Black Ribbon Day

Why are Stalin’s alliance with Hitler and his genocidal policies overlooked, even denied? Reviewing Black Ribbon Day, Michał Kasprzak suggests “the nightmarish partnership of tyrannies” needs more attention.

On the Eve of Freedom

In a 1988 newscast, Stephanie Kraft heard the hejnał played from the tower of the Mariacki Church and learned that Poles had been doing so all through the communist era. Intrigued by these determined and stubborn people, she chose Poland as her destination for a journalist junket. She has returned every year since.

Looking Back, Fondly and Proudly

It’s a year of anniversaries, all of them commemorated not only by the Republic, but Poles everywhere. Andrew Nagorski has had a front row seat observing Poland’s successes, and shares his personal reflections.

Camouflage

“Masterpieces of Polish Cinema,” organized and restored by Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation and curated by the great filmmaker himself, is the largest collection of classical Polish cinema to date.

Don Fredericksen reviews Krzysztof Zanussi’s brilliant film, Camouflage.

Wałęsa: Man of Hope

Małgorzata Dzieduszycka asks: What is really important in the life of a nation? Andrzej Wajda’s final work in his magisterial triptych helps find the answer.

The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe

“Can we make the past okay?” Michal Kasprzak weighs in on Marci Shore’s journey into the world of no innocent choices.

Between the Brown and the Red: Nationalism, Catholicism, and Communism in 20th-Century Poland

Rome’s Most Faithful Daughter led astray? Neal Pease reviews Mikołaj Kunicki’s book about the politics of Bolesław Piasecki.

How I Survived Socialism: A Self-Help Guide for Worried Americans

The regime was harsh, the system absurd but rules made up in Moscow were no match for the individualistic Poles. Magda Romanska’s delightful piece shows us how it was done. Elegantly, of course.

The Death of Captain Pilecki and Dealing with the Communist Past

Poland’s magnificent non-violent revolution altered the course of history. Justice demands that this history be not forgotten.

CR Recommends Four Grand Documentaries

• Children in Exile
• Modjeska, Woman Triumphant
• Nine Days That Changed the World
• The Soviet Story

Spy versus Spy: a Kuklinski Saga

It could be said that conflict between opposites ultimately assumes a new place in the universe. One can arrive at many examples of opposing forces taking on transformations, even often fleeting ones – evil versus good, black versus white, women versus men, yin versus yang, communism versus capitalism, etc. Who would think that my surname, Kuklinski, could be poised in such a contest of antipodal proportions?

A Few Questions for… Prof. Marek Suszko

As we reflect on the 20 years since the fall of communism in Europe and ponder what the future may hold, CR recently had a chance to ask a few questions of Professor Marek Suszko, who teaches at the Department of History at Loyola University in Chicago. He shared some insight about the positive developments that have taken place in Poland since 1989, the country’s role in the EU and its relationship with the United States.

Notes from a Concert: Freedom ’89

“Lech – Lech – Lech!” The crowd chants as Lech Wałęsa, co-founder of Solidarity and former President of Poland, walks onto the Pritzker Pavilion outdoor stage in Chicago’s Millennium Park.