Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
constituteacollectionofdocumentspresentedbyawitnesstotheeventsandaleading
participantinthedialogue.
Thisscholar’scautiousoptimism,orrathersatisfaction,concerningthepromising
endeavorsheundertookwithquiteacircleofotherresearchers,quitejustifiedin1996,
wassupplementedwithhisreflections,tingedwithbitternessandanxietysixyears
later.Inanextensiveinterviewbearingthemeaningfultitle(Thedialogueofthedeaf)
hestatedasfollows:“Thesituationhasactuallychanged(aftertheleadersoftwogov-
ernments,HelmutKohlandTadeuszMazowieckisignedanagreementin1990-MK).
However,thetreatiesandagreementscannotchangethesocialoutlookonhistory.”
Respondingtoajournalist’squestionaboutthereasonsforthegrowingstrengthof
thehistoricaltendencytoglorifytheroleoftheGermansintheEast(andwhetherit
wasamereresultof“thedemandamongGermanreadersforthiskindofhistory”)the
scholarobserved:“Obviously,historiansfrequentlywritethehistorywhichislikely
towinpopularity.However,thereisanother,morepracticalreason:aPolishhistorian
whostudiesthehistoryofWesternLandsusuallylearnsGermaninordertobeableto
takeadvantageofGermansources.AGermanhistorianusuallydoesnotlearnPolish.
Consequently,heonlyreadsGermansources.PolishopennesstowardsGermany
meetsnoresponseformtheGermanside.TwelveyearsafterGermanreunificationand
Poland’sopeningtotheWest,theconversationofPolishandGermanhistoriansbegins
toresembleadialogueofthedeaf.”26
ThisisnottomeanthatGermanhistoriographyisamonolithcharacterizedby
theseattributeswhicharenegativeinthePolishperception.Scholarsofgreatstature
arealwaysreadytostandabovetheexpectationsofthosewhowelcomesuchattitudes
thatcorrespondtocurrentpoliticaltrendsandsocialdemands,createdbythosewho
makehistoricaljudgementswhilelackingtheappropriateknowledge.Thiscanbeex-
emplifiedbytwoauthorsandtheirworks,alsopublishedinPolish-anoutstanding
expertinthehistoryofCentralandEasternEurope,KlausZernack,theauthorof
astudyonPolandandRussiaagainstthebackgroundofthehistoryofEuropeinthe
lastmillennium,27andHartmutBoockmann,anauthorborninMalbork,whowrote
26“Opinions.Thedialogueofthedeaf-Polishhistoriansincreasinglytakeintoaccountthe
roleGermanyandtheGermanshadinourwesternlandswhereastheGermansareincreasinglyless
interestedinPolishlegacyintheseterritories”saysProfessorGerardLabudainterviewedbyPaweł
Wroński,“GazetaWyborcza”ofJuly1,2002,pp.16-17(thequotationfromp.16).Theinterview
beginswiththejournalist’sreferencetothewordsofanothercontemporaryhistorian,Włodzimierz
StępińskifromtheUniversityofSzczecin:“Thenegotiatedhistoryisfallingapart(thisconcerns
thePoland-FRGandPoland-GDRschoolbookcommissions).TheGermansclaimthatthiswasthe
historywrittenbythewinners.Theydemandthatitissupplementedwiththehistoryofinjusticeand
crimescommittedagainsttheGermannation.”G.Labudaagreeswiththisandadds:“Thesituation
hasbecomeparadoxical.PolishhistoriansincreasinglytakeintoaccounttheroleGermanyandthe
GermanshadinourwesternlandswhereastheGermansareincreasinglylessinterestedinthePolish
legacyintheseterritories.Someofthemcometotheconclusionthatnowtheyarediscoveringthe
‘true’historywhichhasnotbeen‘falsified’.TheybelievethatallstudiesdevelopedinPolandorby
thePoleswhocollaboratedwithGermanscholars[ł]arethehistorywritten‘fromthepointofview
ofthewinners.’OnecannotetheirreluctancetoapplyPolishsourcesandPolishliterature.”
27K.Zernack,PolskaiRosja.DwiedrogiwdziejachEuropy,translatedfromGermanbyA.Ko-
packi,Warszawa2000.PiotrŁossowski’sopinionoftheauthorisquotedonthebookjacket’sflap,
15
