbolic centre of Yugoslav political religion focused on the cult of Josip Broz Tito, today tries to realize the formula of a modern historical museum focused on the deconstruction of a mythologized image of socialist Yugoslavia and a critical presentation of the discourse of remembrance of this experience. The aim of the article is to answer the question regarding what mechanisms enabled this kind of transformation and how the Museum of Yugoslavia, while developing the post-Yugoslavian symbolic space, became an important actor of social processes acting not only in the field of tourism, but also in the field of the culture of knowledge and in the sphere of identity policies.
Tadeusz Czekalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 153 - 168
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.011.12198The text examines how the Bunk’Art 1 and Bunk’Art 2 exhibitions, opened in 2014–2016 in Tirana fit in the main narrative trends of the Albanian memory of the communist past. The project of the Italian journalist Carlo Bollino has become one of the key elements of the new policy of socialist memory of the government of Edi Rama, and at the same time an attempt to create modern cultural institutions in the old atomic bunkers from the time of Enver Hoxha, in which history becomes a space dominated by artists and journalists, and at the same time competitive towards professional histori ans
Przemysław Fałowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 168 - 184
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.012.12199
In the 1990s, after the declaration of independence by Croatia, many Croatian linguists started to pursue a radical puristic language policy aimed at the elimination of foreign elements from the Croatian language, many Turkish loanwords as well.
The main purpose of the present publication is to investigate status, frequency and function of seven Turkish loanwords: ćošak, dućan, dugme, dušmanin, đubre, marama, maramica in modern Croatian. These words do have neutral synonyms that are native words and therefore, since the 1990s, were exposed to purist activities pursued by the Croatian linguists in dictionaries and popular language guides. This paper attempts to compare the thesis regarding this loanwords put forward by Croatian linguists with the usage in practise presented in online corpora. On this basis, regarding the intensity of language policy against Turkish loanwords as well as their frequency in journalistic and official texts, the preliminary classification of stylistically marked Turcisms was created.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 187 - 190
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.013.12200Andrzej Essen
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 191 - 194
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.014.12201Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 195 - 202
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.015.12202Joanna Świątek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXIX, 2020, pp. 303 - 307
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.20.016.12203Publication date: 12.2019
Editor-in-Chief:
Volume XXVIII editors:
Maciej Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 9 - 15
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.001.11400In the linguistic concept of press studies analysis, focusing attention only on the text as a product of communication activities seems to be methodologically outdated today, which does not mean, however, that the media text has become a useless research category in favor of discourse or multimodal messages. On the contrary, it is precisely from the interest in the text – first colloquial, then literary, and then public statements, including journalistic ones – that the research on the structure and consistency of statements, including the press (media) genres, has developed.
In accordance with the changes in the scope of research interests concerning text theory and press discourse, the concepts and methods of description are also subject to continuous development and expansion. Multi-channel nature, multimodality and the growing role of the Internet in the transmission of information, as well as the changing needs of the audience, require new methodologies for the analysis and description of media coverage.
Ryszard Filas
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 17 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.002.11401The article is of a review nature. It deals with the beginnings of press studies and the gradual crystallization of press studies as a scientific discipline in Poland, conducted or published mainly, though not exclusively in the areas of Galicia and Małopolska.
The author recalls – behind the works of Sylwester Dziki – pioneering research conducted in the Lviv and Krakow centers in the nineteenth century by several generations of professional bibliographers and historians (such as J.S. Bandtkie, K.J.T. Estreicher) and amateur enthusiasts (such as A. Chłędowski, K. Szajnocha, S.J.N. Czarnowski). At the beginning of the twentieth century, they took the form of broader organizational activities (S. Gorski, S.T. Jarkowski), in particular related to the implementation of the ideas adopted at the Krakow Congress of Journalists (1911) and implemented gradually after regaining independence, mainly by Jarkowski and his colleagues. The article shows the process of the institutionalization of Polish press studies in the dimension of journalistic education (especially at the academic level), the development of journalism integrating press researchers, and finally – a long-term fight for the establishment of a center researching the press.
These three ideas materialized partly in the interwar period through the activities of, among others, the Academy of Journalism in Warsaw (1927–1939). However, they developed in a more mature form only after the Second World War, with the establishment of the Polish Institute of Social Sciences and the “Press Poland” industry monthly. In the following years, journalism studies at the University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University as well as scientific journals like “the Press Studies Quarterly” (the body of the Press Research Institute in Warsaw) and “the Contemporary and Early Press” (related to the Press Research Centre in Krakow) were established.
Małgorzata Pachowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 29 - 37
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.003.11402The aim of the presented considerations is to discuss the linguistic construction of headlines announcing the various press texts published in the “Illustrated Polish Journal” in 1919 in Krakow. These headlines, being part of the media discourse of the reborn Republic of Poland, are interesting examples of statements affecting the recipient, drawing their attention to the letter press texts, especially those referring to the affairs of a free and united fatherland. The headlines can, for example, specify the content of the press text; impose a specific interpretation and evaluation of events on the recipient; hint at the recipient to make certain decisions.
Jerzy Jastrzębski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 39 - 48
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.004.11403The first independent local organization of journalists in Krakow (Kraków) was the Syndicate of Krakow’s Journalists (Syndykat Dziennikarzy Krakowskich) founded in 1912 and active to 1939 until World War II (officially and legally, then in the underground). In comparison to similar earlier initiatives in Lviv, this was a strictly professional, non-political and non-party organization. I took care of its members’ everyday needs, materials and interests. A very important problem was maintaining the prestige and dignity the profession. The SCJ exacted standards and rules of media ethics in the press and radio. It was engaged in public problems, affairs. It initiated many debates, especially on the freedom of the press and press law. In 1939, the SCJ united 94 members and 200 journalists from 1912 to 1939 to participate in this organization. The SCJ was the oldest and greatest independent professional organization of this type in Poland.
Andrzej Kaliszewski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 49 - 63
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.005.11404The origins of modern Polish reportage is closely related to the outbreak of the Great War (1914–1918). The world’s first mass scale armed conflict was also a particular challenge for writers, journalists and artists, who volunteered to fight in the ranks of the legions under the command of Józef Piłsudski. It was there that the following first reportage texts were written: 1/ Pierwsze Bitwy (The First Battles) by Gustaw Daniłowski – documenting the expedition to the Kingdom and the unsuccessful occupation of Kielce, and 2/ the series of Bitwa pod Konarami (The Battle of Konary) by Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski, describing the first big victories of the legionaries over the Russians alongside the Austrian and Hungarian armies. The genological analysis of these texts and the circumstances in which they were written were presented in view of their role in the idea of independence followed by the periodicals that were issued in Krakow at that time: “Nowa Reforma” (The New Reform) and “Ilustrowany Tygodnik Polski” (The Illustrated Polish Weekly) (the texts were published in both of them).
Adam Bańdo
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 65 - 75
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.006.11405In November 1918 the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ and the Cracovian ‘Czas’ both belonged to the most popular daily newspapers and already had an established position on the Galicia press market. The conservative ‘Czas’ celebrated its 50th anniversary and the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’, after 8 years of its continuous development and capturing its readers’ attention, was known not only in the Austrian Partition (Polish territories occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire), but its copies were also distributed among soldiers fighting on both sides of the front lines of World War I. Those newspapers differed not only in the political coloration, but also in their destination. The ‘Czas’ from Krakow seemed more elitist, while the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ was addressed to a wider circle of readers. This difference influenced their published content, subject areas and their ways of presenting information. Social issues discussed on the columns of the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ were understood more broadly and took more space than on the columns of ‘Czas’. The former was focused not only on the most important political events, which made the headlines in November 1918, but it also used to raise current issues concerning the ordinary existence of the local community.
Dariusz Raś, Marta Woźniak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 77 - 95
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.007.11406The Cracovian Catholic press was thriving in the years of Poland’s regaining independence as well as at the beginning of the Second Polish Republic. In this period, 81 writings were published in Krakow and in the diocese, which were characterized by the wealth of the form, the content and the trends. However, its problem was the very low publishing activity of the parishes.
The general directions of the inspirations of the Cracovian Catholic press closely relate to church, education, social and political life, as well as, independence. An important role in its progress was played by the leaders-mentors, among them Prince Bishop Adam Stefan Sapieha and Dr. Ferdynand Machay, editor-in-chief of the “Dzwon Niedzielny” can be found.
Our analysis of this problem was derived from the achievements of the classical approaches. Due to the method which was used in the scrutiny of the content, numerous data concerning the analyzed contexts could have been found.
Anna Pachowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 97 - 106
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.008.11407“Dzwon Niedzielny” [Sunday Bell] was a catholic weekly published in Krakow in the years 1924–1939 by the Catholic Publishing Association. From 1930, the magazine was a body of the Archdiocesan Institute of Catholic Action. From 1929, it was decided that supplements would be published every two weeks for children (“Dzwoneczek”), for women (“Matka i Gospodyni”), for the clergy (“Kapłan”), and from 1933 “Młodzież Polska” – a circular on relations of the Catholic Association of Polish Youth. The weekly was edited by priests F. Frydek (1924–1925), F. Machay (1925–1929) and T. Długosz (1929–1939), During the interwar period, this periodical served an informational role, it touched not only religious topics, but also social and educational issues, and published news from the life of the church. The information was provided by the Catholic Press Agency from Warsaw and the Polish Radio. The weekly also had correspondents in Italy and France. The purpose of this article is, on the one hand, to analyze the messages posted, mentions of socio-patriotic and educational topics posted in the “Dzwon Niedzielny” weekly, and on the other hand, the assessment of their social role. The weekly was distributed throughout the Archdiocese of Krakow, as well as outside its borders in Polish communities such as in France and Denmark
Agata Krzywdzińska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 107 - 112
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.009.11408Małgorzata Abassy
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 113 - 129
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.010.11409The years of dependence fixed a specific picture of Russia and the Russians. This was conditioned by enmity against the invaders on the one hand and – by the need of auto-creation and painting a positive picture by the very czarist Russia, on the other hand. Newspapers, as opinion-forming tools, became a stage for the struggle between such a creation of the image of the world in which Russia had a positive and prevalent role, and such forming the image in which freedom and patriotism were of fundamental significance.
The year 1918 brought significant changes due to the fact that the qualities of the eastern neighbor were being transformed. The resurgent Poland created its identity upon the basis of the endogenous components which were known in advance, such as: independence, honor and freedom and struggle for it; and also by referring to the exogenous ones. The new Russia was one of them.
A cultural perspective has been adopted in this paper. The applied methodology would help to reveal the mechanisms typical for a culture at the moment of sudden changes: to unveil the hidden codes, to confront their contents with the declared ones (official) and re-coding. The latter one is necessary to enable the culture to absorb or reject cultural influence from the neighbor who has changed some of its cultural patterns.
Agnieszka J. Cieślikowa
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 131 - 143
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.011.11410The article presents the “Wiadomości Krakowskie” newspaper, which existed for 98 days in Krakow in 1922 and 1923, and the circumstances of its creation. Before the election to the Polish Parliament in 1922, a strike of printers and typesetters broke out in Krakow. It blocked the possibility of publishing the largest daily newspapers of Krakow: “Czas”, “Nowa Reforma”, “Goniec Krakowski”, “Głos Narodu”, “Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny” and “Nowy Dziennik”. After a few days of the strike, their editors launched an edition of a common daily under the name “Wiadomości Krakowskie”. In the period of the hot pre-election campaign, the editors of extremely different political options prepared and published a politically neutral newspaper. This state, as a result of the prolongation of the strike, lasted for over three months.
Edyta Żyrek-Horodyska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 145 - 154
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.012.11411The article presents the book entitled Letters from Poland by Joseph Roth, in which the journalist creates a journalistic portrait of Poland right after the country regained its independence. Research shows that in this text the author remains both: a part of the country and “the alien’’. He treats his return to Poland as an opportunity to confront the memories and present times. Roth’s comments created during the journey are not only an expression of admiration for the independent country, but they also bring a bitter reflection on anti-Semitism, social exclusion or political sluggishness.
Andrzej Rybicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 155 - 165
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.013.11412Adam Karaś (1896–1986), photographer from Krakow, was owner of a photography studio at Szewska St., which was very popular among the residents of Krakow. He was also a documentalist of Krakow. In October 1918 he documented Krakow regaining its independence. He preserved the events at the Guardhouse on glass plates; the symbolic moment of the power takeover by the Polish administration and the first act of the newly reborn Polish Army. The first photos he published in the press appeared in “Nowości Ilustrowane”, a periodical which was very well-known for its discerning taste in photography.
Negative plates and photographs of Adam Karaś made it to the Walery Rzewuski Museum of the History of Photography. Upon their conservation and preparation, they were published in a number of periodicals, shown at scientific conferences and in various exhibitions. The photographs of Adam Karaś of 1918 are exceptionally suited for such activities.
Some of the photographs of Adam Karaś have become iconic; they illustrate anniversary editions, scientific studies of the events of 1918. The author of the presentation will also present the first media publications of Adam Karaś’s photos of the events of 31 October in Krakow. A critical analysis of these images will allow for a different perspective on the iconic images of 31 October 1918 and the following days in Krakow.
Maciej Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 9 - 15
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.001.11400In the linguistic concept of press studies analysis, focusing attention only on the text as a product of communication activities seems to be methodologically outdated today, which does not mean, however, that the media text has become a useless research category in favor of discourse or multimodal messages. On the contrary, it is precisely from the interest in the text – first colloquial, then literary, and then public statements, including journalistic ones – that the research on the structure and consistency of statements, including the press (media) genres, has developed.
In accordance with the changes in the scope of research interests concerning text theory and press discourse, the concepts and methods of description are also subject to continuous development and expansion. Multi-channel nature, multimodality and the growing role of the Internet in the transmission of information, as well as the changing needs of the audience, require new methodologies for the analysis and description of media coverage.
Ryszard Filas
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 17 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.002.11401The article is of a review nature. It deals with the beginnings of press studies and the gradual crystallization of press studies as a scientific discipline in Poland, conducted or published mainly, though not exclusively in the areas of Galicia and Małopolska.
The author recalls – behind the works of Sylwester Dziki – pioneering research conducted in the Lviv and Krakow centers in the nineteenth century by several generations of professional bibliographers and historians (such as J.S. Bandtkie, K.J.T. Estreicher) and amateur enthusiasts (such as A. Chłędowski, K. Szajnocha, S.J.N. Czarnowski). At the beginning of the twentieth century, they took the form of broader organizational activities (S. Gorski, S.T. Jarkowski), in particular related to the implementation of the ideas adopted at the Krakow Congress of Journalists (1911) and implemented gradually after regaining independence, mainly by Jarkowski and his colleagues. The article shows the process of the institutionalization of Polish press studies in the dimension of journalistic education (especially at the academic level), the development of journalism integrating press researchers, and finally – a long-term fight for the establishment of a center researching the press.
These three ideas materialized partly in the interwar period through the activities of, among others, the Academy of Journalism in Warsaw (1927–1939). However, they developed in a more mature form only after the Second World War, with the establishment of the Polish Institute of Social Sciences and the “Press Poland” industry monthly. In the following years, journalism studies at the University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University as well as scientific journals like “the Press Studies Quarterly” (the body of the Press Research Institute in Warsaw) and “the Contemporary and Early Press” (related to the Press Research Centre in Krakow) were established.
Małgorzata Pachowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 29 - 37
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.003.11402The aim of the presented considerations is to discuss the linguistic construction of headlines announcing the various press texts published in the “Illustrated Polish Journal” in 1919 in Krakow. These headlines, being part of the media discourse of the reborn Republic of Poland, are interesting examples of statements affecting the recipient, drawing their attention to the letter press texts, especially those referring to the affairs of a free and united fatherland. The headlines can, for example, specify the content of the press text; impose a specific interpretation and evaluation of events on the recipient; hint at the recipient to make certain decisions.
Jerzy Jastrzębski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 39 - 48
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.004.11403The first independent local organization of journalists in Krakow (Kraków) was the Syndicate of Krakow’s Journalists (Syndykat Dziennikarzy Krakowskich) founded in 1912 and active to 1939 until World War II (officially and legally, then in the underground). In comparison to similar earlier initiatives in Lviv, this was a strictly professional, non-political and non-party organization. I took care of its members’ everyday needs, materials and interests. A very important problem was maintaining the prestige and dignity the profession. The SCJ exacted standards and rules of media ethics in the press and radio. It was engaged in public problems, affairs. It initiated many debates, especially on the freedom of the press and press law. In 1939, the SCJ united 94 members and 200 journalists from 1912 to 1939 to participate in this organization. The SCJ was the oldest and greatest independent professional organization of this type in Poland.
Andrzej Kaliszewski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 49 - 63
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.005.11404The origins of modern Polish reportage is closely related to the outbreak of the Great War (1914–1918). The world’s first mass scale armed conflict was also a particular challenge for writers, journalists and artists, who volunteered to fight in the ranks of the legions under the command of Józef Piłsudski. It was there that the following first reportage texts were written: 1/ Pierwsze Bitwy (The First Battles) by Gustaw Daniłowski – documenting the expedition to the Kingdom and the unsuccessful occupation of Kielce, and 2/ the series of Bitwa pod Konarami (The Battle of Konary) by Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski, describing the first big victories of the legionaries over the Russians alongside the Austrian and Hungarian armies. The genological analysis of these texts and the circumstances in which they were written were presented in view of their role in the idea of independence followed by the periodicals that were issued in Krakow at that time: “Nowa Reforma” (The New Reform) and “Ilustrowany Tygodnik Polski” (The Illustrated Polish Weekly) (the texts were published in both of them).
Adam Bańdo
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 65 - 75
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.006.11405In November 1918 the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ and the Cracovian ‘Czas’ both belonged to the most popular daily newspapers and already had an established position on the Galicia press market. The conservative ‘Czas’ celebrated its 50th anniversary and the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’, after 8 years of its continuous development and capturing its readers’ attention, was known not only in the Austrian Partition (Polish territories occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire), but its copies were also distributed among soldiers fighting on both sides of the front lines of World War I. Those newspapers differed not only in the political coloration, but also in their destination. The ‘Czas’ from Krakow seemed more elitist, while the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ was addressed to a wider circle of readers. This difference influenced their published content, subject areas and their ways of presenting information. Social issues discussed on the columns of the ‘Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny’ were understood more broadly and took more space than on the columns of ‘Czas’. The former was focused not only on the most important political events, which made the headlines in November 1918, but it also used to raise current issues concerning the ordinary existence of the local community.
Dariusz Raś, Marta Woźniak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 77 - 95
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.007.11406The Cracovian Catholic press was thriving in the years of Poland’s regaining independence as well as at the beginning of the Second Polish Republic. In this period, 81 writings were published in Krakow and in the diocese, which were characterized by the wealth of the form, the content and the trends. However, its problem was the very low publishing activity of the parishes.
The general directions of the inspirations of the Cracovian Catholic press closely relate to church, education, social and political life, as well as, independence. An important role in its progress was played by the leaders-mentors, among them Prince Bishop Adam Stefan Sapieha and Dr. Ferdynand Machay, editor-in-chief of the “Dzwon Niedzielny” can be found.
Our analysis of this problem was derived from the achievements of the classical approaches. Due to the method which was used in the scrutiny of the content, numerous data concerning the analyzed contexts could have been found.
Anna Pachowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 97 - 106
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.008.11407“Dzwon Niedzielny” [Sunday Bell] was a catholic weekly published in Krakow in the years 1924–1939 by the Catholic Publishing Association. From 1930, the magazine was a body of the Archdiocesan Institute of Catholic Action. From 1929, it was decided that supplements would be published every two weeks for children (“Dzwoneczek”), for women (“Matka i Gospodyni”), for the clergy (“Kapłan”), and from 1933 “Młodzież Polska” – a circular on relations of the Catholic Association of Polish Youth. The weekly was edited by priests F. Frydek (1924–1925), F. Machay (1925–1929) and T. Długosz (1929–1939), During the interwar period, this periodical served an informational role, it touched not only religious topics, but also social and educational issues, and published news from the life of the church. The information was provided by the Catholic Press Agency from Warsaw and the Polish Radio. The weekly also had correspondents in Italy and France. The purpose of this article is, on the one hand, to analyze the messages posted, mentions of socio-patriotic and educational topics posted in the “Dzwon Niedzielny” weekly, and on the other hand, the assessment of their social role. The weekly was distributed throughout the Archdiocese of Krakow, as well as outside its borders in Polish communities such as in France and Denmark
Agata Krzywdzińska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 107 - 112
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.009.11408Małgorzata Abassy
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 113 - 129
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.010.11409The years of dependence fixed a specific picture of Russia and the Russians. This was conditioned by enmity against the invaders on the one hand and – by the need of auto-creation and painting a positive picture by the very czarist Russia, on the other hand. Newspapers, as opinion-forming tools, became a stage for the struggle between such a creation of the image of the world in which Russia had a positive and prevalent role, and such forming the image in which freedom and patriotism were of fundamental significance.
The year 1918 brought significant changes due to the fact that the qualities of the eastern neighbor were being transformed. The resurgent Poland created its identity upon the basis of the endogenous components which were known in advance, such as: independence, honor and freedom and struggle for it; and also by referring to the exogenous ones. The new Russia was one of them.
