The Partitions of Poland: 1772, 1793, 1795

Rating:
Summary: Partitions of Poland: 1772, 1793, 1795 by Jerzy Lukowski
Review: The history of Poland, which is commonly overlooked and, when examined, is often the victim of historical generalization and stereotyping. The latter portion of the eighteenth century, commonly referred to as the Partitions, is a fine example of this attitude. This is the period in which Poland was literally erased from the map of Europe and annexed by surrounding nations. Early examinations of this era were often biased towards the typical European view of Poland, that is their own incompetence and helplessness lead to their demise. Jerzy Lukowski tries to shed light on the subject with this book, and in doing so explains what led up to the Partitions of Poland, and the internal problems that made the nation crumble from within.
Lukowski takes the time, although very brief, to recap the events prior to the Partitions. Each nation which was a major player in the annexation of Polish territory has their current government described, as well as the political situation each find themselves in. The most dominant political factor is security, both of the nation and the leader. Lukowski makes an effort to guide one through these intricate and somewhat confusing alliances and treaties in an attempt to show the political mess that Poland and surrounding neighbours were involved in. With this broad view of the political situation within Europe at the time, Lukowski makes it easier for the reader to understand the reasoning each leader had for their respective nation to carve up Polish lands.
Of equal importance to the external factors of Polish partitions of this era were the internal ones. The author tells of the Jagiellonian line which gave the nobility of Poland a large number of extremely generous privileges which nearly left the administration of the country in the control of an overwhelmingly selfish nobility:

"A veritable Dutch auction for gentry support by squabbling magnate factions culminated in the resolution that all nobles were entitle to vote viritim, in person, for their future kings; no ruler would be allowed to take his place before confirming all the existing privileges of the nobility." (p. 4)

These nobles had the Polish crown under their command, and with that, made it hard for Poland to regain it's foothold in international affairs. The weak central government is commonly referred to by Lukowski as a major factor in the annexation of Poland.
Jerry Lukowski's book is a great contribution to the field of European history, more specifically, Polish history. The topic of the Partitions of Poland had not been evaluated in quite some time before the publication of this book, let alone one in the English language. It is clear that Lukowski has spent many hours researching for this book, and the details provided within show that. This book provides great insight to this rather unique period of European history.
Although very well written, Lukowski has obviously intended for the readers of this book to have prior knowledge of Polish and European history. Many names and dates are referred to that a person ignorant of the era's history may not quite understand the significance of.
Another noticeable annoyance of the text is the use of polish terms. Numerous words are referred to once by the author in its English form with the Polish definition afterwards, and the Polish term being used throughout the rest of the book. For those who have a poor memory, forgetting the definition of a Polish word requires the scanning back a few pages to obtain the proper definition. A more helpful solution would be to define a word in Polish once, and then use the English version for the remainder to make the read more flowing.
Finally, the maps included in the back of the book are quite detailed and helpful to fully understanding the situation in Europe during this era. (pp. 207-219) The index included is also greatly appreciated by the reader.
Jerzy Lukowski has wrote a novel which examines a period which is often left neglected by many scholars. The detail of the topic are high, as is the required knowledge of Polish and European history prior to reading the book. To those who would appreciate a fresh view on this unique European period, this book is recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Partitions of Poland: 1772, 1793, 1795 by Jerzy Lukowski
Review: The history of Poland, which is commonly overlooked and, when examined, is often the victim of historical generalization and stereotyping. The latter portion of the eighteenth century, commonly referred to as the Partitions, is a fine example of this attitude. This is the period in which Poland was literally erased from the map of Europe and annexed by surrounding nations. Early examinations of this era were often biased towards the typical European view of Poland, that is their own incompetence and helplessness lead to their demise. Jerzy Lukowski tries to shed light on the subject with this book, and in doing so explains what led up to the Partitions of Poland, and the internal problems that made the nation crumble from within.
Lukowski takes the time, although very brief, to recap the events prior to the Partitions. Each nation which was a major player in the annexation of Polish territory has their current government described, as well as the political situation each find themselves in. The most dominant political factor is security, both of the nation and the leader. Lukowski makes an effort to guide one through these intricate and somewhat confusing alliances and treaties in an attempt to show the political mess that Poland and surrounding neighbours were involved in. With this broad view of the political situation within Europe at the time, Lukowski makes it easier for the reader to understand the reasoning each leader had for their respective nation to carve up Polish lands.
Of equal importance to the external factors of Polish partitions of this era were the internal ones. The author tells of the Jagiellonian line which gave the nobility of Poland a large number of extremely generous privileges which nearly left the administration of the country in the control of an overwhelmingly selfish nobility:

"A veritable Dutch auction for gentry support by squabbling magnate factions culminated in the resolution that all nobles were entitle to vote viritim, in person, for their future kings; no ruler would be allowed to take his place before confirming all the existing privileges of the nobility." (p. 4)

These nobles had the Polish crown under their command, and with that, made it hard for Poland to regain it's foothold in international affairs. The weak central government is commonly referred to by Lukowski as a major factor in the annexation of Poland.
Jerry Lukowski's book is a great contribution to the field of European history, more specifically, Polish history. The topic of the Partitions of Poland had not been evaluated in quite some time before the publication of this book, let alone one in the English language. It is clear that Lukowski has spent many hours researching for this book, and the details provided within show that. This book provides great insight to this rather unique period of European history.
Although very well written, Lukowski has obviously intended for the readers of this book to have prior knowledge of Polish and European history. Many names and dates are referred to that a person ignorant of the era's history may not quite understand the significance of.
Another noticeable annoyance of the text is the use of polish terms. Numerous words are referred to once by the author in its English form with the Polish definition afterwards, and the Polish term being used throughout the rest of the book. For those who have a poor memory, forgetting the definition of a Polish word requires the scanning back a few pages to obtain the proper definition. A more helpful solution would be to define a word in Polish once, and then use the English version for the remainder to make the read more flowing.
Finally, the maps included in the back of the book are quite detailed and helpful to fully understanding the situation in Europe during this era. (pp. 207-219) The index included is also greatly appreciated by the reader.
Jerzy Lukowski has wrote a novel which examines a period which is often left neglected by many scholars. The detail of the topic are high, as is the required knowledge of Polish and European history prior to reading the book. To those who would appreciate a fresh view on this unique European period, this book is recommended.