Das Jahr 1945 in der polnischen Geschichte. Ein Kommentar aus der Perspektive des Jahres 2015

The Year 1945 in Polish History. A Comment from the Year 2015 In his commentary on the preceding text by Czeslaw Madajczyk, historian Piotr Madajczyk draws attention to the advances in historiography as well as to the political changes in Poland. Together with the collapse of the communist regime, censorship was banned, which is why after 1989, historians assess the year 1945 differently. For example, opinions have changed concerning the view that the year 1945 equalled victory. Piotr Madajczyk states that two issues raised by Czeslaw Madajczyk are still valid today and are widely underestimated, especially in Germany. The first issue concerns the disastrous influence of the German occupation on Polish society, which is crucial for understanding the situation faced by the German population in Poland after the war. The second issue revolves around the extent of the changes imposed upon Poland as a result of the war – including the moving of its borders (and reducing its territory) and the migration of its population.