A cultural perspective has been adopted in this paper. The applied methodology would help to reveal the mechanisms typical for a culture at the moment of sudden changes: to unveil the hidden codes, to confront their contents with the declared ones (official) and re-coding. The latter one is necessary to enable the culture to absorb or reject cultural influence from the neighbor who has changed some of its cultural patterns.
Agnieszka J. Cieślikowa
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 131 - 143
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.011.11410The article presents the “Wiadomości Krakowskie” newspaper, which existed for 98 days in Krakow in 1922 and 1923, and the circumstances of its creation. Before the election to the Polish Parliament in 1922, a strike of printers and typesetters broke out in Krakow. It blocked the possibility of publishing the largest daily newspapers of Krakow: “Czas”, “Nowa Reforma”, “Goniec Krakowski”, “Głos Narodu”, “Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny” and “Nowy Dziennik”. After a few days of the strike, their editors launched an edition of a common daily under the name “Wiadomości Krakowskie”. In the period of the hot pre-election campaign, the editors of extremely different political options prepared and published a politically neutral newspaper. This state, as a result of the prolongation of the strike, lasted for over three months.
Edyta Żyrek-Horodyska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 145 - 154
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.012.11411The article presents the book entitled Letters from Poland by Joseph Roth, in which the journalist creates a journalistic portrait of Poland right after the country regained its independence. Research shows that in this text the author remains both: a part of the country and “the alien’’. He treats his return to Poland as an opportunity to confront the memories and present times. Roth’s comments created during the journey are not only an expression of admiration for the independent country, but they also bring a bitter reflection on anti-Semitism, social exclusion or political sluggishness.
Andrzej Rybicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVIII, 2019, pp. 155 - 165
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.19.013.11412Adam Karaś (1896–1986), photographer from Krakow, was owner of a photography studio at Szewska St., which was very popular among the residents of Krakow. He was also a documentalist of Krakow. In October 1918 he documented Krakow regaining its independence. He preserved the events at the Guardhouse on glass plates; the symbolic moment of the power takeover by the Polish administration and the first act of the newly reborn Polish Army. The first photos he published in the press appeared in “Nowości Ilustrowane”, a periodical which was very well-known for its discerning taste in photography.
Negative plates and photographs of Adam Karaś made it to the Walery Rzewuski Museum of the History of Photography. Upon their conservation and preparation, they were published in a number of periodicals, shown at scientific conferences and in various exhibitions. The photographs of Adam Karaś of 1918 are exceptionally suited for such activities.
Some of the photographs of Adam Karaś have become iconic; they illustrate anniversary editions, scientific studies of the events of 1918. The author of the presentation will also present the first media publications of Adam Karaś’s photos of the events of 31 October in Krakow. A critical analysis of these images will allow for a different perspective on the iconic images of 31 October 1918 and the following days in Krakow.
Publication date: 10.12.2018
Editor-in-Chief:
Danuta Quirini-Popławska, Krzysztof Frankowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 9 - 35
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.001.9976In the introductory part of the article, the authors emphasize the role played by one of the most famous centers of European thought in the Renaissance – University of Padua. They describe the scientific profiles of its six distinguished professors – lawyers, philosophers and philologists: Carlo Sigonio, Francesco Robortello, Jacopo Zabare lla, Marco Mantova Benavides, Antonio Riccoboni and Guido Panciroli. Since the 30s of the 16th century, period of the most extensive contacts between Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Padua school was recorded, where many of its prominent citizens’ so ns continued their studies. The authors discuss the course of their studies, the role they played among numerous international youth, their exercised dignities, and, above all, the degrees achieved. Personal contacts with the Paduan professors, fascination with their knowledge and the scientific atmosphere of then Italy, contributed to the deepening of Polish – Italian scientific contacts. One of their effects was the acquisition of the latest works of the Paduan scholars, which were brought by the Poles to t heir homeland. Most of them over the years have found their place in the Collegium Maius library of the Cracow Academy. Various routes of this transfer were presented in the article on the basis of the archival materials studied at the Archivio Antico in Padua, the extensive foreign and olish bibliography, but above all in the rich collections of old prints of the Jagiellonian Library, which took over the collections of the Collegium Maius library. The article has been enriched with six illustrations of the works of the Paduan scholars.
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 37 - 54
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.002.9977The article describes the uprising of the Bohemian Protestant Estates (1618–1620) against the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II. and the political developments in Bohemian lands up to the end of Thirty Years War in 1648. The aim of the article is to show the transformation of the Bohemian state from an estate monarchy into an absolute monarchy ruled by the Emperor-King. This process was possible due to the victory of Ferdinand II. over the rebellious Bohemian Protestant estates in the Battle at the White Mountain at the outskirts of Prague on 8 November 1620. After the suppression of the uprising the participants were severely punished, their property confiscated and the political significance of the estates severely curtailed. The victory of the army of Ferdinand II also meant a victory of Catholicism. Protestant nobles and burgers had to convert to Catholicism or to leave the country. In the classical Czech historical discourse the battle at the White Mountain is considered to be the end of the Bohemian independence. The article shows that in reality it was not exactly so: the royal absolutism imposed by Ferdinand II after White Mountain completely changed the political nature of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, but, on the other hand, the Habsburgs still ruled the country only as the kings of Bohemia, just like before 1618, e.g. before the estate uprising.
Mariusz Misztal
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 55 - 74
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.003.9978Numerous studies of the so-called “Cyprus problem” are devoted mainly to particular phases of the conflict, especially the period from 1958 to 1960, the activities of the EOKA, the period 1960–1964, the problems of the newly created republic and the 1974 division of Cyprus. Only rarely do we find references to the earlier history of Cyprus and there are still only few objective academic papers showing the genesis of the conflict.
The article presents the origins of ethnic conflicts of Cyprus, discussing the theories of the origin of the island’s first inhabitants, and the arrival of numerous Muslims on the island after the Turkish conquest in the 16th century. During the next three centuries, regardless of the subsequent developments, peaceful coexistence and fruitful cooperation of oth communities – Christians and Muslims – are an authentic historical event and are not subject to any doubts. The situation began to change after the begining of the so-called “Cultural war” caused by, among others things, by spreading the idea of Great Greece. The takeover of Cyprus by the British in 1878 only strengthened the hopes of the Greek Cypriots of joining the island to Mother Greece, which resulted in the rise of nationalist feelings, both among Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and eventially led to the outbreak of the first ethnic conflicts in 1912.
Antoni Cetnarowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 75 - 88
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.004.9979In the years of the 1848–1849 revolution, apart from the Galician theme, the attention of liberal Slovenian activists was also focused on the situation and events in Poznan. The reason for these interests is not difficult to understand, as it was the Poles had to face the common enemy there, meaning German nationalism. In the following decades, as the Germanization pressure intensified, this interest grew, turning into solidarity and open support for the national struggle of Poles. With the advent of the constitutional era, when two concepts of the organization of the Habsburg monarchy clashed together: federalist and centralist, Slovenes and Poles found themselves in the federalist camp. Slovenians, whose position, as a so-called “unhistorical” nation, was definitely weaker, they tried to benefit from the political experience of Poles and, in some actions, follow their example. During the January Uprising, the main attention of the Slovenes focused on the attitude of the Prussian government to the Polish uprising and the related international implications. Nevertheless, the Slovenians continued to solidarize themselves with the nationalist struggle of Poles in Poznan, which, as it was stressed, was the link of a common Slavic cause, that is, resistance to the Germanic pressure. In the face of the rise of the German threat after 1866, the fate of Poles in the Prussian partition was an instructive example for the Slovenes and a warning about what they could expect from the Germans. Therefore, Slovenian activists, following the events in Poznan, tried to draw conclusions that can help them in their own national struggle. The struggle against the Catholic Church in Poznan, which intensified as part of Kulturkampfu, occupied a leading position among the reports of Slovenian newspapers and magazines. Both “Slovenski narod” and “Slovenec” wrote about the great police action, revisions and arrests carried out by the authorities.
During the fourteen-year rule of Eduard Taaffe (1879–1893), when the Poles and Slovenes were on the side of the majority government, the struggle of the Poles against the German pressure in the Prussian partition enjoyed constant support and recognition of the Slovenian opinion. The relentless attitude of Poles, and especially the activities of Polish deputies in the Prussian and German parliaments, was often set as an example worth imitating not only Slovenian, but also served as a weighty argument in criticizing the policy of the Polish Circle in the Austrian State Council.
Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 89 - 95
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.005.9980The article aims to show political realism not in the deformed framework in which his opponents – political romantics – present it, but as a universal typological category. Pietism in relation to reality forces the realists to postulate a sparse, non-military policy focused on cooperation. At the same time, it demands from its representatives that they avoid involvement beyond their own strengths and seek peaceful coexistence with their opponents in political struggles. The considerations also show the reasons why it is unlawful to bind the imperialism of Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin with political realism.
Ľubica Harbuľová
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 97 - 111
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.006.9981Siberia occupied a specific position in Russian history. In Tsarist Russia, it was the region with the largest area, however, sparsely populated and poorly understood.
Siberia, however, had the opinion of a region with a tendency to separatism. This was favoured by its geographical location as well as the specificity of its economic development and the way of administering the area.
All these factors created favourable conditions for the emergence of “specific” moods among urban intelligentsia, which in the nineteenth century contributed to the emergence of the Siberian regional movement (“oblastniczestwo”). The Siberian regional movement was created in the 19th century, and its basis formed an idea conditioned by the specificity of Siberia.
The ideas of the Siberian regional movement, however, did not find much support among the citizens of Siberia and the local intelligentsia. The beginning of the twentieth century brought a revival of the regional movement in Siberia. The events in St. Petersburg in 1917 also activated the Siberian regionalists. The events taking place in the European part of Russia were a signal to increase the efforts and activities of the Siberian regionalists who at that time became the main promoters of the idea of Siberian autonomy. In October 1917, the postulate of the autonomy of Siberia was formulated during the Siberian Regional Meeting, and in December 1917, the Siberian Circuit Convention adopted a resolution on the creation of temporary administrative bodies, which were to become the Siberian Duma District and the Siberian District Council.
The Bolsheviks’ arrival in power in January 1918 interrupted the activities of the Siberian autonomous authorities. In June 1918, the Bolsheviks were forsaken from the Siberian cities, and the Siberian Provisional Government and the Siberian Duma District came to power. During this period, Czechoslovak legion played an important role in internal events in Siberia. The legion leaders made contact with the Siberian Provisional Government and representatives of the Siberian Central Duma. In time, legion actively participated in internal political events that continued in Siberia up to 1920.
Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 113 - 123
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.007.9982The article explores the originality of Golo Mann‘s approach to history. The exeptional position of history in his works is analyzed based on two questions – the affinity between history and literature and the condition of historiography in a democratic system. The main thesis oft he article is showing the important role that history plays in anticipating future (also political) events.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 125 - 143
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.008.9983Funeral texts (obituaries, posthumous memories) are usually of a standard nature and show the deceased in a positive light. For this reason, they are marginalized as a research source. Wrongly, because they convey specific biographical information, such as the date of death and the age of the deceased, the place and time and the nature of the funeral ceremonies, and sometimes also the profession, circumstances of death, family name and others. The celebration of the last farewells may be an interesting contribution to the figure of the deceased, and in the case of people who have had their place in history, it also illustrates the state of feelings (patriotic, national, religious) of the local community. It seems that this additional sense, going beyond the usual rite of burial, focused on the funeral ceremony after the death of Aleksy Wdziękoński, the last consul general of the Second Polish Republic in Jerusalem.
Wdziękoński (1892–1946) ran the institution from June 1943 to January 1946. For the last months he acted in an unofficial capacity, as the United Kingdom withdrew recognition of the Polish Government in Exile. His death echoed in the emigration environments in Palestine, and the last farewell of the consul was attended by about 2,000–2,500 people
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 143 - 164
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.009.9984The Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations in 1947, built by the Soviet Union, were part of the concept of strengthening Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Balkans. Stalin knew very well about the contacts between Tito and Dimitrov, about their negotiations in Bled and about signing the agreement in Euxinograd, and Stalin knew exactly and controlled all the actions of the Yugoslav and Bulgarian leaders.
Although the Yugoslav Marshal Josip Broz-Tito, rising to become a main leader in the Balkan region, had a different attitude to many political issues than Stalin, and at the time of a sharpened division into East and West their ideas regarding foreign policy – Balkan – were different. At that time Tito’s foreign policy was a welcome excuse to tighten Moscow’s cooperation with Yugoslavia and thereby exacerbate Soviet control over other countries, including Bulgaria. An important element of this policy was the creation of the Cominform and opposing the Marshall Plan. To illustrate this thesis, the situation in 1947 was analysed, which concerned the Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations.
Karol Bieniek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 165 - 173
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.010.9985The “strategic depth” paradigm implemented by the AKP, in general aimed at strengthening Turkey’s role in the region, is perceived both as clear pragmatism in foreign policy making and a tool for the neo-ottoman expansion. This paper argues that current foreign policy of Turkey towards Albania is reminiscent of the Kemalist foreign policy towards this country but at the same time it represents a new quality, immanent for the AKP’s perception of international relations. While analyzing Turkey’s influence in the various spheres and the outcomes of Ankara’s foreign policy, this paper seeks to verify the hypothesis that the modern bilateral relations of these two countries shall be perceived rather both as AKP’s pragmatic stance, with possible neo-Ottoman ambitions playing an important role.
Magdalena Błaszak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 175 - 185
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.011.9986This paper describes the linguistic situation in Macedonia since 1991, after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The situation changed after World War II, when Macedonia became a part of Yugoslavia. According to the cultural autonomy principles, on the 2nd of August 1944, Macedonian language acquired the status of literary language and official language of the Republic of Macedonia. At the time when Macedonia was a part of Yugoslavia, the implementation of various changes, mainly lexical ones, started in Macedonian language. Serbisms were eliminated and replaced with native words in various areas of life. Elements of Serbian language were being removed, while, on the other, due to the technological advances, more and more Anglicisms began to appear in the language. Globalization, technology development and growing importance of media – all these factors caused substantial growth of internationalisms usage in Macedonian language. Macedonian Language Council (Совет за македонски јазик) in the “Strategy for the Development of Culture in Macedonia in 2012–2017”, presented an action plan, which, under its leadership, it is to be carried out within a specified period. One of its main tasks is to update the spelling – mainly due to appearance of new terminology in computer science, medicine and technology. Observing the trends of the Macedonian language for the last 20 years, it has been noticed that it is a subject of more general processes similar to those visible in other Slavic languages, however, it also reveals some characteristic phenomena associated with Macedonian language.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 189 - 191
Radosław Zenderowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 193 - 196
Paweł Sękowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 197 - 203
Józef Łaptos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 205 - 209
Danuta Quirini-Popławska, Krzysztof Frankowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 9 - 35
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.001.9976In the introductory part of the article, the authors emphasize the role played by one of the most famous centers of European thought in the Renaissance – University of Padua. They describe the scientific profiles of its six distinguished professors – lawyers, philosophers and philologists: Carlo Sigonio, Francesco Robortello, Jacopo Zabare lla, Marco Mantova Benavides, Antonio Riccoboni and Guido Panciroli. Since the 30s of the 16th century, period of the most extensive contacts between Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Padua school was recorded, where many of its prominent citizens’ so ns continued their studies. The authors discuss the course of their studies, the role they played among numerous international youth, their exercised dignities, and, above all, the degrees achieved. Personal contacts with the Paduan professors, fascination with their knowledge and the scientific atmosphere of then Italy, contributed to the deepening of Polish – Italian scientific contacts. One of their effects was the acquisition of the latest works of the Paduan scholars, which were brought by the Poles to t heir homeland. Most of them over the years have found their place in the Collegium Maius library of the Cracow Academy. Various routes of this transfer were presented in the article on the basis of the archival materials studied at the Archivio Antico in Padua, the extensive foreign and olish bibliography, but above all in the rich collections of old prints of the Jagiellonian Library, which took over the collections of the Collegium Maius library. The article has been enriched with six illustrations of the works of the Paduan scholars.
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 37 - 54
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.002.9977The article describes the uprising of the Bohemian Protestant Estates (1618–1620) against the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II. and the political developments in Bohemian lands up to the end of Thirty Years War in 1648. The aim of the article is to show the transformation of the Bohemian state from an estate monarchy into an absolute monarchy ruled by the Emperor-King. This process was possible due to the victory of Ferdinand II. over the rebellious Bohemian Protestant estates in the Battle at the White Mountain at the outskirts of Prague on 8 November 1620. After the suppression of the uprising the participants were severely punished, their property confiscated and the political significance of the estates severely curtailed. The victory of the army of Ferdinand II also meant a victory of Catholicism. Protestant nobles and burgers had to convert to Catholicism or to leave the country. In the classical Czech historical discourse the battle at the White Mountain is considered to be the end of the Bohemian independence. The article shows that in reality it was not exactly so: the royal absolutism imposed by Ferdinand II after White Mountain completely changed the political nature of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, but, on the other hand, the Habsburgs still ruled the country only as the kings of Bohemia, just like before 1618, e.g. before the estate uprising.
Mariusz Misztal
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 55 - 74
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.003.9978Numerous studies of the so-called “Cyprus problem” are devoted mainly to particular phases of the conflict, especially the period from 1958 to 1960, the activities of the EOKA, the period 1960–1964, the problems of the newly created republic and the 1974 division of Cyprus. Only rarely do we find references to the earlier history of Cyprus and there are still only few objective academic papers showing the genesis of the conflict.
The article presents the origins of ethnic conflicts of Cyprus, discussing the theories of the origin of the island’s first inhabitants, and the arrival of numerous Muslims on the island after the Turkish conquest in the 16th century. During the next three centuries, regardless of the subsequent developments, peaceful coexistence and fruitful cooperation of oth communities – Christians and Muslims – are an authentic historical event and are not subject to any doubts. The situation began to change after the begining of the so-called “Cultural war” caused by, among others things, by spreading the idea of Great Greece. The takeover of Cyprus by the British in 1878 only strengthened the hopes of the Greek Cypriots of joining the island to Mother Greece, which resulted in the rise of nationalist feelings, both among Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and eventially led to the outbreak of the first ethnic conflicts in 1912.
Antoni Cetnarowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 75 - 88
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.004.9979In the years of the 1848–1849 revolution, apart from the Galician theme, the attention of liberal Slovenian activists was also focused on the situation and events in Poznan. The reason for these interests is not difficult to understand, as it was the Poles had to face the common enemy there, meaning German nationalism. In the following decades, as the Germanization pressure intensified, this interest grew, turning into solidarity and open support for the national struggle of Poles. With the advent of the constitutional era, when two concepts of the organization of the Habsburg monarchy clashed together: federalist and centralist, Slovenes and Poles found themselves in the federalist camp. Slovenians, whose position, as a so-called “unhistorical” nation, was definitely weaker, they tried to benefit from the political experience of Poles and, in some actions, follow their example. During the January Uprising, the main attention of the Slovenes focused on the attitude of the Prussian government to the Polish uprising and the related international implications. Nevertheless, the Slovenians continued to solidarize themselves with the nationalist struggle of Poles in Poznan, which, as it was stressed, was the link of a common Slavic cause, that is, resistance to the Germanic pressure. In the face of the rise of the German threat after 1866, the fate of Poles in the Prussian partition was an instructive example for the Slovenes and a warning about what they could expect from the Germans. Therefore, Slovenian activists, following the events in Poznan, tried to draw conclusions that can help them in their own national struggle. The struggle against the Catholic Church in Poznan, which intensified as part of Kulturkampfu, occupied a leading position among the reports of Slovenian newspapers and magazines. Both “Slovenski narod” and “Slovenec” wrote about the great police action, revisions and arrests carried out by the authorities.
During the fourteen-year rule of Eduard Taaffe (1879–1893), when the Poles and Slovenes were on the side of the majority government, the struggle of the Poles against the German pressure in the Prussian partition enjoyed constant support and recognition of the Slovenian opinion. The relentless attitude of Poles, and especially the activities of Polish deputies in the Prussian and German parliaments, was often set as an example worth imitating not only Slovenian, but also served as a weighty argument in criticizing the policy of the Polish Circle in the Austrian State Council.
Piotr Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 89 - 95
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.005.9980The article aims to show political realism not in the deformed framework in which his opponents – political romantics – present it, but as a universal typological category. Pietism in relation to reality forces the realists to postulate a sparse, non-military policy focused on cooperation. At the same time, it demands from its representatives that they avoid involvement beyond their own strengths and seek peaceful coexistence with their opponents in political struggles. The considerations also show the reasons why it is unlawful to bind the imperialism of Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin with political realism.
Ľubica Harbuľová
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 97 - 111
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.006.9981Siberia occupied a specific position in Russian history. In Tsarist Russia, it was the region with the largest area, however, sparsely populated and poorly understood.
Siberia, however, had the opinion of a region with a tendency to separatism. This was favoured by its geographical location as well as the specificity of its economic development and the way of administering the area.
All these factors created favourable conditions for the emergence of “specific” moods among urban intelligentsia, which in the nineteenth century contributed to the emergence of the Siberian regional movement (“oblastniczestwo”). The Siberian regional movement was created in the 19th century, and its basis formed an idea conditioned by the specificity of Siberia.
