Polish lands 1939-1956: Civilians’ Survival Strategies During the War, Occupation, and Liberation​

About the Lecture: This lecture is a part of the 12th Annual Kościuszko Chair Conference that was held on November 23, 2019, at The Institute of World Politics. The Polish population suffered huge losses during WWII. Millions of soldiers and civilians were wounded and killed. Those who survived developed various ways to cope with the extreme situation they had to face during the war. These methods proved to be very useful in the first years after Soviet liberation in 1945, in the era of mass migrations and resettlements, but also in the times of Stalinist lawlessness and repression. These times will be presented on the basis of information contained in the diaries sent to three competitions for settlers in western Poland. The vast majority of these materials have not been published so far. About the Speaker: Dr. Jakub Isański is a Professor of Sociology at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań​, Poland​.