PASI EDU Resources
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There are many significant facts about various aspects of modern Polish history, science, and arts and culture that are little-known but have influenced our lives in different ways. These facts are shown below under the headings History, Scientific Successes, Arts and Culture, Polish-Jewish Relations, Distortions and Falsehoods, Recommended Reading, Recommended Videos, and Educational Content.
History
Some of the interesting facts you'll find:
Generals Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz Pulaski contributed significantly to the defeat of the British in the American Revolutionary War.
Polish mathematicians Rejewski, Zygalski, and Rozycki broke Germany's Enigma code, and working copies of the Enigma machine delivered to the British and French helped shorten World War II in Europe.
It was Poland's partially-free elections in June 1989 that triggered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe; the symbolic fall of the Berlin Wall occurred five months later.
Scientific Successes
Some of the interesting facts you'll find
Scientific successes by various Polish scientists continue to influence our everyday lives. The long list of Polish scientists encompasses nearly every discipline in which men and women are well-represented. An interesting point is that a number of Polish scientists made important discoveries during the 123 years (1795-1918) when Poland did not exist. As you’ll soon see, Polish scientists are prominent in a number of disciplines that include chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, biology, metallurgy, engineering, and social science.
Arts & Culture
Learn how Polish culture is an important part of western civilization and the western world
The culture of Poland is the product of its geography and intricate thousand-year history, which has provided significant contributions to art, music, philosophy, mathematics, science, politics and literature. In addition to Chopin, the nearly-endless list of classical music composers includes Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, Henryk Wieniawski, Stanislaw Moniuszko, Poland’s first Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski, and Władysław Szpilman. Joseph Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language and is credited with influencing T. S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and George Orwell. The nearly-endless list of artist painters includes Olga Boznanska, Jozef Brandt, Jozef Chelmonski, Jacek Malczewski, Wojciech Kossak, Jan Matejko, and Jozef Mehoffer.
Polish-Jewish Relations
Some of the interesting facts you'll find
For over 1,000 years, Poles and Polish Jews lived closely together yet so far apart.
From the founding of the Kingdom of Poland in 1025 until the early years of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth created in 1569, Poland was a shelter for Jews who were persecuted and expelled from western European countries. When Poland was reborn in 1918 after disappearing from the map in 1795, Poles and Polish Jews differed significantly in their views on reconstructing the Polish State. Hitler’s subsequent genocide of Poles and Polish Jews in World War 2 resulted in massive death and destruction, the consequences of which continue to weigh heavily on interactions between the two communities. Stalin’s World War 2 deportation of Poles to the deep Soviet interior aided by Polish-Jewish collaboration further damaged relations between the two communities. The ensuing early years of the Communist period saw a Jewish-led state security apparatus imprison and execute Poles who opposed Communism and Stalin’s tyrannical regime. In this Resources section, we present little-known facts about Polish-Jewish relations as they evolved over a millennium of living closely together yet so far apart.
Distortions & Falsehoods
See why it’s important to identify and invalidate distortions about Poland and its people
Our review of information sources available to the public continues to reveal significant material omissions, misrepresentations, and falsifications, mainly about Polish history. These sources include public-school curricula and textbooks, media news outlets, popular websites, historical literature, and other public domain content. While some deficiencies are the result of ignorance, others are intentional. We address and invalidate them by presenting the facts and following our motto: “Only the Truth is Interesting”. As is often said, if you don’t know your history, others will write it for you.
Recommended Reading
Here’s how to be better informed on various aspects of Polish history
As Americans, our knowledge of Polish history is very limited. This is because it’s virtually absent in public-school curricula and is almost never available in college academic programs. However, there is a Polish history of every field and topic, from science, to culture, to the arts. For Polish Americans, knowing and understanding this history is essential because it can help provide a sense of identity. For Americans in general, learning key aspects of Polish history is highly beneficial because it broadens our collective memory of the past. PASI EDU offers a range of recommended books for students, parents, teachers, and the adult community. Reading them provides valuable knowledge and the ability to empathize with the Polish experience. Enjoy films? Explore our engaging videos as well!
Recommended Videos
Videos are a convenient way to learn more about Poland
Videos are an excellent medium for learning about Polish history and culture. As is the case with the books in Recommended Reading, the videos presented here are relatively short and are intended to expand one’s knowledge of Poland and its people across a range of topics. While a number of the Recommended Videos address various aspects of Polish history, there are other topics of interest such as relevant current events, Polish folk and popular culture, tourist attractions, political issues, common distortions, and developments involving NATO and the European Union.
Educational Content
If you don’t claim your history, others will write it for you
We have begun developing educational products for students, teachers, parents, and the American and Polish American communities. For students, teachers, and parents, our current focus is on grades 9-12 and the products being developed include lesson plans, recommended books, and recommended videos. Subsequent educational products will include supplements for public school curricula and textbooks. For teachers and parents, we will develop and conduct Teacher Workshops that help teachers prepare subject-specific lesson plans and conduct classroom activities that expand beyond the learning objectives of existing curricula. We further will develop other lesson presentations on selected topics that can be presented remotely to students in the classroom and in other settings. For our wider American and Polish American community audiences, we plan to offer events ranging from academic webinars to guest presenters with featured topics of special interest.
1st Lesson Plan
- Title: Poland’s important role in World War 2
- Subordinate title: Hitler and Stalin attack Poland to start WW2
- Subtitle 1: Teacher’s Guide – Lesson 1
- Subtitle 2: Slide Set – Lesson 1
- Subordinate title: Hitler and Stalin attack Poland to start WW2
2nd Lesson Plan
- Title: Poland’s important role in World War 2
- Subordinate title: German and Soviet Occupation - the 1st two years (1939-1941)
- Subtitle 1: Teacher’s Guide – Lesson 2
- Subtitle 2: Slide Set – Lesson 2.
- Subordinate title: German and Soviet Occupation - the 1st two years (1939-1941)
3rd Lesson Plan
Title: Poland’s important role in World War 2
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- Subordinate title: Mass Murder of Poles, Polish Jews, and Polish Roma
- Subtitle 1: Teacher’s Guide – Lesson 3
- Subtitle 2: Slide Set – Lesson 3
- Subordinate title: Mass Murder of Poles, Polish Jews, and Polish Roma
4th Lesson Plan
- Title: Poland’s important role in World War 2
- Subordinate title: Poland helps Allies defeat Germany - Betrayal - Communist Rule
- Subtitle 1: Teacher’s Guide – Lesson 4
- Subtitle 2: Slide Set – Lesson 4
- Subordinate title: Poland helps Allies defeat Germany - Betrayal - Communist Rule
5th Lesson Plan
- Title: Poland's important role in World War 2
- Subordinate title: Poland's Rescues of Jews - Hitler's Holocaust Helpers
- Subtitle 1: Teacher's Guide – Lesson 5
- Subtitle 2: Slide Set – Lesson 5
- Subordinate title: Poland's Rescues of Jews - Hitler's Holocaust Helpers