The ideas of the Siberian regional movement, however, did not find much support among the citizens of Siberia and the local intelligentsia. The beginning of the twentieth century brought a revival of the regional movement in Siberia. The events in St. Petersburg in 1917 also activated the Siberian regionalists. The events taking place in the European part of Russia were a signal to increase the efforts and activities of the Siberian regionalists who at that time became the main promoters of the idea of Siberian autonomy. In October 1917, the postulate of the autonomy of Siberia was formulated during the Siberian Regional Meeting, and in December 1917, the Siberian Circuit Convention adopted a resolution on the creation of temporary administrative bodies, which were to become the Siberian Duma District and the Siberian District Council.
The Bolsheviks’ arrival in power in January 1918 interrupted the activities of the Siberian autonomous authorities. In June 1918, the Bolsheviks were forsaken from the Siberian cities, and the Siberian Provisional Government and the Siberian Duma District came to power. During this period, Czechoslovak legion played an important role in internal events in Siberia. The legion leaders made contact with the Siberian Provisional Government and representatives of the Siberian Central Duma. In time, legion actively participated in internal political events that continued in Siberia up to 1920.
Anna Citkowska-Kimla
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 113 - 123
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.007.9982The article explores the originality of Golo Mann‘s approach to history. The exeptional position of history in his works is analyzed based on two questions – the affinity between history and literature and the condition of historiography in a democratic system. The main thesis oft he article is showing the important role that history plays in anticipating future (also political) events.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 125 - 143
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.008.9983Funeral texts (obituaries, posthumous memories) are usually of a standard nature and show the deceased in a positive light. For this reason, they are marginalized as a research source. Wrongly, because they convey specific biographical information, such as the date of death and the age of the deceased, the place and time and the nature of the funeral ceremonies, and sometimes also the profession, circumstances of death, family name and others. The celebration of the last farewells may be an interesting contribution to the figure of the deceased, and in the case of people who have had their place in history, it also illustrates the state of feelings (patriotic, national, religious) of the local community. It seems that this additional sense, going beyond the usual rite of burial, focused on the funeral ceremony after the death of Aleksy Wdziękoński, the last consul general of the Second Polish Republic in Jerusalem.
Wdziękoński (1892–1946) ran the institution from June 1943 to January 1946. For the last months he acted in an unofficial capacity, as the United Kingdom withdrew recognition of the Polish Government in Exile. His death echoed in the emigration environments in Palestine, and the last farewell of the consul was attended by about 2,000–2,500 people
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 143 - 164
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.009.9984The Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations in 1947, built by the Soviet Union, were part of the concept of strengthening Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Balkans. Stalin knew very well about the contacts between Tito and Dimitrov, about their negotiations in Bled and about signing the agreement in Euxinograd, and Stalin knew exactly and controlled all the actions of the Yugoslav and Bulgarian leaders.
Although the Yugoslav Marshal Josip Broz-Tito, rising to become a main leader in the Balkan region, had a different attitude to many political issues than Stalin, and at the time of a sharpened division into East and West their ideas regarding foreign policy – Balkan – were different. At that time Tito’s foreign policy was a welcome excuse to tighten Moscow’s cooperation with Yugoslavia and thereby exacerbate Soviet control over other countries, including Bulgaria. An important element of this policy was the creation of the Cominform and opposing the Marshall Plan. To illustrate this thesis, the situation in 1947 was analysed, which concerned the Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations.
Karol Bieniek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 165 - 173
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.010.9985The “strategic depth” paradigm implemented by the AKP, in general aimed at strengthening Turkey’s role in the region, is perceived both as clear pragmatism in foreign policy making and a tool for the neo-ottoman expansion. This paper argues that current foreign policy of Turkey towards Albania is reminiscent of the Kemalist foreign policy towards this country but at the same time it represents a new quality, immanent for the AKP’s perception of international relations. While analyzing Turkey’s influence in the various spheres and the outcomes of Ankara’s foreign policy, this paper seeks to verify the hypothesis that the modern bilateral relations of these two countries shall be perceived rather both as AKP’s pragmatic stance, with possible neo-Ottoman ambitions playing an important role.
Magdalena Błaszak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 175 - 185
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.011.9986This paper describes the linguistic situation in Macedonia since 1991, after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The situation changed after World War II, when Macedonia became a part of Yugoslavia. According to the cultural autonomy principles, on the 2nd of August 1944, Macedonian language acquired the status of literary language and official language of the Republic of Macedonia. At the time when Macedonia was a part of Yugoslavia, the implementation of various changes, mainly lexical ones, started in Macedonian language. Serbisms were eliminated and replaced with native words in various areas of life. Elements of Serbian language were being removed, while, on the other, due to the technological advances, more and more Anglicisms began to appear in the language. Globalization, technology development and growing importance of media – all these factors caused substantial growth of internationalisms usage in Macedonian language. Macedonian Language Council (Совет за македонски јазик) in the “Strategy for the Development of Culture in Macedonia in 2012–2017”, presented an action plan, which, under its leadership, it is to be carried out within a specified period. One of its main tasks is to update the spelling – mainly due to appearance of new terminology in computer science, medicine and technology. Observing the trends of the Macedonian language for the last 20 years, it has been noticed that it is a subject of more general processes similar to those visible in other Slavic languages, however, it also reveals some characteristic phenomena associated with Macedonian language.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 189 - 191
Radosław Zenderowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 193 - 196
Paweł Sękowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 197 - 203
Józef Łaptos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVII, 2018, pp. 205 - 209
Publication date: 31.01.2018
Editor-in-Chief:
Barbara Krauz-Mozer
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 11 - 21
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.019.8317“The issue of Identity” is an indeterminate and difficult subject to exhaust; full of contradictions expressed and discussed in vague language, evoking emotions and ideological disputes, especially in the context of conflicting identities. The author does not exhaustively discuss, but only just points to some threads of reflection on various forms of identity, functioning in a specific cultural and social entanglement. From semantic doubts, through the reservations of historians asking about time with regard to identity and the important remarks of sociologists resembling the unresolved dispute between nominalists and realists – the author tries to point out only some of the complications besetting a researcher seeking for “identity”.
Snezhana Venovska-Antevska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 23 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.020.8318The Balkan region has always been a crossroad of cultures, religions, customs, ethnicities and, hence, research related to intercultural communications in this area in different periods gives different results. The actual ethnographic condition of the Balkans now, followed by statistic data, censuses, related to displacements, and the relevance of official data, creates the picture of languages that are used in the Balkans. In the 21st century different processes are going on, some fading out, and other finding room to activate (again) not only through languages and lexicon (active, passive and disappeared), but through other forms, too. The critical analysis of the discourse of Balkans witnesses the art of linking of differences through languages (Slavic, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Bosnian, Herzegovinian, Montenegrin; and non-Slavic: Greek, Turkish, Albanian, English) supplemented by nonverbal communication, as a wide space for building the impression of common conditions. All this reflects on the national identities and on the construction of diverse characteristics as a sum of diversities on the Balkans.
Wiesław Walkiewicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 29 - 42
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.021.8319Maciej Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 43 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.022.8320The real or only the imaginary identities of the nations inhabiting the present territory of the Balkans have an aspect not only real as a combination of events and historical facts as well as contemporary changes, but also the dimension of transmedia tales of Macedonian identity. These two levels of forming or creating identity processes not only co-exist or compete with each other, they also permeate each other. Today, however, this second aspect of creating – often imaginative and self-identifying – transmedia auto-narrations about the origin of identity prevails. They are then an attempt, an effect of mediatisation processes, i.e. mediation of the memory of the past or the present by the media not only in the narrow sense as the press, radio television, the Internet, but also as all memory carriers (from historical sources, museums, monuments, anniversary celebrations to transmedia stories, film, theatre or widely understood art).
Krzysztof Krysieniel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 53 - 68
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.023.8321The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the last decade of the twentieth century has resulted in the breakdown of many of the ties that have grown to a greater or lesser extent during the period of its existence. Apart from the economic, political or social ties, one must not forget about a certain linguistic community, which has been developing since the nineteenth century, including Serbs and Croats, as well as present-day people of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding it that will continue to cause heated discussions and debates. This happens regardless whether Serbo-Croatian is treated as a real existence or merely as an artificial creation, a result of the policies of the respective countries.
The current standardization processes (including legal), which at all costs demonstrate the differences between Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin and Bosnian, are the result of politicization of the language. It happens even though people using these different (?) languages can understand each other with no difficulty (same as in e.g. English in the US and Great Britain or German in Germany and Austria).
Robert Kłaczyński
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 69 - 81
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.024.8322The politics of Russian Empire towards Balkan states and nations 1830–1914, summarizes the most important problems of Russian political, military and economic expansion at the Balkan Peninsula in the mentioned period. The author attempts to define Russia’s role in the nation and state creation processes in the Balkan Peninsula. The historical significance of Russia in ending Ottoman domination in Southern Europe is also underlined. Finally, the presentation focuses on the analogy between the politics of tsarist Russia towards the Balkans, and the politics of the contemporary Russian Federation towards this area.
Dragica Popovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 83 - 88
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.025.8323With examples taken across the Republic of Macedonia, this paper investigates the symbolic representations of the Jews in Macedonia, i.e. “facilities” that express their identity and history and allow their visibility in the public space. I am speaking here not only for monuments and museums, but also for settlements and other symbols that created / create the image of Jews in Macedonia through time. The goal is to answer a few questions: What are the symbols that represent Jewish history and culture in the public sphere? What do these symbols tell us? What meanings or what emotions do they evoke in people? Of course, the discursive dimension of symbolic representations is very important, especially the socially constructed role which is attributed to those facilities. In accordance with these approaches, the identity construction as one of the key functions of symbolic representation, takes place within the social placed narratives of Jews, which means its dynamics and variables is directly related to social events, political changes, etc.
Danuta Gibas-Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 89 - 101
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.026.8324The goal of this paper is to show the expansion of the Turkish policy, defined as neo-Ottomanism, in the post-Yugoslavian countries, and its effect in the spheres of political, economic and cultural life. The author asks the questions: do Turkish influences contribute to the specific culture of European Islam, of which the goal, despite prevailing Islamophobia, is to disseminate ideals of tolerance between nations and religions? Does the Turkish capital contribute only to the economic development of post-Yugoslavian countries through investments? On the other hand, the reactivation of neo-Ottomanism may contribute to the development of radical tendencies, including religious fundamentalism, which is, in many aspects, a threat to post-Yugoslavian countries. More and more researchers and political experts claim that the political situation in the Balkans can be destabilized as a result of the domination of the Muslim environment, whereas the dissemination of radical versions of this religion such as Wahhabism may favour the development of Islamic terrorism. Firstly, Serbian researchers have a critical approach to this issue and they claim that neo-Ottomanism is of a revisionist nature, because it disturbs the political balance in the western Balkans resulting from the Dayton Agreement (1995).
Dušan T. Bataković
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 105 - 123
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.027.8325The history of the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija in the 20th century was rather marked by the secessionist movement of Kosovo Albanians from Serbia and Yugoslavia than with integration as a way of solving old inter-ethnic conflicts between Serbs and Albaniаns. After the Second World War and the subsequent communist takeover, Yugoslavia was restored as a communist federation, and Serbia became one of its six federal units, with Kosovo and Metohija, a region with a mixed Serb and Albanian population, within its borders. Kosovo in the present boundaries first became a region (1946) and then an autonomous province (1963) within the Socialist Republic of Serbia one of the six constituent republics of federal Yugoslavia. The Kosovo status was upgraded by constitutional amendments (1968–1972) and finally by the 1974 Constitution which gave Kosovo Albanians the main say in the province’s political life, a decision approved by communist dictator Tito in order to pacify the growing Albanian nationalism, strongly supported by neighbouring Stalinist Albania of Enver Hoxha. This policy triggered a process of repeated discrimination of the Kosovo Serbs throughout the 1970s that in the early 1980s, escalated into large-scale Albanian nationalist demonstrations, after March 1981 onwards, demanding that Kosovo be given the right to secede, thus announcing the rapid disintegration of the Yugoslav communist federation. Separation instead of integration became an official policy of Kosovo Albanians.
Marko Babić
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 123 - 134
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.028.8326Serbia’s stubborness to recognize Kosovo independence and a continuous effort to bring Kosovo back under its state jurisdiction seems to be in political terms irrational. However, this has been a continuous strategy of all Serbian governments since Milosevićs’ fall in 2000. The aim of the paper is to try to give explanations to this, at first sight, paradoxical phenomenon. Is there any rationality in this irrationality? Author finds Craig Parsons’s typology of explanations very useful in understanding the phenomenon of Serbia’s politics toward Kosovo after 2000.
Katarzyna Kropiak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 135 - 150
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.029.8327The process of diffusion of international norms and democratic standards in the post-war Kosovo is a multilevel process which involved many actors (international organizations, the government of Kosovo, local administration and non-governmental organizations). This process can be understood as a sequence of the promotion of international standards, translating them into local meaning and choosing which international norms can be implemented in the domestic realm by agents (contestation of the norms) and the materialization of the norm in the system of legislation (location, acceptance or rejection). In this case for example, the promotion of international standards can be considered to present the plan of Martti Ahtisaari (Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement) in February 2007, the operations and activities of the UNMIK mission, ICR (International Civilian Representative for Kosovo) and ICO (International Civilian Office). By contestation standards should be understood as developed from the international standards in the local discourse by peacebuilding agents and locations – as decision and choice as to which standards should be implemented into the system of national legislation. In the case of Kosovo, not every international standard was transferred successfully to the local realm, while launching democratic institutions can be understood as a limited success, the minority law and non-discrimination policies still require a lot of work to be done.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 151 - 162
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.030.8328Paweł Płaneta
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 163 - 192
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.031.8329By the outbreak of the civil war in the 1990s, traditional Bosnian Islam was moderate and liberal, however its nature underwent some deep changes especially under the influence of the Arab Mujahideen, who supported the Bosnian Muslims in the fighting with the Serbs, and – after the civil war – stayed in the country.
The author discusses possible variants of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina: either the latent conflict will continue, which may lead to new acts of violence and disintegration of the country, or the consolidated state will be able to rebuild social trust and political stabilization, and finally will successfully complete its integration with the European Union and NATO. Unfortunately, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains vulnerable to Islamic political-religious extremism. Probably the Bosnian Muslims, who are attached to the local tradition of moderate and progressive Islam, may reject radical slogans. One must remember, however, that when in the 1990s the intolerant ideas appeared in the Western Balkans, they were belittled. Soon it turned out that extremists from religiously oriented political parties quickly went from slogans and manifestations to violence. We must not underestimate the current situation, because the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly vulnerable to the impact of radical movements.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer functions only as a safe haven for Islamic radicals. The war in Syria, Iraq, international terrorism, economic and social crisis in the Muslim world have led to a horrendous migration/refugee crisis which has created the “gateway” to Europe for many Islamic fundamentalists in the whole region of the Western Balkans. That is why, according to many nationalists – in Bosnia, in the region, and in Europe – the days of Western civilization’s final clash with Islam are coming. In Bosnia, the Orthodox population counts on Russia’s leadership in the final victory over global jihad. An additional element on the geopolitical chessboard is Turkey, which is gaining greater power in the international arena and which strongly supports the reconstruction of the “Ottoman” identity in the Balkans.
Vera Katz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 193 - 204
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.032.8330The main characteristic of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian population to the 1992–1995 war was multinationalism, which accounted for three of the most numerous nations (Muslims, Croats and Serbs), than the nations of the former Yugoslav republics (Slovenes, Montenegrins and Macedonians) and 18 national minorities (Albanians, Austrians, Bulgarians, Czechs, Germans, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Roma, Russians, Ruthenians, Slovaks, Ukrainians, Turks and Vlachs). Although their share in total the Bosnian-Herzegovinian population was about one percent, but during the communist period of their civil and national rights were guaranteed in all the Yugoslav and Bosnian-Herzegovinian constitutions after 1946. After the 1992–1995 war, the rights of national minorities were regulated in the spring of 2003 under the Law of Protection of National Minorities. However, in everyday life, they are not able to realize all their national and civic rights. In contrast to the communist period, according to the census of 2013, the national minorities are not specifically stated, but are classified as “Other”. So today, we have no information about the many ethnic minorities that recorded the census of 1991.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 205 - 219
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.033.8331The situation of the ethnic minorities in Montenegro is quite complex. Although they enjoy full civic rights, a lot of discontent is on record. Serbs, the largest minority (29% of population of Montenegro), want their position enshrined in the constitution. They believe in their basic ethnic and cultural identity with the Montenegrins and claim that 1/3 of the people of Montenegro cannot be regarded as a mere minority. In 2006 the Serbs of Montenegro were totally opposed to the proclamation of independence. For this reason they alone have not shared power in Montenegro. The smaller minorities (Albanians, Bosnians, Croats, Muslims) were adamant in their support of the independence of Montenegro. They have coexisted with the central authorities of Montenegro and members of these minorities have been participating in public office. Their enmity to Serbs dating to the war in former Yugoslavia has made the position of Milo Djukanović secure for over two decades. The election scheduled for 16 October 2016 could change the status quo. The activists of ethnic minorities, in recent years disillusioned with the policy of the government of Montenegro, have built a multi-ethnic coalition with some ethnic Montenegrins which aims at removing the team of Milo Djukanović, in their opinion corrupt and criminal, from power. A quarter of a century after the war in Yugoslavia, the new generation has come of age for whom the future of the country rather than the memory of the fratricidal war is the primary concern.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 221 - 232
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.034.8332The article uses the theory of Józef Kozielecki, which is the subject matter of his reflections in his work: Transgresja i kultura. Transgressive actions are actions of the “outside” – changing the existing status quo. At the same time, in this case transgression is directed “towards people” in order for them to unite (so-called community transgressions). Moving from one group to another and adopting a different model of competence, patterns of cultural behaviour, is characteristic for the Goranie people living on the border of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Goranie, depending on the political, economic, warfare situation, in order to survive or improve their economic situation, directed their steps towards their Slavic neighbours, identifying with them, adopting their life style, official language, some customs. In the first years of the 21st century, it is becoming more and more typical to build a Goranie ethnic identity and to maintain the “Našinski” language, which is used only at home, as it has not been recognized in any country they live in. Further processes of Goranie transgression, a transition from one group to another, in this case to the Albanian group, and adopting a different model of competence, patterns of cultural behaviour are inevitable in the near future. This is mainly due to the difficult economic conditions of the Goranie and the life of the Albanian enclave.
Tomasz Kwoka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 233 - 243
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.035.8333A small community of Ruthenians in Vojvodina is extremely interesting, and its culture is still vital. More than 260-year history of their stay in Vojvodina is a story about the struggle to preserve their traditions, culture, faith and language. The community itself has evolved as national consciousness – from religious-based Ruthenian faith to the modern national-cultural. The article deals with issues of national self-identification of Ruthenians in Vojvodina, among whom, as is the case among Ruthenians in other countries, are supporters of options autonomous – (carpatho)Ruthenian and Ukrainian. More recently, mainly in journalism, there are also individual voices of closer cultural (and perhaps identification) of the Eastern Slovaks and so vichodňarski movement.
Elżbieta Znamierowska-Rakk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 245 - 261
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.036.8334The report puts forth a thesis about the falsification of the national census in Pirin, Macedonia in December 1946. The results of the census formally announces a Macedonian ethnic face of this territory. The report bases justifying the falsity results of the census on many Bulgarian archival documents of this period. They show a great manipulation in the question of national identification of population in the Pirin Region, in which the majority de facto unambiguously regarded themselves as Bulgarians. The census was carried out under strong pressure of political factors: Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Bulgarian communist authorities.
Katarzyna Fijołek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 263 - 278
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.037.8335The aim of this paper is to outline how the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) in Bulgaria has evolved. The party was founded in 1990 by Ahmed Dogan and started as the first political representation of Bulgarian Turks. After more than 25 years in Bulgarian political life, MRF is still arousing controversy. Regarding Article 11.4 of Bulgarian Constitution which bans political parties formed on ethnic, racial and religious lines, MRF seems to be likely anti-constitutional and illegal. However, the MRF politicians’ statements and the statute clearly show that the party prefers to be perceived as “all Bulgarian citizens’ political force” – liberal and European-oriented, over the years it still doesn’t look clear what the nature of MRF is.
Katerina Mladenovska-Ristovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 281 - 291
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.038.8336Who exactly were the ancient Macedonians – Greeks, barbarians, Illyrians, Thracians or mixed people? This is one of the most controversial issues in historical science which was very popular in the course of the past century and does not cease to be current even today. Although the ancient sources clearly attest to the uniqueness of the ancient Macedonians in comparison to other neighboring ethnic groups, some researchers still believe that the ancient Macedonians were Greeks. Their arguments can be best illustrated by the following questions: First, if the ancient Macedonians were not Greeks, how did they as an independent, militarily dominant people, receive Greek culture and become its most prominent representatives? Furthermore, why did Alexander III, after conquering the East, accept the Hellenic dialect (koine) as the official language of his country? Why have numerous inscriptions in Greek been found in Macedonia? Why were numerous historical works from Macedonia in ancient times written in Ionic or the Ionic-Attic dialect, even when their authors were Macedonians and knew Macedonian? These issues are the subject of study in the proposed work.
