Customer Reviews

Walk the distance, it is worth it - By: Thomas Koetzsch, 11 Jan 2006
Norman Davies’ ‘God’s Playground’ is a rather concise history of Poland from 1795 into the late 1990’s. It should be compulsory reading for everyone, who wants to find out about this part of the world. I don’t think there is any better.

Davies quite rightly anticipatesin his preface that the book’s title might raise an eyebrow. When I originally picked it up, I assumed that the title related to the (then Polish) Popein Rome. The real reason behind the title is explainedin the preface of Volume 1 & it does appear to fit the subject of study perfectly.

Part 1 of the book deals with Polish history right up to 1945, starting off with essays on lifein the three partitions between 1772 & 1918. Davies follows this up with industrialisation & the changesin population structure before moving onto descriptions of the various state entities on Polish Territory. The re-establishment of Poland as a separate statein 1918 is the result of a ‘fluke’ rather than by design; that’s at least the impression you get from the book. The 1918-45 period is marked by upheaval, partitionin 1939, occupation by Nazi Germany & ‘liberation’ by the Soviet Union, which succeedsin hanging onto the bit of Poland it gainedin 1939 with Polandin 1945 being compensated with German territoryin the West. Davies quite rightly points out that the subsequent evacuation of the German population was decided by the Allied Powers & not by Poland herself. The loss of life involvedin the process was indeed regrettable, however, as a result of this ‘move to the West’, Poland for the first timein history found itselfin a unique position geographically & with next to no potential minority conflicts.

Part 2 of the book deals with Poland since 1945. Davies show that communism never really gained a firm footholdin Poland, which does not really come as a surprise given that communism never delivered the goodies - not just notin Poland but nowhere else either. The single most important eventin recent Polish history was the election of Pope John Paul IIin 1978, who is often credited as the moral power behind the end of communismin Poland (and indeed all of Eastern Europe). Solidarnosc & General Jaruzelski set the stage for a peaceful end of communism so that Poland emerges into the 1990s as a free state (for the first timein 300 years). These days, Poland is just another ‘normal’ statein Europe. By joining both NATO & the EU, she has insured herself against falling backin history.

Davies meticulously records Poland’s history right up to EU entry & he does an excellent job. What I am missing is a look into the future. I would be surprised indeed, if Davies didn’t have a view on where Poland is heading. But apart from that, this book is excellent.