Jacek Wojnicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 293 - 311
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.039.8337This article is devoted to the analysis of the formation of state leadership in the states created after the breakup of the Yugoslav federation. Presidency was quite a new political solution, it has not occurred during the first Yugoslavia (1918–1941) nor, for obvious reasons, before World War I (lack of the state system, or the monarchical form of state – the cases of Serbia and Montenegro). The formation of new political and social institutions at the beginning of the 1990s was related to the functioning of the Yugoslav state on the one hand, and on the other hand to the observation and perception of external solutions, which did not always fit in the political system of a Balkan state
Zoran Vučković
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 313 - 321
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.040.8338After the disintegration of communist Yugoslavia a new entity was created – the Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. The newly created state consisted of two Republics previously belonging to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – Serbia and Montenegro. At the beginning, when FR Yugoslavia was created, both Belgrade and Podgorica shared a common goal which was unifying the federation – an effort to territorially expand and cover territories which the Serbian or Montenegrin population were living on. However, in time this changed. First, the democratic option with Milo Djukanović at helm took power in Montenegro in 1998 and afterwards, in 2000 the situation dramatically changed in Belgrade as well, as the democratic opposition overthrew Slobodan Milošević. This meant that a new reassessment of relations within the Federation needed to take place. However, immediately after the 2000 election, the newly elected government in Serbia was not willing to make any big changes in the structure of the country as it needed to focus on more pressing issues within the Republic. Over time this lead to a gradual increase in tensions between Belgrade and Podgorica. After the initial stall a fresh approach to the reform was undertaken which led to the creation of Serbia and Montenegro in 2003. It turned out that the newly created state would not be long lived as in 2006 Montenegro opted for independence. The article examines the process of reform that has led to the creation of Serbia and Montenegro in a search for explanation of main factors that have contributed to the fact that the newly created state did not pass the test of time.
Barbara Krauz-Mozer
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 11 - 21
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.019.8317“The issue of Identity” is an indeterminate and difficult subject to exhaust; full of contradictions expressed and discussed in vague language, evoking emotions and ideological disputes, especially in the context of conflicting identities. The author does not exhaustively discuss, but only just points to some threads of reflection on various forms of identity, functioning in a specific cultural and social entanglement. From semantic doubts, through the reservations of historians asking about time with regard to identity and the important remarks of sociologists resembling the unresolved dispute between nominalists and realists – the author tries to point out only some of the complications besetting a researcher seeking for “identity”.
Snezhana Venovska-Antevska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 23 - 28
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.020.8318The Balkan region has always been a crossroad of cultures, religions, customs, ethnicities and, hence, research related to intercultural communications in this area in different periods gives different results. The actual ethnographic condition of the Balkans now, followed by statistic data, censuses, related to displacements, and the relevance of official data, creates the picture of languages that are used in the Balkans. In the 21st century different processes are going on, some fading out, and other finding room to activate (again) not only through languages and lexicon (active, passive and disappeared), but through other forms, too. The critical analysis of the discourse of Balkans witnesses the art of linking of differences through languages (Slavic, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Bosnian, Herzegovinian, Montenegrin; and non-Slavic: Greek, Turkish, Albanian, English) supplemented by nonverbal communication, as a wide space for building the impression of common conditions. All this reflects on the national identities and on the construction of diverse characteristics as a sum of diversities on the Balkans.
Wiesław Walkiewicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 29 - 42
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.021.8319Maciej Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 43 - 51
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.022.8320The real or only the imaginary identities of the nations inhabiting the present territory of the Balkans have an aspect not only real as a combination of events and historical facts as well as contemporary changes, but also the dimension of transmedia tales of Macedonian identity. These two levels of forming or creating identity processes not only co-exist or compete with each other, they also permeate each other. Today, however, this second aspect of creating – often imaginative and self-identifying – transmedia auto-narrations about the origin of identity prevails. They are then an attempt, an effect of mediatisation processes, i.e. mediation of the memory of the past or the present by the media not only in the narrow sense as the press, radio television, the Internet, but also as all memory carriers (from historical sources, museums, monuments, anniversary celebrations to transmedia stories, film, theatre or widely understood art).
Krzysztof Krysieniel
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 53 - 68
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.023.8321The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the last decade of the twentieth century has resulted in the breakdown of many of the ties that have grown to a greater or lesser extent during the period of its existence. Apart from the economic, political or social ties, one must not forget about a certain linguistic community, which has been developing since the nineteenth century, including Serbs and Croats, as well as present-day people of Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding it that will continue to cause heated discussions and debates. This happens regardless whether Serbo-Croatian is treated as a real existence or merely as an artificial creation, a result of the policies of the respective countries.
The current standardization processes (including legal), which at all costs demonstrate the differences between Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin and Bosnian, are the result of politicization of the language. It happens even though people using these different (?) languages can understand each other with no difficulty (same as in e.g. English in the US and Great Britain or German in Germany and Austria).
Robert Kłaczyński
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 69 - 81
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.024.8322The politics of Russian Empire towards Balkan states and nations 1830–1914, summarizes the most important problems of Russian political, military and economic expansion at the Balkan Peninsula in the mentioned period. The author attempts to define Russia’s role in the nation and state creation processes in the Balkan Peninsula. The historical significance of Russia in ending Ottoman domination in Southern Europe is also underlined. Finally, the presentation focuses on the analogy between the politics of tsarist Russia towards the Balkans, and the politics of the contemporary Russian Federation towards this area.
Dragica Popovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 83 - 88
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.025.8323With examples taken across the Republic of Macedonia, this paper investigates the symbolic representations of the Jews in Macedonia, i.e. “facilities” that express their identity and history and allow their visibility in the public space. I am speaking here not only for monuments and museums, but also for settlements and other symbols that created / create the image of Jews in Macedonia through time. The goal is to answer a few questions: What are the symbols that represent Jewish history and culture in the public sphere? What do these symbols tell us? What meanings or what emotions do they evoke in people? Of course, the discursive dimension of symbolic representations is very important, especially the socially constructed role which is attributed to those facilities. In accordance with these approaches, the identity construction as one of the key functions of symbolic representation, takes place within the social placed narratives of Jews, which means its dynamics and variables is directly related to social events, political changes, etc.
Danuta Gibas-Krzak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 89 - 101
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.026.8324The goal of this paper is to show the expansion of the Turkish policy, defined as neo-Ottomanism, in the post-Yugoslavian countries, and its effect in the spheres of political, economic and cultural life. The author asks the questions: do Turkish influences contribute to the specific culture of European Islam, of which the goal, despite prevailing Islamophobia, is to disseminate ideals of tolerance between nations and religions? Does the Turkish capital contribute only to the economic development of post-Yugoslavian countries through investments? On the other hand, the reactivation of neo-Ottomanism may contribute to the development of radical tendencies, including religious fundamentalism, which is, in many aspects, a threat to post-Yugoslavian countries. More and more researchers and political experts claim that the political situation in the Balkans can be destabilized as a result of the domination of the Muslim environment, whereas the dissemination of radical versions of this religion such as Wahhabism may favour the development of Islamic terrorism. Firstly, Serbian researchers have a critical approach to this issue and they claim that neo-Ottomanism is of a revisionist nature, because it disturbs the political balance in the western Balkans resulting from the Dayton Agreement (1995).
Dušan T. Bataković
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 105 - 123
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.027.8325The history of the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija in the 20th century was rather marked by the secessionist movement of Kosovo Albanians from Serbia and Yugoslavia than with integration as a way of solving old inter-ethnic conflicts between Serbs and Albaniаns. After the Second World War and the subsequent communist takeover, Yugoslavia was restored as a communist federation, and Serbia became one of its six federal units, with Kosovo and Metohija, a region with a mixed Serb and Albanian population, within its borders. Kosovo in the present boundaries first became a region (1946) and then an autonomous province (1963) within the Socialist Republic of Serbia one of the six constituent republics of federal Yugoslavia. The Kosovo status was upgraded by constitutional amendments (1968–1972) and finally by the 1974 Constitution which gave Kosovo Albanians the main say in the province’s political life, a decision approved by communist dictator Tito in order to pacify the growing Albanian nationalism, strongly supported by neighbouring Stalinist Albania of Enver Hoxha. This policy triggered a process of repeated discrimination of the Kosovo Serbs throughout the 1970s that in the early 1980s, escalated into large-scale Albanian nationalist demonstrations, after March 1981 onwards, demanding that Kosovo be given the right to secede, thus announcing the rapid disintegration of the Yugoslav communist federation. Separation instead of integration became an official policy of Kosovo Albanians.
Marko Babić
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 123 - 134
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.028.8326Serbia’s stubborness to recognize Kosovo independence and a continuous effort to bring Kosovo back under its state jurisdiction seems to be in political terms irrational. However, this has been a continuous strategy of all Serbian governments since Milosevićs’ fall in 2000. The aim of the paper is to try to give explanations to this, at first sight, paradoxical phenomenon. Is there any rationality in this irrationality? Author finds Craig Parsons’s typology of explanations very useful in understanding the phenomenon of Serbia’s politics toward Kosovo after 2000.
Katarzyna Kropiak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 135 - 150
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.029.8327The process of diffusion of international norms and democratic standards in the post-war Kosovo is a multilevel process which involved many actors (international organizations, the government of Kosovo, local administration and non-governmental organizations). This process can be understood as a sequence of the promotion of international standards, translating them into local meaning and choosing which international norms can be implemented in the domestic realm by agents (contestation of the norms) and the materialization of the norm in the system of legislation (location, acceptance or rejection). In this case for example, the promotion of international standards can be considered to present the plan of Martti Ahtisaari (Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement) in February 2007, the operations and activities of the UNMIK mission, ICR (International Civilian Representative for Kosovo) and ICO (International Civilian Office). By contestation standards should be understood as developed from the international standards in the local discourse by peacebuilding agents and locations – as decision and choice as to which standards should be implemented into the system of national legislation. In the case of Kosovo, not every international standard was transferred successfully to the local realm, while launching democratic institutions can be understood as a limited success, the minority law and non-discrimination policies still require a lot of work to be done.
Lilla Moroz-Grzelak
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 151 - 162
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.030.8328Paweł Płaneta
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 163 - 192
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.031.8329By the outbreak of the civil war in the 1990s, traditional Bosnian Islam was moderate and liberal, however its nature underwent some deep changes especially under the influence of the Arab Mujahideen, who supported the Bosnian Muslims in the fighting with the Serbs, and – after the civil war – stayed in the country.
The author discusses possible variants of the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina: either the latent conflict will continue, which may lead to new acts of violence and disintegration of the country, or the consolidated state will be able to rebuild social trust and political stabilization, and finally will successfully complete its integration with the European Union and NATO. Unfortunately, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains vulnerable to Islamic political-religious extremism. Probably the Bosnian Muslims, who are attached to the local tradition of moderate and progressive Islam, may reject radical slogans. One must remember, however, that when in the 1990s the intolerant ideas appeared in the Western Balkans, they were belittled. Soon it turned out that extremists from religiously oriented political parties quickly went from slogans and manifestations to violence. We must not underestimate the current situation, because the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly vulnerable to the impact of radical movements.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer functions only as a safe haven for Islamic radicals. The war in Syria, Iraq, international terrorism, economic and social crisis in the Muslim world have led to a horrendous migration/refugee crisis which has created the “gateway” to Europe for many Islamic fundamentalists in the whole region of the Western Balkans. That is why, according to many nationalists – in Bosnia, in the region, and in Europe – the days of Western civilization’s final clash with Islam are coming. In Bosnia, the Orthodox population counts on Russia’s leadership in the final victory over global jihad. An additional element on the geopolitical chessboard is Turkey, which is gaining greater power in the international arena and which strongly supports the reconstruction of the “Ottoman” identity in the Balkans.
Vera Katz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 193 - 204
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.032.8330The main characteristic of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian population to the 1992–1995 war was multinationalism, which accounted for three of the most numerous nations (Muslims, Croats and Serbs), than the nations of the former Yugoslav republics (Slovenes, Montenegrins and Macedonians) and 18 national minorities (Albanians, Austrians, Bulgarians, Czechs, Germans, Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Roma, Russians, Ruthenians, Slovaks, Ukrainians, Turks and Vlachs). Although their share in total the Bosnian-Herzegovinian population was about one percent, but during the communist period of their civil and national rights were guaranteed in all the Yugoslav and Bosnian-Herzegovinian constitutions after 1946. After the 1992–1995 war, the rights of national minorities were regulated in the spring of 2003 under the Law of Protection of National Minorities. However, in everyday life, they are not able to realize all their national and civic rights. In contrast to the communist period, according to the census of 2013, the national minorities are not specifically stated, but are classified as “Other”. So today, we have no information about the many ethnic minorities that recorded the census of 1991.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 205 - 219
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.033.8331The situation of the ethnic minorities in Montenegro is quite complex. Although they enjoy full civic rights, a lot of discontent is on record. Serbs, the largest minority (29% of population of Montenegro), want their position enshrined in the constitution. They believe in their basic ethnic and cultural identity with the Montenegrins and claim that 1/3 of the people of Montenegro cannot be regarded as a mere minority. In 2006 the Serbs of Montenegro were totally opposed to the proclamation of independence. For this reason they alone have not shared power in Montenegro. The smaller minorities (Albanians, Bosnians, Croats, Muslims) were adamant in their support of the independence of Montenegro. They have coexisted with the central authorities of Montenegro and members of these minorities have been participating in public office. Their enmity to Serbs dating to the war in former Yugoslavia has made the position of Milo Djukanović secure for over two decades. The election scheduled for 16 October 2016 could change the status quo. The activists of ethnic minorities, in recent years disillusioned with the policy of the government of Montenegro, have built a multi-ethnic coalition with some ethnic Montenegrins which aims at removing the team of Milo Djukanović, in their opinion corrupt and criminal, from power. A quarter of a century after the war in Yugoslavia, the new generation has come of age for whom the future of the country rather than the memory of the fratricidal war is the primary concern.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 221 - 232
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.034.8332The article uses the theory of Józef Kozielecki, which is the subject matter of his reflections in his work: Transgresja i kultura. Transgressive actions are actions of the “outside” – changing the existing status quo. At the same time, in this case transgression is directed “towards people” in order for them to unite (so-called community transgressions). Moving from one group to another and adopting a different model of competence, patterns of cultural behaviour, is characteristic for the Goranie people living on the border of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Goranie, depending on the political, economic, warfare situation, in order to survive or improve their economic situation, directed their steps towards their Slavic neighbours, identifying with them, adopting their life style, official language, some customs. In the first years of the 21st century, it is becoming more and more typical to build a Goranie ethnic identity and to maintain the “Našinski” language, which is used only at home, as it has not been recognized in any country they live in. Further processes of Goranie transgression, a transition from one group to another, in this case to the Albanian group, and adopting a different model of competence, patterns of cultural behaviour are inevitable in the near future. This is mainly due to the difficult economic conditions of the Goranie and the life of the Albanian enclave.
Tomasz Kwoka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 233 - 243
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.035.8333A small community of Ruthenians in Vojvodina is extremely interesting, and its culture is still vital. More than 260-year history of their stay in Vojvodina is a story about the struggle to preserve their traditions, culture, faith and language. The community itself has evolved as national consciousness – from religious-based Ruthenian faith to the modern national-cultural. The article deals with issues of national self-identification of Ruthenians in Vojvodina, among whom, as is the case among Ruthenians in other countries, are supporters of options autonomous – (carpatho)Ruthenian and Ukrainian. More recently, mainly in journalism, there are also individual voices of closer cultural (and perhaps identification) of the Eastern Slovaks and so vichodňarski movement.
Elżbieta Znamierowska-Rakk
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 245 - 261
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.036.8334The report puts forth a thesis about the falsification of the national census in Pirin, Macedonia in December 1946. The results of the census formally announces a Macedonian ethnic face of this territory. The report bases justifying the falsity results of the census on many Bulgarian archival documents of this period. They show a great manipulation in the question of national identification of population in the Pirin Region, in which the majority de facto unambiguously regarded themselves as Bulgarians. The census was carried out under strong pressure of political factors: Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Bulgarian communist authorities.
Katarzyna Fijołek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 263 - 278
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.037.8335The aim of this paper is to outline how the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) in Bulgaria has evolved. The party was founded in 1990 by Ahmed Dogan and started as the first political representation of Bulgarian Turks. After more than 25 years in Bulgarian political life, MRF is still arousing controversy. Regarding Article 11.4 of Bulgarian Constitution which bans political parties formed on ethnic, racial and religious lines, MRF seems to be likely anti-constitutional and illegal. However, the MRF politicians’ statements and the statute clearly show that the party prefers to be perceived as “all Bulgarian citizens’ political force” – liberal and European-oriented, over the years it still doesn’t look clear what the nature of MRF is.
Katerina Mladenovska-Ristovska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 281 - 291
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.038.8336Who exactly were the ancient Macedonians – Greeks, barbarians, Illyrians, Thracians or mixed people? This is one of the most controversial issues in historical science which was very popular in the course of the past century and does not cease to be current even today. Although the ancient sources clearly attest to the uniqueness of the ancient Macedonians in comparison to other neighboring ethnic groups, some researchers still believe that the ancient Macedonians were Greeks. Their arguments can be best illustrated by the following questions: First, if the ancient Macedonians were not Greeks, how did they as an independent, militarily dominant people, receive Greek culture and become its most prominent representatives? Furthermore, why did Alexander III, after conquering the East, accept the Hellenic dialect (koine) as the official language of his country? Why have numerous inscriptions in Greek been found in Macedonia? Why were numerous historical works from Macedonia in ancient times written in Ionic or the Ionic-Attic dialect, even when their authors were Macedonians and knew Macedonian? These issues are the subject of study in the proposed work.
Jacek Wojnicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 293 - 311
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.039.8337This article is devoted to the analysis of the formation of state leadership in the states created after the breakup of the Yugoslav federation. Presidency was quite a new political solution, it has not occurred during the first Yugoslavia (1918–1941) nor, for obvious reasons, before World War I (lack of the state system, or the monarchical form of state – the cases of Serbia and Montenegro). The formation of new political and social institutions at the beginning of the 1990s was related to the functioning of the Yugoslav state on the one hand, and on the other hand to the observation and perception of external solutions, which did not always fit in the political system of a Balkan state
Zoran Vučković
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXVI, 2017, pp. 313 - 321
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.040.8338After the disintegration of communist Yugoslavia a new entity was created – the Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. The newly created state consisted of two Republics previously belonging to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – Serbia and Montenegro. At the beginning, when FR Yugoslavia was created, both Belgrade and Podgorica shared a common goal which was unifying the federation – an effort to territorially expand and cover territories which the Serbian or Montenegrin population were living on. However, in time this changed. First, the democratic option with Milo Djukanović at helm took power in Montenegro in 1998 and afterwards, in 2000 the situation dramatically changed in Belgrade as well, as the democratic opposition overthrew Slobodan Milošević. This meant that a new reassessment of relations within the Federation needed to take place. However, immediately after the 2000 election, the newly elected government in Serbia was not willing to make any big changes in the structure of the country as it needed to focus on more pressing issues within the Republic. Over time this lead to a gradual increase in tensions between Belgrade and Podgorica. After the initial stall a fresh approach to the reform was undertaken which led to the creation of Serbia and Montenegro in 2003. It turned out that the newly created state would not be long lived as in 2006 Montenegro opted for independence. The article examines the process of reform that has led to the creation of Serbia and Montenegro in a search for explanation of main factors that have contributed to the fact that the newly created state did not pass the test of time.
Publication date: 09.10.2017
Editor-in-Chief: Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 7 - 11
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.001.7247Danuta Quirini-Popławska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 13 - 26
https://doi.org/0.4467/2543733XSSB.17.002.7248The article is devoted to the part of Matriculazione Università Legista Polona from the years 1591–1598, found in the book No. 30 in the Archivio Antico dell’Università degli Studi di Padova and published for the first time. It is one of the results of the in-depth analysis of the archive, which has been carried out by the author for five years now. The public register consists of 83 entries of people from areas of the former Reczpospolita and, additionally, 6 names of Austrians and Germans. The set of names is supplemented by the list, published by Blasio Brugi and Aloysio Andrich in 1892 in Rotulus et matricula. The hitherto unknown list, entitled Natio Polona, was produced in the years 1592–1593 and contains 62 names. the fact that the majority of scholars coming from the area of the former Rzeczpospolita made entries in this public register of lawyers, providing their distinguishing marks, including birthmarks, scars, gashes and warts located on their faces, arms and necks is interesting and puzzling. Thus far, this kind of information has not been seen in the analysed public registers of European universities. In addition, following the comparison of the names of persons entered in the Register of the Polish nation (“Metryka nacji polskiej”), published by Henryk Barycz, the author of the article identified 25 names of Polish scholars, not listed elsewhere. Hence, the important conclusion is that, in the years 1592–1600, not all Polish scholars from the University of Padua were registered in the official Register of the Polish nation, and so, the number of Polish students at this university may have been much higher than previously estimated.
Jarosław Stolicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 27 - 42
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.003.7249John III Sobieski’s reign has been marked by a surge in the Commonwealth’s international activity. It was a direct consequence of the King’s political plans. First, he sought a prompt termination of the war with the Ottoman Port, but his attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. Later, in a secret alliance with Louis XIV, Sobieski tried to eff ectuate his grand plans in the Baltic, but the awaited favorable arrangement of international interests did not occur. This disappointment drove John III again towards the war with Port, with whom the Commonwealth had in the meanwhile concluded a highly unfavorable peace treaty. The king has made an eff ort to mobilize popular support among the gentry for his war plans. Realistically assessing the Turkish military power, he also recognized the necessity of fi nding allies. His concurrent attempts to convince other European rulers to join forces fi nally met with success in 1683.
Alain Soubigou
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 43 - 56
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.004.7250Teschen was a serious problem after WW1 between Poland and Czechoslovakia. However a diplomatic solution was found on rational basis. On the contrary, problem of Spiš and Orava was more controversial although without strategic dimension. The acute knot was a little village at the border, Javořina/Jaworzyna. Why? Because divergence stood between Poland and Czechoslovakia, between president Masaryk and premier Beneš and between French officers on Polish side and French officers on czechoslovakian side. Thanks to his international links, Beneš earned a good border for his country. But the price was very high: for a while, Czechoslovaks and Poles had cold relations. In the 1930’s, Hitler took advantage of these cold relations.
Annie Guénard-Maget
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 57 - 66
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.005.7251
The introduction focuses on the evolution of the number of students with a French government’s grant coming from central and eastern Europe between 1936‑1938. Aspects of this phenomenon are thus made apparent, among which is the will to revitalize intellectual influence.
The first part focuses on the present situation: specific characters of the French Institutes, their mission as pivots of an effective influence in central Europe, difficulties due to the ongoing economic crisis, limitations of their actions, open foreign competition potentially threatening the French alliances and positions: nazi Germany, fascist Italy. The following development presents the part given to the Institutes in the intellectual expansion program, as it was implemented by the Blum and Chautemps’s governments between 1936–1938. Here, one scrutinizes certain aspects of its modernization toward a more scientific, technical approach, and an action more open to an urban audience. The illustration of these evolutions lies on the case of the Warsaw Institute. This specific case and the study of new structures in Kraków and Poznań delineates a mutual will to cooperation and partnership. In the year 1938, the contrasts between two types of propaganda sharpen: nazi and french. Institutes contribute to the demonstration of the french power.
Józef Łaptos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 67 - 85
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.006.7252All the states of German-occupied Europe had their governments in exile during the Second World War. The main goal of the Central European states was to regain independence, but not to return to status quo ante, as all of them, with the laudable exception of Czechoslovakia, were autocratic before 1939. Acquiring allies required convicting them about the willingness to establish the democratic rule. One of the main arguments was the vision of Central European federation. The federation was not only a synonym of democracy, but also an opportunity to strengthen the entire area. Sikorski’s government was particularly active in this field, acquiring Western allies for its plans, but did not manage to convince Stalin with their help.
Andrzej Dubicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 87 - 111
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.007.7253The Polish-Romanian cooperation which was established during the pre-bellum era, it developed on a political and economic stage in in the changed political environment. In terms of politics, the cooperation in the initial period was determined by the political agreement concluded in January 1949, while in terms of politics, the mutual relations were regulated by the COMECON concluded at that time. This organisation determined the economical contacts the economy within the member states and their foreign trade, in spite of gathering the socialist states it was in no way considered to be a monolith. Conflicts of interests arose among the industrialized countries (Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany) and the agricultural ones (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria). The attempt at clarifying the situation and pushing the organization towards closer cooperation was found in the proposal submitted in 1962 by Władysław Gomułka, to strengthen the cooperation within the organization. It wasn’t enthusiastically accepted on the part of the Romanian decedents, who wanted to maintain their own economical priorities. Apart from the easing of the Polish point of view, which was also backed by the USSR, Romanians perceived the proposal as an endangerment towards their own interests, which, in turn, became the catalyst for establishing the so called national communism, developed after 1965 by Nicolae Ceauşescu.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 113 - 126
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.008.7254
The events that took place in Poland in summer and autumn of 1980 drew strong interest from the Western countries. In the United States, the potential literal execution of the Gdańsk Agreement was considered an existential threat for the communist system in Poland. The British embassy in Warsaw indicated that Russians had a reason to see “anti-socialist elements” in Poland. There are
approximately, the British wrote, 32 millions of them, and if Poland were an island on the Pacific Ocean, it would not have a communist regime. It is not an island though. The Foreign Office estimated that the consequences of Soviet intervention in Poland would have been lower than in the case of Afghanistan, as the latter regarded a new area, posing a potential threat to the vital interests of theWest. Another subjugation of Poland would not disturb the strategic or political balance in Europe.
Russia would consider the consequences of intervention in Poland temporary and the risks of the lack of intervention permanent, as inactivity would be an incentive for other Warsaw Pact states. Russia planned to launch the manoeuvres of Soviet the military supported by Czechoslovakian and East German divisions on 8 December. Ryszard Kukliński immediately informed the USA about this fact. It was obvious that the manoeuvres could easily turn into an armed intervention. In his letter of 3 December 1980 to Leonid Brezhnev, President Jimmy Carter emphasised that the United States was utterly committed not to take advantage of the situation in Poland and not to threaten the justified interests of the Soviet Union in the region and that they cared only about letting the Polish nation deal with its internal problems, as imposing certain decisions would have had a negative impact on American-Soviet relations. On 5 December, the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, wrote a similar letter to Brezhnev. He pointed out that Canada understood the interests of the Soviet Union, in particular regarding Central Europe and stated that the allegations that Western state wanted to use the events in Poland against the Soviet Union were unfounded.
The anticipated invasion on the night of 7 and 8 December did not occur indeed. President Carter was convinced though that Moscow would finally invade, as the Solidarność movement was wholly counter to the rationale of a totalitarian system. On 19 December, Zbigniew Brzeziński informed the president that the invasion had been postponed indefinitely. He believed that the basic cause was the effectiveness of Western propaganda, which convinced the Kremlin that Western countries would apply mass political and economic sanctions.
Whilst not undervaluing the importance of Western propaganda and actions aiming at discouraging
Russia, the root cause of withdrawing from immediate intervention in Poland were military considerations, including reluctance to engage in another armed conflict in addition to Afghanistan and concern about military cooperation between the United States and China announced by Brzeziński. Therefore, this time, unlike during the crises of 1956 and 1968, Russia decided to use more refined measures to protect its interests in Poland, leaving the task of dealing with the enormous Solidarność movement to local quislings, as the English called them.
Inga Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 127 - 137
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.009.7255Jan Kułakowski, Secretary General of the World Confederation of Labour, did not officially pursue the Polish national interest as a Polish immigrant and his activity on behalf of Solidarność was limited by the structures of his organisation. However, there is no doubt that his contacts with the Polish opposition and strong emotional bond with his native country made him successfully support the interests of Polish workers within the WCL. This is evidenced by the affiliation of NSZZ Solidarność (as the only Eastern European trade union) not only with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, but also with the World Confederation of Labour.
Wojciech Prażuch
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 139 - 154
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.010.7256During the Cold War, economic relations of the European Communities and Central European states of the Council for Mutual Economic Aid were highly unstable. It was due to lack of institutional frameworks between integration structures of the two parts of the divided continent and the growing protectionism of EEC developing its common trade and agricultural policies. However, the doctrinal crisis of communism and gradual normalisation of East–West relations after concluding the Helsinki Final Act was for some Central European countries an opportunity to make bolder attempts at circumventing the informal prohibition of contacts with Brussels resulting from Soviet political imperatives. The paper is an attempt to demonstrate that it was to some extent in line with the statements of the representatives of political emigrants from Central Europe. They argued that taking advantage of natural interest differences occurring in relations between the Soviet Union and its satellite countries and cautious support of contacts, including economic contact, would lead to disintegration of the eastern monolith and expansion of the “freedom area”, paving the way for future unification of the continent.
Agnieszka Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 155 - 171
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.011.7257In January 1991, an impasse in Polish-Soviet negotiations regarding the evacuation of the Soviet army from Poland and their transit from Germany through Polish territory occurred. Therefore, on 25 January 1991, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate met to hear the government’s relation and decide on the role of the Senate in this crisis. The meeting was an opportunity for government members and senators to discuss the tactics of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the negotiations with the Soviet Union and evaluate it. The discussion revealed a critical assessment of the negotiations, including the fixed date of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland and making the consent to transit the troops from Germany subject to their prior evacuation from Poland. During the meeting, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate decided to organise an information campaign regarding the Polish position, particularly in Germany. In the following months of 1991, Poland gradually mitigated its position in its negotiations with the USSR, increasing its flexibility in the matter of both evacuation and transit.
Lidwine Warchol
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 173 - 190
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.012.7258The article deals with the relationship between two social actors, that is to say the French intellectuals and the French opinion, to Poland. This study is part of a work of crossed history, starting with the French context to show what circulates about Poland in France, and how. From there, the idea is also to see how the reception of Poland can modify or alter the interventions of one another. The study goes back to the origins of the representations on Poland which emerged either through old contacts established at the time of the Ancient Regime, or following the arrival of Polish immigrants in France, who have a very different understanding depending on their social background. If, for a long time, the relationship to these immigrants has forged the image of Poland in France, – a far less positive image than some stereotypes suggest – these representations have been slowly modified thanks to the possibilities to travel and the opening of the country in the late 1950s. The 1970s and the issue of socialism coming to power in France allowed opposing Polish intellectuals to became a reference in France, on the public opinion’s side, a whole Poland benefited a positive image, enhanced by the election of the pope. Finally, the Solidarność moment and the state of war showed how French intellectuals and French public opinion brought a different insight on this events and how the latter won over it thanks to the role of the collective emotion that then expressed.
Andrzej Essen
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 191 - 206
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.013.7259The history of postage stamps was briefly presented in the paper. The focus of the paper, however, was put on the analysis of their visual contents. The main tendencies in the choice of contents presented on postage stamps both at the beginning of their history, i.e. in the 19th century, and in modern times were discussed. Political contents of the stamps, political aspects of their issues, and their social function were studied. The role of postage stamps in historical research as iconographic sources, which can be very important in certain cases, was determined. Political, social, and cultural functions of both issues and visual contents of postage stamps were also mentioned.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 207 - 227
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.014.7260Ethnic relations in the Balkans determine their specificity. In the case of Montenegro, the issue is much more complicated. The range of recognised ethnic minorities in this country is the widest among all the post-Yugoslav countries. The paper analyses the problem of relations between Montenegrins and ethnic minorities, among which the most politically important is the attitude towards the Serbs, who constitute approximately 30% of the society. The key preliminary issue is to determine the identity of Montenegrins, who are commonly considered Serbs. Their mutual tribal relations are clear, but the territorial identity of the Montenegrins has shaped their separate nation-like identity through the ages. That is why the part of the society that declared Montenegrin nationality rejects the distant tribal bond with the Serbs as a basis of political concessions for the latter. Another problem are relations with the Albanians, whose votes allowed Montenegro to gain independence. This community feels disappointed and even marginalised by the Montenegrin authorities, as it expected a greater participation in public life as a recognition for its contribution to independence. The Bosnians have no alternatives: they do not want to cooperate with the Serbs more due to the ethnic purges they fell victim to, but the state of Montenegro seems to ignore them. This is why currently many of them decide to emigrate, which is additionally stimulated by the poverty of the areas they inhabit.
Mariyana Stamova
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 229 - 238
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.015.7261The formation of the Albanian identity and the development of an independent Albania from 1912 onwards was preceded by the Albanian national movement from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. It was at this time that the maximum program of the Albanian National Revival was born, which propagandized the unification of all Albanians in one state from the 1870s. This status quo of the Balkans, reached by the Versailles peace system, was destroyed in the course of the Second World War, when the created “Greater Albania” was a wartime creature. After the end of the Paris peace conference and the establishment of the new post-war order in Europe and the Balkans, the Albanian issue in Yugoslavia and the Albanian factor in the Yugoslav-Albanian relations experienced a difficult development.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 239 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.016.7262Albania is a country with three dominant religions: Islam, Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism. The co-existence of the followers of these religions is harmonious with no or very rare incidents of a religious background. Despite the risks related to the radicalisation of certain attitudes, primarily among Muslims, one must say that Albania is a country where religious tolerance is observed. Individual Churches still face important tasks. In the case of the Albanian Muslim Community, headed by Haxhi Selim Muça since March 2004, key ones include, first and foremost, ensuring its financial security so as minimise the economic dependence from external actors. However, the most controversial at the moment is the restitution of property of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the fact that authority over the Orthodox Church in Albania is held by Archbishop Anastasios who is Greek. The structures of the Catholic Church in Albania – which during Enver Hoxha’s rule sustained major losses not just among the clergy but also lay Catholics – have been rebuilt from scratch. The Catholic Church cooperates with other faiths following the principles of ecumenism.
Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 259 - 289
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.017.7263In 1991, Slovenia became an independent state and had to face the migration policy, sharing the situation of other European countries, struggling with a decreasing number of births. The main group, treated as immigrants, were representatives of the peoples of the former Yugoslavia living in Slovenia already before that date. Also, people emigrating to the area of the Slovenian state until 2010, came mainly from the region. Migration crisis in September 2015 was unprecedented for Slovenia. The text will concentrate on the multidimensional analysis of its policy towards the refugee crisis in Europe, including the demographic aspect, previous migration as well as the legal system and the main actors involved in the struggle with the crisis.
Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 291 - 306
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.018.7264The current refugee crisis faces Bulgaria the clash between European values and humanity and fears of loss of security and violation of these very values. Data suggest that the rates of illegal migration through Bulgaria are relatively low, and the impact of refugee crisis on Bulgarian politics and society is relatively low (in comparision with other South and South-East Europe states). Bulgarian government undertook preventive measures to guard Bulgarian southern border (buill border fence, sent reinforcements from the Bulgarian Army), but as an external border of the UE, Bulgaria is tremendously interested in the adoption of a unifed all-European approach for a solidarity based solution of the problem.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 7 - 11
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.001.7247Danuta Quirini-Popławska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 13 - 26
https://doi.org/0.4467/2543733XSSB.17.002.7248The article is devoted to the part of Matriculazione Università Legista Polona from the years 1591–1598, found in the book No. 30 in the Archivio Antico dell’Università degli Studi di Padova and published for the first time. It is one of the results of the in-depth analysis of the archive, which has been carried out by the author for five years now. The public register consists of 83 entries of people from areas of the former Reczpospolita and, additionally, 6 names of Austrians and Germans. The set of names is supplemented by the list, published by Blasio Brugi and Aloysio Andrich in 1892 in Rotulus et matricula. The hitherto unknown list, entitled Natio Polona, was produced in the years 1592–1593 and contains 62 names. the fact that the majority of scholars coming from the area of the former Rzeczpospolita made entries in this public register of lawyers, providing their distinguishing marks, including birthmarks, scars, gashes and warts located on their faces, arms and necks is interesting and puzzling. Thus far, this kind of information has not been seen in the analysed public registers of European universities. In addition, following the comparison of the names of persons entered in the Register of the Polish nation (“Metryka nacji polskiej”), published by Henryk Barycz, the author of the article identified 25 names of Polish scholars, not listed elsewhere. Hence, the important conclusion is that, in the years 1592–1600, not all Polish scholars from the University of Padua were registered in the official Register of the Polish nation, and so, the number of Polish students at this university may have been much higher than previously estimated.
Jarosław Stolicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 27 - 42
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.003.7249John III Sobieski’s reign has been marked by a surge in the Commonwealth’s international activity. It was a direct consequence of the King’s political plans. First, he sought a prompt termination of the war with the Ottoman Port, but his attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. Later, in a secret alliance with Louis XIV, Sobieski tried to eff ectuate his grand plans in the Baltic, but the awaited favorable arrangement of international interests did not occur. This disappointment drove John III again towards the war with Port, with whom the Commonwealth had in the meanwhile concluded a highly unfavorable peace treaty. The king has made an eff ort to mobilize popular support among the gentry for his war plans. Realistically assessing the Turkish military power, he also recognized the necessity of fi nding allies. His concurrent attempts to convince other European rulers to join forces fi nally met with success in 1683.
Alain Soubigou
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 43 - 56
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.004.7250Teschen was a serious problem after WW1 between Poland and Czechoslovakia. However a diplomatic solution was found on rational basis. On the contrary, problem of Spiš and Orava was more controversial although without strategic dimension. The acute knot was a little village at the border, Javořina/Jaworzyna. Why? Because divergence stood between Poland and Czechoslovakia, between president Masaryk and premier Beneš and between French officers on Polish side and French officers on czechoslovakian side. Thanks to his international links, Beneš earned a good border for his country. But the price was very high: for a while, Czechoslovaks and Poles had cold relations. In the 1930’s, Hitler took advantage of these cold relations.
Annie Guénard-Maget
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 57 - 66
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.005.7251
The introduction focuses on the evolution of the number of students with a French government’s grant coming from central and eastern Europe between 1936‑1938. Aspects of this phenomenon are thus made apparent, among which is the will to revitalize intellectual influence.
The first part focuses on the present situation: specific characters of the French Institutes, their mission as pivots of an effective influence in central Europe, difficulties due to the ongoing economic crisis, limitations of their actions, open foreign competition potentially threatening the French alliances and positions: nazi Germany, fascist Italy. The following development presents the part given to the Institutes in the intellectual expansion program, as it was implemented by the Blum and Chautemps’s governments between 1936–1938. Here, one scrutinizes certain aspects of its modernization toward a more scientific, technical approach, and an action more open to an urban audience. The illustration of these evolutions lies on the case of the Warsaw Institute. This specific case and the study of new structures in Kraków and Poznań delineates a mutual will to cooperation and partnership. In the year 1938, the contrasts between two types of propaganda sharpen: nazi and french. Institutes contribute to the demonstration of the french power.
Józef Łaptos
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 67 - 85
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.006.7252All the states of German-occupied Europe had their governments in exile during the Second World War. The main goal of the Central European states was to regain independence, but not to return to status quo ante, as all of them, with the laudable exception of Czechoslovakia, were autocratic before 1939. Acquiring allies required convicting them about the willingness to establish the democratic rule. One of the main arguments was the vision of Central European federation. The federation was not only a synonym of democracy, but also an opportunity to strengthen the entire area. Sikorski’s government was particularly active in this field, acquiring Western allies for its plans, but did not manage to convince Stalin with their help.
Andrzej Dubicki
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 87 - 111
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.007.7253The Polish-Romanian cooperation which was established during the pre-bellum era, it developed on a political and economic stage in in the changed political environment. In terms of politics, the cooperation in the initial period was determined by the political agreement concluded in January 1949, while in terms of politics, the mutual relations were regulated by the COMECON concluded at that time. This organisation determined the economical contacts the economy within the member states and their foreign trade, in spite of gathering the socialist states it was in no way considered to be a monolith. Conflicts of interests arose among the industrialized countries (Czechoslovakia, Eastern Germany) and the agricultural ones (Poland, Romania, Bulgaria). The attempt at clarifying the situation and pushing the organization towards closer cooperation was found in the proposal submitted in 1962 by Władysław Gomułka, to strengthen the cooperation within the organization. It wasn’t enthusiastically accepted on the part of the Romanian decedents, who wanted to maintain their own economical priorities. Apart from the easing of the Polish point of view, which was also backed by the USSR, Romanians perceived the proposal as an endangerment towards their own interests, which, in turn, became the catalyst for establishing the so called national communism, developed after 1965 by Nicolae Ceauşescu.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 113 - 126
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.008.7254
The events that took place in Poland in summer and autumn of 1980 drew strong interest from the Western countries. In the United States, the potential literal execution of the Gdańsk Agreement was considered an existential threat for the communist system in Poland. The British embassy in Warsaw indicated that Russians had a reason to see “anti-socialist elements” in Poland. There are
approximately, the British wrote, 32 millions of them, and if Poland were an island on the Pacific Ocean, it would not have a communist regime. It is not an island though. The Foreign Office estimated that the consequences of Soviet intervention in Poland would have been lower than in the case of Afghanistan, as the latter regarded a new area, posing a potential threat to the vital interests of theWest. Another subjugation of Poland would not disturb the strategic or political balance in Europe.
Russia would consider the consequences of intervention in Poland temporary and the risks of the lack of intervention permanent, as inactivity would be an incentive for other Warsaw Pact states. Russia planned to launch the manoeuvres of Soviet the military supported by Czechoslovakian and East German divisions on 8 December. Ryszard Kukliński immediately informed the USA about this fact. It was obvious that the manoeuvres could easily turn into an armed intervention. In his letter of 3 December 1980 to Leonid Brezhnev, President Jimmy Carter emphasised that the United States was utterly committed not to take advantage of the situation in Poland and not to threaten the justified interests of the Soviet Union in the region and that they cared only about letting the Polish nation deal with its internal problems, as imposing certain decisions would have had a negative impact on American-Soviet relations. On 5 December, the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, wrote a similar letter to Brezhnev. He pointed out that Canada understood the interests of the Soviet Union, in particular regarding Central Europe and stated that the allegations that Western state wanted to use the events in Poland against the Soviet Union were unfounded.
The anticipated invasion on the night of 7 and 8 December did not occur indeed. President Carter was convinced though that Moscow would finally invade, as the Solidarność movement was wholly counter to the rationale of a totalitarian system. On 19 December, Zbigniew Brzeziński informed the president that the invasion had been postponed indefinitely. He believed that the basic cause was the effectiveness of Western propaganda, which convinced the Kremlin that Western countries would apply mass political and economic sanctions.
Whilst not undervaluing the importance of Western propaganda and actions aiming at discouraging
Russia, the root cause of withdrawing from immediate intervention in Poland were military considerations, including reluctance to engage in another armed conflict in addition to Afghanistan and concern about military cooperation between the United States and China announced by Brzeziński. Therefore, this time, unlike during the crises of 1956 and 1968, Russia decided to use more refined measures to protect its interests in Poland, leaving the task of dealing with the enormous Solidarność movement to local quislings, as the English called them.
Inga Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 127 - 137
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.009.7255Jan Kułakowski, Secretary General of the World Confederation of Labour, did not officially pursue the Polish national interest as a Polish immigrant and his activity on behalf of Solidarność was limited by the structures of his organisation. However, there is no doubt that his contacts with the Polish opposition and strong emotional bond with his native country made him successfully support the interests of Polish workers within the WCL. This is evidenced by the affiliation of NSZZ Solidarność (as the only Eastern European trade union) not only with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, but also with the World Confederation of Labour.
Wojciech Prażuch
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 139 - 154
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.010.7256During the Cold War, economic relations of the European Communities and Central European states of the Council for Mutual Economic Aid were highly unstable. It was due to lack of institutional frameworks between integration structures of the two parts of the divided continent and the growing protectionism of EEC developing its common trade and agricultural policies. However, the doctrinal crisis of communism and gradual normalisation of East–West relations after concluding the Helsinki Final Act was for some Central European countries an opportunity to make bolder attempts at circumventing the informal prohibition of contacts with Brussels resulting from Soviet political imperatives. The paper is an attempt to demonstrate that it was to some extent in line with the statements of the representatives of political emigrants from Central Europe. They argued that taking advantage of natural interest differences occurring in relations between the Soviet Union and its satellite countries and cautious support of contacts, including economic contact, would lead to disintegration of the eastern monolith and expansion of the “freedom area”, paving the way for future unification of the continent.
Agnieszka Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 155 - 171
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.011.7257In January 1991, an impasse in Polish-Soviet negotiations regarding the evacuation of the Soviet army from Poland and their transit from Germany through Polish territory occurred. Therefore, on 25 January 1991, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate met to hear the government’s relation and decide on the role of the Senate in this crisis. The meeting was an opportunity for government members and senators to discuss the tactics of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the negotiations with the Soviet Union and evaluate it. The discussion revealed a critical assessment of the negotiations, including the fixed date of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Poland and making the consent to transit the troops from Germany subject to their prior evacuation from Poland. During the meeting, the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Senate decided to organise an information campaign regarding the Polish position, particularly in Germany. In the following months of 1991, Poland gradually mitigated its position in its negotiations with the USSR, increasing its flexibility in the matter of both evacuation and transit.
Lidwine Warchol
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 173 - 190
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.012.7258The article deals with the relationship between two social actors, that is to say the French intellectuals and the French opinion, to Poland. This study is part of a work of crossed history, starting with the French context to show what circulates about Poland in France, and how. From there, the idea is also to see how the reception of Poland can modify or alter the interventions of one another. The study goes back to the origins of the representations on Poland which emerged either through old contacts established at the time of the Ancient Regime, or following the arrival of Polish immigrants in France, who have a very different understanding depending on their social background. If, for a long time, the relationship to these immigrants has forged the image of Poland in France, – a far less positive image than some stereotypes suggest – these representations have been slowly modified thanks to the possibilities to travel and the opening of the country in the late 1950s. The 1970s and the issue of socialism coming to power in France allowed opposing Polish intellectuals to became a reference in France, on the public opinion’s side, a whole Poland benefited a positive image, enhanced by the election of the pope. Finally, the Solidarność moment and the state of war showed how French intellectuals and French public opinion brought a different insight on this events and how the latter won over it thanks to the role of the collective emotion that then expressed.
Andrzej Essen
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 191 - 206
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.013.7259The history of postage stamps was briefly presented in the paper. The focus of the paper, however, was put on the analysis of their visual contents. The main tendencies in the choice of contents presented on postage stamps both at the beginning of their history, i.e. in the 19th century, and in modern times were discussed. Political contents of the stamps, political aspects of their issues, and their social function were studied. The role of postage stamps in historical research as iconographic sources, which can be very important in certain cases, was determined. Political, social, and cultural functions of both issues and visual contents of postage stamps were also mentioned.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 207 - 227
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.014.7260Ethnic relations in the Balkans determine their specificity. In the case of Montenegro, the issue is much more complicated. The range of recognised ethnic minorities in this country is the widest among all the post-Yugoslav countries. The paper analyses the problem of relations between Montenegrins and ethnic minorities, among which the most politically important is the attitude towards the Serbs, who constitute approximately 30% of the society. The key preliminary issue is to determine the identity of Montenegrins, who are commonly considered Serbs. Their mutual tribal relations are clear, but the territorial identity of the Montenegrins has shaped their separate nation-like identity through the ages. That is why the part of the society that declared Montenegrin nationality rejects the distant tribal bond with the Serbs as a basis of political concessions for the latter. Another problem are relations with the Albanians, whose votes allowed Montenegro to gain independence. This community feels disappointed and even marginalised by the Montenegrin authorities, as it expected a greater participation in public life as a recognition for its contribution to independence. The Bosnians have no alternatives: they do not want to cooperate with the Serbs more due to the ethnic purges they fell victim to, but the state of Montenegro seems to ignore them. This is why currently many of them decide to emigrate, which is additionally stimulated by the poverty of the areas they inhabit.
Mariyana Stamova
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 229 - 238
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.015.7261The formation of the Albanian identity and the development of an independent Albania from 1912 onwards was preceded by the Albanian national movement from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. It was at this time that the maximum program of the Albanian National Revival was born, which propagandized the unification of all Albanians in one state from the 1870s. This status quo of the Balkans, reached by the Versailles peace system, was destroyed in the course of the Second World War, when the created “Greater Albania” was a wartime creature. After the end of the Paris peace conference and the establishment of the new post-war order in Europe and the Balkans, the Albanian issue in Yugoslavia and the Albanian factor in the Yugoslav-Albanian relations experienced a difficult development.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 239 - 258
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.016.7262Albania is a country with three dominant religions: Islam, Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism. The co-existence of the followers of these religions is harmonious with no or very rare incidents of a religious background. Despite the risks related to the radicalisation of certain attitudes, primarily among Muslims, one must say that Albania is a country where religious tolerance is observed. Individual Churches still face important tasks. In the case of the Albanian Muslim Community, headed by Haxhi Selim Muça since March 2004, key ones include, first and foremost, ensuring its financial security so as minimise the economic dependence from external actors. However, the most controversial at the moment is the restitution of property of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the fact that authority over the Orthodox Church in Albania is held by Archbishop Anastasios who is Greek. The structures of the Catholic Church in Albania – which during Enver Hoxha’s rule sustained major losses not just among the clergy but also lay Catholics – have been rebuilt from scratch. The Catholic Church cooperates with other faiths following the principles of ecumenism.
Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 259 - 289
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.017.7263In 1991, Slovenia became an independent state and had to face the migration policy, sharing the situation of other European countries, struggling with a decreasing number of births. The main group, treated as immigrants, were representatives of the peoples of the former Yugoslavia living in Slovenia already before that date. Also, people emigrating to the area of the Slovenian state until 2010, came mainly from the region. Migration crisis in September 2015 was unprecedented for Slovenia. The text will concentrate on the multidimensional analysis of its policy towards the refugee crisis in Europe, including the demographic aspect, previous migration as well as the legal system and the main actors involved in the struggle with the crisis.
Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Tom XXV, 2017, pp. 291 - 306
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.018.7264The current refugee crisis faces Bulgaria the clash between European values and humanity and fears of loss of security and violation of these very values. Data suggest that the rates of illegal migration through Bulgaria are relatively low, and the impact of refugee crisis on Bulgarian politics and society is relatively low (in comparision with other South and South-East Europe states). Bulgarian government undertook preventive measures to guard Bulgarian southern border (buill border fence, sent reinforcements from the Bulgarian Army), but as an external border of the UE, Bulgaria is tremendously interested in the adoption of a unifed all-European approach for a solidarity based solution of the problem.
Publication date: 19.01.2017
Editor-in-Chief:
Aleksander W. Lipatow
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 7 - 14
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.001.6243
In the twentieth century, two world wars and mass genocides, committed by totalitarian regimes, destroyed natural human rights and suppressed people’s personalities, becoming a self-contradiction of civilization. These pan-European processes left their mark on local processes which derived from them. The diffi cult Russian-Polish neighborhood is nothing else but a local manifestation of the pan-European history of the twentieth century.
The situation was diff erent in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was then, in the seventeenth century, that Poland gained a predominant role as a mediator in Russia’s attempts to bring its protracted era of Middle Ages to an end. The essence of this phenomenon was embedded in the fact that for Russianness, Polishness was a mirror of contemporary Europeanism, and, at the same time, a model of its adjustment to the culture of their Slavic neighbor. In the eighteenth century, as a result of levelling out the high Russian and Polish culture, the role of the latter as a mediator and a model ceased to give way to equal partnership. The implementation of universal ideas of the Enlightenment era and Poles’ desire to regain independence were understandable and close to the hearts of representatives of the Russian civil society. This very kind of Europeanism connected Russians and Poles in the sphere of culture, and, subsequently, the politics as its derivative.
Mariusz Misztal
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 15 - 34
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.002.6244
In Cyprus historiography there are very few academic and objective studies dealing with the political role of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church during the Ottoman period (1571–1878) and at the beginning of the British rule (1878–1900).
The beginnings of christianity in Cyprus go back to the Apostolic times. After the Third Crusade, orthodox Cyprus started to be reigned by Roman Catholic Lusignans and later by Venice, until in 1571 it was conquered by the Ottomans. The arrival of the Ottomans meant the rebirth of the Orthodox Church and the increasing infl uence of her bishops and clergy. The article discusses especially the fast growing power and political infl uence of the bishops and archbishops, who became the ethnarchs of the Cypriots, being their sole represenatives at the Porte. For the ethnarchs, who derived their power from the Ottoman imperial centre, cooperation (or, indeed, collaboration) with the Porte and its offi cers in Cyprus (namely, the muhassil and the dragoman) was the only strategy possible to maintain their political, social and economic power in the island.
The identities and the political activity of particular archbishops are presented, with special emphasis on Philoteos (1734–1759), during whose reign the infl uence of the ethnarch started to increase rapidly, Kyprianos I (1810–1821), under whom the infl uence reached its peak but after the tragic events of 1821 disappeared almost completely, and Sophronios III (1865–1900), the fi rst archbishop of the British period, when the position and the political infl uence of the ethnarch was seriously questioned.
Paweł F. Nowakowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 35 - 44
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.003.6245The aim of the paper is to outline the characteristic features of religious polemics, held during the Hussite era, i.e. in the years 1419–1471. The forms of polemics, from direct correspondence to treaties, were presented in the article. Special attention was devoted to the specifi c motives that weren’t the direct object of the polemics, but shaped their rhetoric and determined the fi eld of interpretation. They include the attitude towards cultural and ecclesial tradition, the concept of the Antichrist etc. Finally, examples of manipulation of quotes that were used in the argumentation, from taking words out of context to forgery, were presented.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 45 - 58
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.004.6246This article focuses on the fi gure and the political leadership of Nikola Pašić, the greatest Serbian politician and the leader of the National Radical Party. He had a signifi cant impact on the politics of Serbia during the period of 40 years at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, as he repeatedly held the position of a minister and Prime Minister of Serbia, and subsequently, Prime Minister of the first Yugoslavia. Being a graduate of ETH Zurich, in politics, he represented extreme conservatism, which was essentially at odds with the name of the radical movement, headed by him. In politics, he proclaimed collectivism, rather than individualism. His political philosophy was based on the recognition of the special role of the Serbian peasantry as the creators of the Serbian state and the main political actors in the country. In foreign policy, in turn, he attributed a special role to Russia, a country with which he was hoping to create the Slavic Orthodox civilization.
Gabriela Gavril-Antonesei
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 59 - 76
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.005.6247The presentation focuses on federalist project and plans, political initiatives and addressing officials, (some of the) reactions of the Romanian intellectual and political elites to these projects, as well as their interpretations proposed by the Romanian historiography. Let us begin by stating that the Romanian culture is a distinctive example of the Central-European perception of being “in-between”, along with its possible conceptualizations, being mitigated by the deeply rooted conviction of the “enclave-like” character of this culture. The historic Habsburg heritage is presented exclusively negatively, and a number of historical fi gures, including both politicians and artists, are criticized for their “pro-Habsburg” or “pro-German” agitation, which is considered anti-national.
Peter Prokš
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 77 - 98
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.006.6248
In the 19th century, the period of dynamic development in Central Europe, several nations stood out due to their nationalism which became the most important principle of political, cultural and social life. At the same time, Germany’s attempts to gain total control of the region were particularly apparent. According to contemporary views, prevailing among the supporters of the ‘Greater German’ solution for the future of Central Europe, the fi ght for the “imperial position of the uniform German Reich in the world” meant, primarily, a campaign against the Slavs. This was due to the fact that the Slavs represented the majority among the nations which were a part of the Habsburg monarchy, whose closer links with Germany were an indispensable condition for survival.
However, the ruling circles in Berlin increasingly raised doubts as to whether keeping alive the decaying Habsburg monarchy is reasonable. A question was asked whether it would be a better solution to rather incorporate Cisleithania, including the Czech countries, directly into Germany. The breakthrough in the development of Central Europe was the First World War. Germany also justifi ed the unleashing of the war as a necessity for the survival of Austro-Hungary. The main opponent of German plans for the governance over Central and Eastern Europe was Russia. Therefore, following the defeat of the Russian army on the Eastern Front in May 1915 and moving of the troops of the Central Powers towards the East with the subsequent occupation of the Russian annexed part of the original Kingdom of Poland, also known as Congress Poland, the future of Poland and, at the same time, of the Habsburg Monarchy, along with the prospects of potential reconstruction of the Austro- Hungarian monarchy into a trialistic state, became a burning issue. In addition to the external pressure, Vienna also felt the internal pressure from supporters of close ties between the Habsburg Monarchy and Germany. In its quest for a total subjugation of Central Europe, Berlin attracted supporters with crystallized views in the very Austro Hungary, primarily, among Greater German nationalists in Cisleithania who fully identifi ed themselves with imperialistic plans of the German Empire. At the same time, they also hoped to push through their own imperialistic claims in the Habsburg Monarchy, by introducing an unconditional German hegemony in Cisleithania. However, the defeat of the German army on the Western Front in August 1918 forced Berlin to strongly reevaluate its initial, somewhat excessive, imperialistic ambitions. Although Germany’s former imperialistic aspirations were irretrievably lost, Berlin was not going to accept the fact that the war (although lost) would not bring any benefi t. Therefore, it focused its attention on its neighbour and ally, and considered the ‘Anschluss’, i.e. the acquisition of certain parts of the crumbling Habsburg monarchy. To this end, it intended to use, in particular, the Greater German tendencies in Cisleithania. The eff orts to maintain the German hegemony over Central Europe, and stressing the need of protection against ‘the danger of Bolshevism’ from the East in the post-war period became some of the most important tools of foreign policy, and, subsequently, led to the renewal of Germany’s imperial ambitions. They also included conscious striving for the original Greater German solution for the future of Central Europe, although adapted to the contemporary ideological situation of the empire, due to the unleashing of World War II.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 99 - 120
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.007.6249
During the Second World War and in the early post-war years, one of the most important centers of Polish Emigration of Independence was formed in Tel Aviv. In January 1945, 2291 Polish civil refugees resided in the city (with the total of 6718 Poles throughout all of Palestine). Among them, there were numerous representatives of the pre-war elite from the world of science, culture and politics. Poles developed a rich socio-cultural activity. Tel Aviv became home to a number of Polish organizations and schools; in the city, Polish newspapers and books were issued, and the health care system and Polish church ministry was also organized. A kind of national life abroad was success fully created. However, the situation of refugees changed in July 1945, when Great Britain and the United States annulled the recognition of the Polish Government in Exile.
This brought about the gradual liquidation of institutions associated with the government. In 1946, the responsibility for refugees was assumed by the UNRRA. A vast majority of Poles remained loyal to the Polish government in London and decided not to return to their homeland where the Communists took over the government of the state. Soldiers and their family members were evacuated to Great Britain. The IRO took care of others, transporting them to temporary camps in Europe. The Arab-Jewish confl ict wasn’t conducive to a prolonged stay of Poles in Palestine. In 1948, the Polish Emigration of Independence in Tel Aviv gradually disappeared.
Katarzyna Sobolewska-Myślik
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 121 - 132
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.008.6250The article describes the political initiatives which have launched their operation in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in recent years. They include the following groups: ‘Ano’ and ‘Úsvit Přímé Demokracie‘ in the Czech Republic, Slovakia’s ‘OL’aNO’, and Poland’s ‘Kukiz’15’. A distinctive feature of these groups is their nonpartisan nature, which is important in light of the fact that the organizations are involved in political activities and participate in elections. Another important element of the activity of the aforementioned actors is calling for a mass civic engagement and emphasizing the need for the widespread use of direct democracy mechanisms. The functioning of the described subjects was analysed in light of the growing criticism of the functioning of political parties. Attention was drawn to the fact that, in their present form, these initiatives cannot be considered as potentially eff ective carriers of changes in the fi eld of party politics in the named countries. Despite some sort of radicalism, presented by them, as well as anti-partisanship and calling for civic engagement, these organizations bring to mind the type of parties known as corporation-like political parties, or parties headed by entrepreneurs, i.e. parties that, despite some specifi c features, are still political parties and cannot
Stojan Kiselinovski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 133 - 146
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.009.6251Within the period of Macedonian language codifi cation two tendencies emerged: one language majority headed by Venko Markovski and another one preceded by Blaže Koneski. The language differences among the language majority and minority were a matter of crucial fact. The language minority, with the help of the Macedonian and Yugoslav political nomenclature defeated the language majority and imposed their own language views.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 147 - 161
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.010.6252The article proves that both Greece and Albania saw a clear dependence of the minority policy from history and its exploitation in the current foreign policy. In Albania, the law, enacted by the communist authorities, is still in force, and so is the principle by which national minorities live exclusively in the so-called minority areas. With regard to the acquisition of Albanian or foreign citizenship, the government in Tirana applies the principle, which is in line with the declaration of the League of Nations, signed by Albania on 2 October, 1921, and even today, it cites this legal solution. Still, nationality it is dependent on the entry in the National Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, in which the nationality of each Albanian citizen is determined. This law has been modified by the authorities in Tirana as a result of pressure from the European Union. The situation of Albanians in Greece is even worse. The following are prohibited: free use of the term ‘Albanian’, setting up organisations or publishing national magazines. Also, there are no schools with the Albanian language as the medium of instruction in Greece. However, the Albanian minority has the right to establish their organisations, cultural societies and issue magazines published in the language of their fathers without specifying their national character. Currently, Greeks in Albania have their schools, they enjoy the support for the Greek clergy in Orthodox churches and form their own political parties and associations of both a cultural and educational nature. In turn, Greece has no intention whatsoever of starting a discussion about the establishment of a school with the Albanian language as the medium of instruction in Filiates (known as Filat in Albanian), although such a demand has been presented by its residents. For the Greeks, the problem of the Chams (Albanians in Greece) does not exist, and the Cham people only have support for their eff orts in Albania. The support that Tirana received from Athens is signifi cant, when it was applying for NATO membership, and Greece’s positive attitude towards the Albanians in their eff orts to join the European Union. From Tirana’s point of view, it is much more crucial in the current situation than admitting by Athens that Albanians live in Greece.
Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 161 - 185
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.011.6253The concept of ethnic policy has become the subject of studies by political scientists only relatively recently, while the phenomena associated with ethno-politics, according to the defi nitions given by researchers, have been an area of research within various disciplines since the development of social sciences. The subject of minorities in Serbia (in the area of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Sandžak, the Preševa Valley and the neighbouring communities) is the subject, raised by Polish researchers, and the scope of their research covers the period of the fi rst decade of the 21st century. The Republic of Serbia is a country, in which relations between minorities evolve not only on the formal and institutional level, but also in real life. The text aims to present the ethnic policy of Serbia in several theoretical aspects, towards selected minority groups, which are representative from the point of view of the presentation of the minority problem in the country.
Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 187 - 198
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.012.6254The article raises the issue of the functioning of those political parties which aspire to the role of the representatives of minorities in Bulgaria and in the Republic of Macedonia. In particular, whether the functioning of these parties is conducive to the eff ective integration of these groups into public life has been examined. The research showed that the role and the importance of a minority group in the system of state institutions is primarily determined by its size. Consequently, the issues related to the fi ght for the interests of minorities are fully monopolized by the parties of the Albanians (in Macedonia) and the representative of the Turkish community (in Bulgaria). This situation can cause tensions between the minorities.
Aleksander W. Lipatow
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 7 - 14
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.001.6243
In the twentieth century, two world wars and mass genocides, committed by totalitarian regimes, destroyed natural human rights and suppressed people’s personalities, becoming a self-contradiction of civilization. These pan-European processes left their mark on local processes which derived from them. The diffi cult Russian-Polish neighborhood is nothing else but a local manifestation of the pan-European history of the twentieth century.
The situation was diff erent in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was then, in the seventeenth century, that Poland gained a predominant role as a mediator in Russia’s attempts to bring its protracted era of Middle Ages to an end. The essence of this phenomenon was embedded in the fact that for Russianness, Polishness was a mirror of contemporary Europeanism, and, at the same time, a model of its adjustment to the culture of their Slavic neighbor. In the eighteenth century, as a result of levelling out the high Russian and Polish culture, the role of the latter as a mediator and a model ceased to give way to equal partnership. The implementation of universal ideas of the Enlightenment era and Poles’ desire to regain independence were understandable and close to the hearts of representatives of the Russian civil society. This very kind of Europeanism connected Russians and Poles in the sphere of culture, and, subsequently, the politics as its derivative.
Mariusz Misztal
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 15 - 34
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.002.6244
In Cyprus historiography there are very few academic and objective studies dealing with the political role of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church during the Ottoman period (1571–1878) and at the beginning of the British rule (1878–1900).
The beginnings of christianity in Cyprus go back to the Apostolic times. After the Third Crusade, orthodox Cyprus started to be reigned by Roman Catholic Lusignans and later by Venice, until in 1571 it was conquered by the Ottomans. The arrival of the Ottomans meant the rebirth of the Orthodox Church and the increasing infl uence of her bishops and clergy. The article discusses especially the fast growing power and political infl uence of the bishops and archbishops, who became the ethnarchs of the Cypriots, being their sole represenatives at the Porte. For the ethnarchs, who derived their power from the Ottoman imperial centre, cooperation (or, indeed, collaboration) with the Porte and its offi cers in Cyprus (namely, the muhassil and the dragoman) was the only strategy possible to maintain their political, social and economic power in the island.
The identities and the political activity of particular archbishops are presented, with special emphasis on Philoteos (1734–1759), during whose reign the infl uence of the ethnarch started to increase rapidly, Kyprianos I (1810–1821), under whom the infl uence reached its peak but after the tragic events of 1821 disappeared almost completely, and Sophronios III (1865–1900), the fi rst archbishop of the British period, when the position and the political infl uence of the ethnarch was seriously questioned.
Paweł F. Nowakowski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 35 - 44
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.003.6245The aim of the paper is to outline the characteristic features of religious polemics, held during the Hussite era, i.e. in the years 1419–1471. The forms of polemics, from direct correspondence to treaties, were presented in the article. Special attention was devoted to the specifi c motives that weren’t the direct object of the polemics, but shaped their rhetoric and determined the fi eld of interpretation. They include the attitude towards cultural and ecclesial tradition, the concept of the Antichrist etc. Finally, examples of manipulation of quotes that were used in the argumentation, from taking words out of context to forgery, were presented.
Mirosław Dymarski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 45 - 58
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.004.6246This article focuses on the fi gure and the political leadership of Nikola Pašić, the greatest Serbian politician and the leader of the National Radical Party. He had a signifi cant impact on the politics of Serbia during the period of 40 years at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, as he repeatedly held the position of a minister and Prime Minister of Serbia, and subsequently, Prime Minister of the first Yugoslavia. Being a graduate of ETH Zurich, in politics, he represented extreme conservatism, which was essentially at odds with the name of the radical movement, headed by him. In politics, he proclaimed collectivism, rather than individualism. His political philosophy was based on the recognition of the special role of the Serbian peasantry as the creators of the Serbian state and the main political actors in the country. In foreign policy, in turn, he attributed a special role to Russia, a country with which he was hoping to create the Slavic Orthodox civilization.
Gabriela Gavril-Antonesei
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 59 - 76
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.005.6247The presentation focuses on federalist project and plans, political initiatives and addressing officials, (some of the) reactions of the Romanian intellectual and political elites to these projects, as well as their interpretations proposed by the Romanian historiography. Let us begin by stating that the Romanian culture is a distinctive example of the Central-European perception of being “in-between”, along with its possible conceptualizations, being mitigated by the deeply rooted conviction of the “enclave-like” character of this culture. The historic Habsburg heritage is presented exclusively negatively, and a number of historical fi gures, including both politicians and artists, are criticized for their “pro-Habsburg” or “pro-German” agitation, which is considered anti-national.
Peter Prokš
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 77 - 98
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.006.6248
In the 19th century, the period of dynamic development in Central Europe, several nations stood out due to their nationalism which became the most important principle of political, cultural and social life. At the same time, Germany’s attempts to gain total control of the region were particularly apparent. According to contemporary views, prevailing among the supporters of the ‘Greater German’ solution for the future of Central Europe, the fi ght for the “imperial position of the uniform German Reich in the world” meant, primarily, a campaign against the Slavs. This was due to the fact that the Slavs represented the majority among the nations which were a part of the Habsburg monarchy, whose closer links with Germany were an indispensable condition for survival.
However, the ruling circles in Berlin increasingly raised doubts as to whether keeping alive the decaying Habsburg monarchy is reasonable. A question was asked whether it would be a better solution to rather incorporate Cisleithania, including the Czech countries, directly into Germany. The breakthrough in the development of Central Europe was the First World War. Germany also justifi ed the unleashing of the war as a necessity for the survival of Austro-Hungary. The main opponent of German plans for the governance over Central and Eastern Europe was Russia. Therefore, following the defeat of the Russian army on the Eastern Front in May 1915 and moving of the troops of the Central Powers towards the East with the subsequent occupation of the Russian annexed part of the original Kingdom of Poland, also known as Congress Poland, the future of Poland and, at the same time, of the Habsburg Monarchy, along with the prospects of potential reconstruction of the Austro- Hungarian monarchy into a trialistic state, became a burning issue. In addition to the external pressure, Vienna also felt the internal pressure from supporters of close ties between the Habsburg Monarchy and Germany. In its quest for a total subjugation of Central Europe, Berlin attracted supporters with crystallized views in the very Austro Hungary, primarily, among Greater German nationalists in Cisleithania who fully identifi ed themselves with imperialistic plans of the German Empire. At the same time, they also hoped to push through their own imperialistic claims in the Habsburg Monarchy, by introducing an unconditional German hegemony in Cisleithania. However, the defeat of the German army on the Western Front in August 1918 forced Berlin to strongly reevaluate its initial, somewhat excessive, imperialistic ambitions. Although Germany’s former imperialistic aspirations were irretrievably lost, Berlin was not going to accept the fact that the war (although lost) would not bring any benefi t. Therefore, it focused its attention on its neighbour and ally, and considered the ‘Anschluss’, i.e. the acquisition of certain parts of the crumbling Habsburg monarchy. To this end, it intended to use, in particular, the Greater German tendencies in Cisleithania. The eff orts to maintain the German hegemony over Central Europe, and stressing the need of protection against ‘the danger of Bolshevism’ from the East in the post-war period became some of the most important tools of foreign policy, and, subsequently, led to the renewal of Germany’s imperial ambitions. They also included conscious striving for the original Greater German solution for the future of Central Europe, although adapted to the contemporary ideological situation of the empire, due to the unleashing of World War II.
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 99 - 120
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.007.6249
During the Second World War and in the early post-war years, one of the most important centers of Polish Emigration of Independence was formed in Tel Aviv. In January 1945, 2291 Polish civil refugees resided in the city (with the total of 6718 Poles throughout all of Palestine). Among them, there were numerous representatives of the pre-war elite from the world of science, culture and politics. Poles developed a rich socio-cultural activity. Tel Aviv became home to a number of Polish organizations and schools; in the city, Polish newspapers and books were issued, and the health care system and Polish church ministry was also organized. A kind of national life abroad was success fully created. However, the situation of refugees changed in July 1945, when Great Britain and the United States annulled the recognition of the Polish Government in Exile.
This brought about the gradual liquidation of institutions associated with the government. In 1946, the responsibility for refugees was assumed by the UNRRA. A vast majority of Poles remained loyal to the Polish government in London and decided not to return to their homeland where the Communists took over the government of the state. Soldiers and their family members were evacuated to Great Britain. The IRO took care of others, transporting them to temporary camps in Europe. The Arab-Jewish confl ict wasn’t conducive to a prolonged stay of Poles in Palestine. In 1948, the Polish Emigration of Independence in Tel Aviv gradually disappeared.
Katarzyna Sobolewska-Myślik
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 121 - 132
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.008.6250The article describes the political initiatives which have launched their operation in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in recent years. They include the following groups: ‘Ano’ and ‘Úsvit Přímé Demokracie‘ in the Czech Republic, Slovakia’s ‘OL’aNO’, and Poland’s ‘Kukiz’15’. A distinctive feature of these groups is their nonpartisan nature, which is important in light of the fact that the organizations are involved in political activities and participate in elections. Another important element of the activity of the aforementioned actors is calling for a mass civic engagement and emphasizing the need for the widespread use of direct democracy mechanisms. The functioning of the described subjects was analysed in light of the growing criticism of the functioning of political parties. Attention was drawn to the fact that, in their present form, these initiatives cannot be considered as potentially eff ective carriers of changes in the fi eld of party politics in the named countries. Despite some sort of radicalism, presented by them, as well as anti-partisanship and calling for civic engagement, these organizations bring to mind the type of parties known as corporation-like political parties, or parties headed by entrepreneurs, i.e. parties that, despite some specifi c features, are still political parties and cannot
Stojan Kiselinovski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 133 - 146
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.009.6251Within the period of Macedonian language codifi cation two tendencies emerged: one language majority headed by Venko Markovski and another one preceded by Blaže Koneski. The language differences among the language majority and minority were a matter of crucial fact. The language minority, with the help of the Macedonian and Yugoslav political nomenclature defeated the language majority and imposed their own language views.
Irena Stawowy-Kawka
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 147 - 161
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.010.6252The article proves that both Greece and Albania saw a clear dependence of the minority policy from history and its exploitation in the current foreign policy. In Albania, the law, enacted by the communist authorities, is still in force, and so is the principle by which national minorities live exclusively in the so-called minority areas. With regard to the acquisition of Albanian or foreign citizenship, the government in Tirana applies the principle, which is in line with the declaration of the League of Nations, signed by Albania on 2 October, 1921, and even today, it cites this legal solution. Still, nationality it is dependent on the entry in the National Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, in which the nationality of each Albanian citizen is determined. This law has been modified by the authorities in Tirana as a result of pressure from the European Union. The situation of Albanians in Greece is even worse. The following are prohibited: free use of the term ‘Albanian’, setting up organisations or publishing national magazines. Also, there are no schools with the Albanian language as the medium of instruction in Greece. However, the Albanian minority has the right to establish their organisations, cultural societies and issue magazines published in the language of their fathers without specifying their national character. Currently, Greeks in Albania have their schools, they enjoy the support for the Greek clergy in Orthodox churches and form their own political parties and associations of both a cultural and educational nature. In turn, Greece has no intention whatsoever of starting a discussion about the establishment of a school with the Albanian language as the medium of instruction in Filiates (known as Filat in Albanian), although such a demand has been presented by its residents. For the Greeks, the problem of the Chams (Albanians in Greece) does not exist, and the Cham people only have support for their eff orts in Albania. The support that Tirana received from Athens is signifi cant, when it was applying for NATO membership, and Greece’s positive attitude towards the Albanians in their eff orts to join the European Union. From Tirana’s point of view, it is much more crucial in the current situation than admitting by Athens that Albanians live in Greece.
Mirella Korzeniewska-Wiszniewska
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 161 - 185
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.011.6253The concept of ethnic policy has become the subject of studies by political scientists only relatively recently, while the phenomena associated with ethno-politics, according to the defi nitions given by researchers, have been an area of research within various disciplines since the development of social sciences. The subject of minorities in Serbia (in the area of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Sandžak, the Preševa Valley and the neighbouring communities) is the subject, raised by Polish researchers, and the scope of their research covers the period of the fi rst decade of the 21st century. The Republic of Serbia is a country, in which relations between minorities evolve not only on the formal and institutional level, but also in real life. The text aims to present the ethnic policy of Serbia in several theoretical aspects, towards selected minority groups, which are representative from the point of view of the presentation of the minority problem in the country.
Rafał Woźnica
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIV, 2016, pp. 187 - 198
https://doi.org/10.4467/2543733XSSB.16.012.6254The article raises the issue of the functioning of those political parties which aspire to the role of the representatives of minorities in Bulgaria and in the Republic of Macedonia. In particular, whether the functioning of these parties is conducive to the eff ective integration of these groups into public life has been examined. The research showed that the role and the importance of a minority group in the system of state institutions is primarily determined by its size. Consequently, the issues related to the fi ght for the interests of minorities are fully monopolized by the parties of the Albanians (in Macedonia) and the representative of the Turkish community (in Bulgaria). This situation can cause tensions between the minorities.
Publication date: 18.03.2016
Editor-in-Chief:
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 7 - 12
Grzegorz M. Kowalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 13 - 28
The aim of the article is to show the transformation that took place in the Romanian constitutionalism in the interwar period. The basis for the author’s considerations are selected provisions of the two fundamental laws in force in Romania during this period, that is, the constitutions adopted in 1923 and 1938. These acts have created the foundation for two entirely different political systems – a parliamentary democracy (a parliamentary-cabinet system of government) and authoritarianism (breaking with the principle of the separation of powers for the sake of concentrating all the power in the hands of one authority, that is, the monarch). The political evolution that took place in Romania is part of the broader phenomenon of the crisis of parliamentary democracy in interwar Europe. The dictatorship, proclaimed in 1940 by General Antonescu, with the suspension of the Fundamental Law, defi nitively ended the constitutional period in Romania. The state was transformed into a totalitarian country. In addition, the article also briefl y presents the fundamental laws in force in Romania during the rule of the Communist Party. A broader reference to the practice of governance is made in the summary, in particular as regards the period after the Constitution of 1938 entered into force.
Marek Bankowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 29 - 59
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the fi rst and many year long President of the Czechoslovak Republic, was the author of an original theory of democracy. In his eyes, politics may not be dominated by issues of power and its derivatives, but should be based on moral principles and creatively serve to solve people’s problems. Democracy, if properly implemented, gradually brings the realization of humanitarian ideals and political diversion to public life and social relations from the politics of power towards the non-political – ethical and scientifi c – politics. A wider popularity of this kind of behaviour, i.e. humanitarian and non-political politics will, over time, lead to a democracy which will cease to be merely a political mechanism and electoral decision-making procedure, and will become a world-view of modern citizens, which of course does not mean that it will take on the form of a new religion.
Peter Švorc
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 61 - 82
In Czechoslovakia 28 October 1918 was regarded as the date when the state of the Czechs and Slovaks was created. The National Assembly (Národné zhromaždenie) decided that the day would be a national holiday and then it slowly passed into the consciousness of all generations as the day when the Czechoslovak Republic was established. The situation was, however, much more complex. The act of the inauguration of the new state did not mean, in fact, that at this point a new state was established. Much more effort was still needed to do so. By right one can say that Czechoslovakia was established between 28 and 30 October 1918, but in fact this happened at the end of 1918. On the part of Greater Hungary the words by right were clearly of a relative nature, and in the case of Slovakia the term was not at all acceptable. Its aim was to make this act of state-building unrealized. It was also the aim of the actions of Magyar (Hungarian) politics and diplomacy – albeit attempted without success. On the other hand, this way of thinking was also visible in the dynamic state-forming process within the emerging state of Czechoslovakia. It was visible in the way how individual nations and nationalities living in Slovakia understood the dissolution of the monarchy, mainly of Great Hungary, as well as the emergence of Czechoslovakia. Slovaks became the decisive factor in this new situation, as they were the force without which Czechoslovakia would not come into existence. The key issue was how Slovaks would accept the new reality and whether they would identify themselves with the newly established state. It was more than certain that Slovak residents would support the disintegration of Greater Hungary and the emergence of Czechoslovakia – the events which would fundamentally change their position. From a nation condemned to the status of an ethnic group, who, in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century was denied basic national rights, they were going to become a fully-fl edged and state-creating nation. Hundreds of Slovaks in exile had been working to achieve this goal. They were actively involved in the national movement since the beginning of the First World War, Začleňovanie Slovenska do nového štátu a vznik Československa 79 preparing to fi ght and engage in politics in the Czech and Slovak environment. In the country the entire process would be more complex because of the persecution that appeared in the decisive moments of the end of 1918. The Slovak political elite set up a representative political body of the Slovak National Council (Slovenská národná rada) only in October 1918 and in the Martinska Declaration (Martinská deklaracia) of 30 October 1918, they voted in favour of the Czech-Slovak state. Some Slovak citizens established councils and national committees in villages and towns, but most people waited passively for the development of the situation. The Lower Protestant clergy and Catholic priests accepted the pro-Czechoslovakian direction, and at the end of 1918 they opposed their church hierarchy in this respect. The hierarchs had a pro-Hungary orientation and called upon both the clergy and believers to oppose the disappearance of the former Hungarian state. Catholics were threatened with Czech Hussite and anti-Catholic tradition, while Evangelicals were intimidated with the disappearance of Hungarian general ecclesiastical authority, which would mean that Evangelicals in Slovakia would be in the minority. Slovakian offi cials, state employees, teachers, some clergy, lawyers and entrepreneurs all supported Greater Hungary, as they feared that in the new state they would lose their social position. They used the neutrality of the inhabitants, particularly of eastern Slovakia, in order to spread pro-Hungarian propaganda. Eastern Slovakia was one of districts where Slovaks were consciously denationalized, disoriented and intimidated by propaganda for the longest time. At the beginning of November 1918, the East-Slovakian National Council (Východoslovenská národná rada) was established in Prešov and acted as a counterweight to the Martinska Slovak National Council. It worked closely with the Prešov Magyar National Council and was in favour of retaining the whole of Greater Hungary. It organized campaigns supporting old Hungary in Prešov and its surroundings. It also tried to include Slovaks from other parts of Slovakia in its activities, but only those under the aegis of an independent Slovakia, without the Czechs. The activities of the Eastern Slovakia National Council intensifi ed after 11 November 1918, when Slovak pro-Magyar People’s Republic (Slovenská ľudová republika) was proclaimed in Kosice and asked Budapest for help and protection. The actions of the government of the Slovak People’s Republic were closely followed by Budapest, which at the same time hoped that the Slovak National Council in Martin and the Ambassador of the Czechoslovak Government Milan Hodža will opt for a compromise that would satisfy Budapest, for example by reducing the size of the forming territory of Czechoslovakia in the Upper Hungary-Slovakia region or leaving it within its current state. Budapest did not openly support Slovak People’s Republic, not seeing mass support for its representatives. The Slovak Peoples’ Republic, whose capital was to be Prešov, disappeared with the arrival of the Czechoslovak army at the end of December 1918.
Ruthenians living on this territory were Slavs and they were perceived in Czechoslovakia by defi nition as members of the state-forming group. Before the proclamation of the Czechoslovak Republic Ruthenian residents, apart from a few people from the intelligentsia who in November 1918 founded the Old Lubovna and Presov Ruthenian National Council (Ruska národná rada), did not engage in any state-forming activities. Ruthenian Greek Catholic clergy, which formed the core of national intelligence, were of a mostly pro-Hungarian orientation and encouraged their parishioners to be the same. If one looks at Ruthenians only on Slovak territory, one can see that they quickly embraced the idea of the disintegration of Greater Hungary and although most often passively, identifi ed either with the views of their national representatives concerning creating their own Ruthenian state (Uhrorusínia or Karpatská Rus), or becoming a part of the Slavic Czechoslovakia. Magyars (Hungarians) were in a completely different situation. For them, the creation of Czechoslovakia assumed the proportions of a disaster and this is how they understood it. In Czechoslovakia they would cease to be members of the ruling nation and would fall into the position of an ethnic minority. This concerned about 640,000 Hungarians (according to statistics from 1921, or – 896,271 Hungarians according to Hungarian statistics from 1910) who wanted Greater Hungary 80 PETER ŠVORC to survive and rejected the idea of creating Czechoslovakia. They wanted to use newly established local councils as political tools. Such councils gathered all residents supporting the integration of Greater Hungary and relied on Budapest and Hungarian politicians of that time. They intimidated Slovaks, Jews and Russians on ethnically mixed areas, whom they wanted to pull away from activities against Greater Hungary. Also Hungarian Germans who clearly supported Hungary fi rmly rejected the idea of a new state. Magyarization changed their beliefs successfully, and they did not seem to object to that fact. They perceived Slovaks as a nation of servants and coachmen or people of a lower category, and they did not want to be on the same social level or identify with Slovaks. They rejected the idea of being citizens of a Slavic state in which Slavs (that is, also Slovaks) would be a state-forming nation and Germans, who used to have a higher social status would only be a national minority. Everyone, including about 140.000 people of German nationality (according to Hungarian statistics from 1910 a population of 196,958 Germans and according to Czechoslovakian ones from 1921, a population of 139,900) rejected the notion of a new state.
This became visible at the end of 1918, when the independent Republic of Spiš (Spišská republika) was proclaimed on 9 December in Kežmarok. Representative Germans in Slovakia became its members, inspired by the presidium of the German Upper-Hungarian Council (Hornouhorská nemecká rada). Spiš republic was supposed to be an Upper-Hungarian Switzerland, which would, however, be protected by Budapest. In connection with the approaching Czechoslovak army, Germans of Spiš gave up the idea of creating the Spiš republic, and it soon disappeared. The new state was also rejected by Jews. Jewish residents did not have the same social status as the rest of the citizens of Great Hungary. They were viewed with disdain but, given their economic power, they were not indoctrinated and in comparison with Slovaks they could advance higher in the social hierarchy. In Hungary, Jews found conditions for a tolerable and even successful existence and the country whose structure they knew well turned out to be a better haven in diffi cult moments than the newly proclaimed Czechoslovakia. In this sense, Jews also belonged to those rejecting the Czechoslovak statehood. This was true for 136,000 inhabitants of Slovakia. If we consider only the nationality of the inhabitants of Slovakia as a basis to reject the new state, it appears that out of 2,926,824 inhabitants (data from 1910) between October and December 1918, 1,138,311, or 38.81% of the population were against Czechoslovakia. This data, however, is incomplete, as the number of people who in the fi rst weeks after the end of World War I did not identify with the new state also included the Slovaks and Russians. These were mostly people who were connected to Great Hungary and its state power and joined their further existence with this state. The size of this category is very diffi cult to determine, as it never was statistically captured. František Votruba may help to approximate this number, as in his words during the coup there were only about 1,200 members of nationally oriented Slovak intelligentsia in Slovakia who proclaimed their allegiance to their own nation. If to those 54 per cent of people rejecting Czechoslovakia one adds any other number, it will turn out that in fact up to 50% of Slovakia’s inhabitants were against the disintegration of Greater Hungary and incorporating Slovakia into the Czechoslovak state. This was an argument that could actually weigh on the forthcoming peace conference in Paris. Slovak national activists and Czech politicians were aware of this fact and therefore tried to level internal relations as soon as possible as well as to eliminate external infl uences that could destabilize the new state. That is why on 5 November 1918, politically active Slovaks established the Provisional Government of Slovakia (Dočasné vláda pre Slovensko). On its behalf they offi cially asked for military assistance of Prague in incorporating Slovakia to the new state. This aid was granted to them very quickly. By the end of 1918 Slovakia became a real part of Czechoslovakia, but at least until the signing of the Trianon Treaty of Peace in June 1920, it was a territory with many destabilizing Začleňovanie Slovenska do nového štátu a vznik Československa 81 factors that caused the rejection of the Pittsburgh Agreement (Pittsburská dohoda) of 30 May 1918. The Pittsburgh Agreement, signed by American Czechs and Slovaks and also the future president T.G. Masaryk, validated the autonomous position of Slovakia in the joint Czech-Slovak State.
Grzegorz Mazur
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 83 - 95
Eastern Galicia (east of the San River), which before the outbreak of World War I was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Volyn, located to the north of Galicia, which was part of Russia is what is meant by Western Ukraine. At that time the political infl uences of Russia and Austria-Hungary clashed in this very region. The paper also discusses confl icts which took place in these lands between the Polish, Ukrainian and Russophile political fractions. After World War II, these lands were included in the Second Republic of Poland and the confl ict between the Soviet Union and Poland was accompanied by an increasing activity of Ukrainian nationalists. During the war they carried out a series of bloody ethnic cleansing campaigns on the Polish population, in particular in Volyn in 1943. These actions, together with the policy of the Soviet authorities immediately after the war was the reason why the Polish population left the territory. These lands were part of the Soviet Union for many years and after its collapse – Ukraine.
Bohdan Hud'
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 97 - 107
The nature of Ukrainian-Polish confl icts of the 19th and the fi rst half of the 20th century in the Right-bank Ukraine has been analysed. It was emphasized that by the end of World War I, these were confl icts mostly of an ethno-social nature. In the interwar period, they were just as important as the ethno-political confl icts on the territory of East Galicia and especially Volyn, which had been annexed to the Second Polish Republic. In the author’s judgment, the abovementioned requires a deeper unconventional approach to researching the reasons of the so called Volyn Tragedy of 1943–1944.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 107 - 107
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 109 - 116
In Central and Eastern Europe all multinational states – Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union – failed, because they had no strong unifying idea and their citizens of different nationalities had no common identity unifying them with the state rather than with their nation. After the World War I Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire disintegrated for the same reason. The successor states of Austria-Hungary declared themselves as the nation-states, but in fact they were only smaller copies of deceased Austria-Hungary. They were multinational states based mainly on the language proximity of the particular nations (Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Yugoslavia, Czechs and Slovaks in Czechoslovakia) and in addition, they had also strong national minorities. It became soon clear that the language proximity is not enough to form the new common identity which would bridge the people of different nationality in the new succession states. The succession states lasted only for roughly two decades. It is true that Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia became victims of the Nazi German aggression, but it is highly likely that in the longer period they would disintegrate anyway. After the war both Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were restored. According to the Soviet example, Yugoslavia chose the federative model which Czechoslovakia adopted in 1968, too. However, the federation based on national principles proved to be unstable. The limits of federation became soon too narrow for the smaller nations in the federations. After the fall of Communist dictatorship in these countries at the end of 1989, there was no power and no idea to keep these multinational states. The idea of democracy could not span different nations within one state if there was no other spanning idea and common identity. This was the reason why Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia defi nitively disintegrated in the nineties. However, the process of disintegration of multinational states should not be seen as something negative per se because throughout history the states come and go. More important than maintaining existing states are the relations between the new successor states.
Janusz Józef Węc
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 117 - 148
The article focuses on Polish-German relations in the European Union and NATO since Poland’s accession to these two international organizations. The futher analysis confi rms the introductory research hypothesis that both Polish-German bilateral relations, as well as these relations in the European (EU) and Transatlantic (NATO) dimension appear to be positive. On the other hand, real spheres of confl ict have appeared in both of these areas, related to differences in the national interests of both countries, different political priorities or the opposite interpretation of historical events. In the European Union such confl ict spheres were the reform of the political system of the European Union, Eastern Partnership and the common energy policy of the EU. As regards NATO, the confl ict of interests between Poland and Germany concerned the war in Iraq, the dispute over the US missile defense system as well as the Ukrainian crisis. The analysis also showed that in many matters concerning the European Union (eg. the Eastern Partnership, common energy policy, energy security) the positions of Germany and Poland were and still are the result of the relationship of these two countries with Russia. On the other hand, a different approach of Poland and Germany to their relations with the United States resulted in differences in the views of the governments of both countries towards transatlantic cooperation (eg. the war in Iraq, missile defense system).
Artur Patek
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 7 - 12
Grzegorz M. Kowalski
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 13 - 28
The aim of the article is to show the transformation that took place in the Romanian constitutionalism in the interwar period. The basis for the author’s considerations are selected provisions of the two fundamental laws in force in Romania during this period, that is, the constitutions adopted in 1923 and 1938. These acts have created the foundation for two entirely different political systems – a parliamentary democracy (a parliamentary-cabinet system of government) and authoritarianism (breaking with the principle of the separation of powers for the sake of concentrating all the power in the hands of one authority, that is, the monarch). The political evolution that took place in Romania is part of the broader phenomenon of the crisis of parliamentary democracy in interwar Europe. The dictatorship, proclaimed in 1940 by General Antonescu, with the suspension of the Fundamental Law, defi nitively ended the constitutional period in Romania. The state was transformed into a totalitarian country. In addition, the article also briefl y presents the fundamental laws in force in Romania during the rule of the Communist Party. A broader reference to the practice of governance is made in the summary, in particular as regards the period after the Constitution of 1938 entered into force.
Marek Bankowicz
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 29 - 59
Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, the fi rst and many year long President of the Czechoslovak Republic, was the author of an original theory of democracy. In his eyes, politics may not be dominated by issues of power and its derivatives, but should be based on moral principles and creatively serve to solve people’s problems. Democracy, if properly implemented, gradually brings the realization of humanitarian ideals and political diversion to public life and social relations from the politics of power towards the non-political – ethical and scientifi c – politics. A wider popularity of this kind of behaviour, i.e. humanitarian and non-political politics will, over time, lead to a democracy which will cease to be merely a political mechanism and electoral decision-making procedure, and will become a world-view of modern citizens, which of course does not mean that it will take on the form of a new religion.
Peter Švorc
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 61 - 82
In Czechoslovakia 28 October 1918 was regarded as the date when the state of the Czechs and Slovaks was created. The National Assembly (Národné zhromaždenie) decided that the day would be a national holiday and then it slowly passed into the consciousness of all generations as the day when the Czechoslovak Republic was established. The situation was, however, much more complex. The act of the inauguration of the new state did not mean, in fact, that at this point a new state was established. Much more effort was still needed to do so. By right one can say that Czechoslovakia was established between 28 and 30 October 1918, but in fact this happened at the end of 1918. On the part of Greater Hungary the words by right were clearly of a relative nature, and in the case of Slovakia the term was not at all acceptable. Its aim was to make this act of state-building unrealized. It was also the aim of the actions of Magyar (Hungarian) politics and diplomacy – albeit attempted without success. On the other hand, this way of thinking was also visible in the dynamic state-forming process within the emerging state of Czechoslovakia. It was visible in the way how individual nations and nationalities living in Slovakia understood the dissolution of the monarchy, mainly of Great Hungary, as well as the emergence of Czechoslovakia. Slovaks became the decisive factor in this new situation, as they were the force without which Czechoslovakia would not come into existence. The key issue was how Slovaks would accept the new reality and whether they would identify themselves with the newly established state. It was more than certain that Slovak residents would support the disintegration of Greater Hungary and the emergence of Czechoslovakia – the events which would fundamentally change their position. From a nation condemned to the status of an ethnic group, who, in the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth century was denied basic national rights, they were going to become a fully-fl edged and state-creating nation. Hundreds of Slovaks in exile had been working to achieve this goal. They were actively involved in the national movement since the beginning of the First World War, Začleňovanie Slovenska do nového štátu a vznik Československa 79 preparing to fi ght and engage in politics in the Czech and Slovak environment. In the country the entire process would be more complex because of the persecution that appeared in the decisive moments of the end of 1918. The Slovak political elite set up a representative political body of the Slovak National Council (Slovenská národná rada) only in October 1918 and in the Martinska Declaration (Martinská deklaracia) of 30 October 1918, they voted in favour of the Czech-Slovak state. Some Slovak citizens established councils and national committees in villages and towns, but most people waited passively for the development of the situation. The Lower Protestant clergy and Catholic priests accepted the pro-Czechoslovakian direction, and at the end of 1918 they opposed their church hierarchy in this respect. The hierarchs had a pro-Hungary orientation and called upon both the clergy and believers to oppose the disappearance of the former Hungarian state. Catholics were threatened with Czech Hussite and anti-Catholic tradition, while Evangelicals were intimidated with the disappearance of Hungarian general ecclesiastical authority, which would mean that Evangelicals in Slovakia would be in the minority. Slovakian offi cials, state employees, teachers, some clergy, lawyers and entrepreneurs all supported Greater Hungary, as they feared that in the new state they would lose their social position. They used the neutrality of the inhabitants, particularly of eastern Slovakia, in order to spread pro-Hungarian propaganda. Eastern Slovakia was one of districts where Slovaks were consciously denationalized, disoriented and intimidated by propaganda for the longest time. At the beginning of November 1918, the East-Slovakian National Council (Východoslovenská národná rada) was established in Prešov and acted as a counterweight to the Martinska Slovak National Council. It worked closely with the Prešov Magyar National Council and was in favour of retaining the whole of Greater Hungary. It organized campaigns supporting old Hungary in Prešov and its surroundings. It also tried to include Slovaks from other parts of Slovakia in its activities, but only those under the aegis of an independent Slovakia, without the Czechs. The activities of the Eastern Slovakia National Council intensifi ed after 11 November 1918, when Slovak pro-Magyar People’s Republic (Slovenská ľudová republika) was proclaimed in Kosice and asked Budapest for help and protection. The actions of the government of the Slovak People’s Republic were closely followed by Budapest, which at the same time hoped that the Slovak National Council in Martin and the Ambassador of the Czechoslovak Government Milan Hodža will opt for a compromise that would satisfy Budapest, for example by reducing the size of the forming territory of Czechoslovakia in the Upper Hungary-Slovakia region or leaving it within its current state. Budapest did not openly support Slovak People’s Republic, not seeing mass support for its representatives. The Slovak Peoples’ Republic, whose capital was to be Prešov, disappeared with the arrival of the Czechoslovak army at the end of December 1918.
Ruthenians living on this territory were Slavs and they were perceived in Czechoslovakia by defi nition as members of the state-forming group. Before the proclamation of the Czechoslovak Republic Ruthenian residents, apart from a few people from the intelligentsia who in November 1918 founded the Old Lubovna and Presov Ruthenian National Council (Ruska národná rada), did not engage in any state-forming activities. Ruthenian Greek Catholic clergy, which formed the core of national intelligence, were of a mostly pro-Hungarian orientation and encouraged their parishioners to be the same. If one looks at Ruthenians only on Slovak territory, one can see that they quickly embraced the idea of the disintegration of Greater Hungary and although most often passively, identifi ed either with the views of their national representatives concerning creating their own Ruthenian state (Uhrorusínia or Karpatská Rus), or becoming a part of the Slavic Czechoslovakia. Magyars (Hungarians) were in a completely different situation. For them, the creation of Czechoslovakia assumed the proportions of a disaster and this is how they understood it. In Czechoslovakia they would cease to be members of the ruling nation and would fall into the position of an ethnic minority. This concerned about 640,000 Hungarians (according to statistics from 1921, or – 896,271 Hungarians according to Hungarian statistics from 1910) who wanted Greater Hungary 80 PETER ŠVORC to survive and rejected the idea of creating Czechoslovakia. They wanted to use newly established local councils as political tools. Such councils gathered all residents supporting the integration of Greater Hungary and relied on Budapest and Hungarian politicians of that time. They intimidated Slovaks, Jews and Russians on ethnically mixed areas, whom they wanted to pull away from activities against Greater Hungary. Also Hungarian Germans who clearly supported Hungary fi rmly rejected the idea of a new state. Magyarization changed their beliefs successfully, and they did not seem to object to that fact. They perceived Slovaks as a nation of servants and coachmen or people of a lower category, and they did not want to be on the same social level or identify with Slovaks. They rejected the idea of being citizens of a Slavic state in which Slavs (that is, also Slovaks) would be a state-forming nation and Germans, who used to have a higher social status would only be a national minority. Everyone, including about 140.000 people of German nationality (according to Hungarian statistics from 1910 a population of 196,958 Germans and according to Czechoslovakian ones from 1921, a population of 139,900) rejected the notion of a new state.
This became visible at the end of 1918, when the independent Republic of Spiš (Spišská republika) was proclaimed on 9 December in Kežmarok. Representative Germans in Slovakia became its members, inspired by the presidium of the German Upper-Hungarian Council (Hornouhorská nemecká rada). Spiš republic was supposed to be an Upper-Hungarian Switzerland, which would, however, be protected by Budapest. In connection with the approaching Czechoslovak army, Germans of Spiš gave up the idea of creating the Spiš republic, and it soon disappeared. The new state was also rejected by Jews. Jewish residents did not have the same social status as the rest of the citizens of Great Hungary. They were viewed with disdain but, given their economic power, they were not indoctrinated and in comparison with Slovaks they could advance higher in the social hierarchy. In Hungary, Jews found conditions for a tolerable and even successful existence and the country whose structure they knew well turned out to be a better haven in diffi cult moments than the newly proclaimed Czechoslovakia. In this sense, Jews also belonged to those rejecting the Czechoslovak statehood. This was true for 136,000 inhabitants of Slovakia. If we consider only the nationality of the inhabitants of Slovakia as a basis to reject the new state, it appears that out of 2,926,824 inhabitants (data from 1910) between October and December 1918, 1,138,311, or 38.81% of the population were against Czechoslovakia. This data, however, is incomplete, as the number of people who in the fi rst weeks after the end of World War I did not identify with the new state also included the Slovaks and Russians. These were mostly people who were connected to Great Hungary and its state power and joined their further existence with this state. The size of this category is very diffi cult to determine, as it never was statistically captured. František Votruba may help to approximate this number, as in his words during the coup there were only about 1,200 members of nationally oriented Slovak intelligentsia in Slovakia who proclaimed their allegiance to their own nation. If to those 54 per cent of people rejecting Czechoslovakia one adds any other number, it will turn out that in fact up to 50% of Slovakia’s inhabitants were against the disintegration of Greater Hungary and incorporating Slovakia into the Czechoslovak state. This was an argument that could actually weigh on the forthcoming peace conference in Paris. Slovak national activists and Czech politicians were aware of this fact and therefore tried to level internal relations as soon as possible as well as to eliminate external infl uences that could destabilize the new state. That is why on 5 November 1918, politically active Slovaks established the Provisional Government of Slovakia (Dočasné vláda pre Slovensko). On its behalf they offi cially asked for military assistance of Prague in incorporating Slovakia to the new state. This aid was granted to them very quickly. By the end of 1918 Slovakia became a real part of Czechoslovakia, but at least until the signing of the Trianon Treaty of Peace in June 1920, it was a territory with many destabilizing Začleňovanie Slovenska do nového štátu a vznik Československa 81 factors that caused the rejection of the Pittsburgh Agreement (Pittsburská dohoda) of 30 May 1918. The Pittsburgh Agreement, signed by American Czechs and Slovaks and also the future president T.G. Masaryk, validated the autonomous position of Slovakia in the joint Czech-Slovak State.
Grzegorz Mazur
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 83 - 95
Eastern Galicia (east of the San River), which before the outbreak of World War I was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Volyn, located to the north of Galicia, which was part of Russia is what is meant by Western Ukraine. At that time the political infl uences of Russia and Austria-Hungary clashed in this very region. The paper also discusses confl icts which took place in these lands between the Polish, Ukrainian and Russophile political fractions. After World War II, these lands were included in the Second Republic of Poland and the confl ict between the Soviet Union and Poland was accompanied by an increasing activity of Ukrainian nationalists. During the war they carried out a series of bloody ethnic cleansing campaigns on the Polish population, in particular in Volyn in 1943. These actions, together with the policy of the Soviet authorities immediately after the war was the reason why the Polish population left the territory. These lands were part of the Soviet Union for many years and after its collapse – Ukraine.
Bohdan Hud'
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 97 - 107
The nature of Ukrainian-Polish confl icts of the 19th and the fi rst half of the 20th century in the Right-bank Ukraine has been analysed. It was emphasized that by the end of World War I, these were confl icts mostly of an ethno-social nature. In the interwar period, they were just as important as the ethno-political confl icts on the territory of East Galicia and especially Volyn, which had been annexed to the Second Polish Republic. In the author’s judgment, the abovementioned requires a deeper unconventional approach to researching the reasons of the so called Volyn Tragedy of 1943–1944.
Andrzej Kastory
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 107 - 107
Jan Rychlík
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 109 - 116
In Central and Eastern Europe all multinational states – Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union – failed, because they had no strong unifying idea and their citizens of different nationalities had no common identity unifying them with the state rather than with their nation. After the World War I Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire disintegrated for the same reason. The successor states of Austria-Hungary declared themselves as the nation-states, but in fact they were only smaller copies of deceased Austria-Hungary. They were multinational states based mainly on the language proximity of the particular nations (Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in Yugoslavia, Czechs and Slovaks in Czechoslovakia) and in addition, they had also strong national minorities. It became soon clear that the language proximity is not enough to form the new common identity which would bridge the people of different nationality in the new succession states. The succession states lasted only for roughly two decades. It is true that Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia became victims of the Nazi German aggression, but it is highly likely that in the longer period they would disintegrate anyway. After the war both Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were restored. According to the Soviet example, Yugoslavia chose the federative model which Czechoslovakia adopted in 1968, too. However, the federation based on national principles proved to be unstable. The limits of federation became soon too narrow for the smaller nations in the federations. After the fall of Communist dictatorship in these countries at the end of 1989, there was no power and no idea to keep these multinational states. The idea of democracy could not span different nations within one state if there was no other spanning idea and common identity. This was the reason why Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia defi nitively disintegrated in the nineties. However, the process of disintegration of multinational states should not be seen as something negative per se because throughout history the states come and go. More important than maintaining existing states are the relations between the new successor states.
Janusz Józef Węc
Central European and Balkan Studies, Volume XXIII, 2015, pp. 117 - 148
The article focuses on Polish-German relations in the European Union and NATO since Poland’s accession to these two international organizations. The futher analysis confi rms the introductory research hypothesis that both Polish-German bilateral relations, as well as these relations in the European (EU) and Transatlantic (NATO) dimension appear to be positive. On the other hand, real spheres of confl ict have appeared in both of these areas, related to differences in the national interests of both countries, different political priorities or the opposite interpretation of historical events. In the European Union such confl ict spheres were the reform of the political system of the European Union, Eastern Partnership and the common energy policy of the EU. As regards NATO, the confl ict of interests between Poland and Germany concerned the war in Iraq, the dispute over the US missile defense system as well as the Ukrainian crisis. The analysis also showed that in many matters concerning the European Union (eg. the Eastern Partnership, common energy policy, energy security) the positions of Germany and Poland were and still are the result of the relationship of these two countries with Russia. On the other hand, a different approach of Poland and Germany to their relations with the United States resulted in differences in the views of the governments of both countries towards transatlantic cooperation (eg. the war in Iraq, missile defense system).