Krakow 2016 – The Eagle Pharmacy © Chris Webb On June 4, 1942, it was the Jews of Krakow who faced the perils and uncertainties of a round-up. A Polish Catholic, Tadeusz Pankiewicz, witnessed the round-up from the window of his pharmacy – situated in Harmony Square at the very centre of the Krakow ghetto.… Continue reading “The Eyewitness Account of Tadeusz Pankiewicz and the Krakow Ghetto – June 1942”
“I could not think of a better way to grasp what is behind the nationalist frenzy than to take part in their public events. On November 11, Poland celebrated National Independence Day.” Some weeks ago, an article by Aleksandar Hemon instigated an interesting debate about the merit of ceasing all ties with those who consider themselves nationalists,… Continue reading “Marching with Dabrowski – what the centenary of Polish Independence can tell us about the radical right?”
Content Warning: The following blog contains depictions of violence within the eyewitness account which some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised. In the second of a two-part series, Senior Fellow, Chris Webb, covers one of the most courageous events of the Second World War, where Jewish prisoners, against all the odds, rose… Continue reading “The Sobibor Death Camp Revolt – October 14, 1943 – Part 2”
My CARR Blog for October will cover one of the most courageous events of the Second World War, where Jewish prisoners, against all the odds, rose up against their captors in the Sobibor death camp, in South-Eastern Poland. This blog will be in two parts, part one will cover the initial phase of the revolt.… Continue reading “The Sobibor Death Camp Revolt – October 14, 1943 – Part 1”
The Austrian Habsburg Empire was famous for its motto: ‘not to lead wars but instead, to marry [and to colonize more territories]’; frequently repeated in Latin, bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria, nube! Austrian politicians seem to have recently remembered this strategy for expansion and have decided to stage their weddings in a similar fashion. Of course, everyone… Continue reading “The EU’s Putin Wannabes”
In my last article for the CARR Blog, I wrote a summary of my book on Auschwitz which was published in April by ibidem-verlag. I thought for this month I would tell you a bit more about my next work, which will cover the Chelmno death camp. This book has been co-written with my late friend and… Continue reading “Chelmno: Hitler’s First Death Camp”
©CINEMATOGRAPHER In a world where the radical right is most certainly on the rise, Poland has become a key stomping ground for its adherents. In recent years, Poland has attracted more attention from the international community than any time since its break from communism almost 30 years ago, rivaled only by its joining of the… Continue reading “Is Poland the New Hub for the Radical Right?”
©Radek Pietruszka/European Pressphoto Agency Some weeks ago, Charles A. Kupchan (2018) wrote in the New York Times, that the “Battle Line for Western Values Runs Through Poland”.[1] He argued, that since coming to power in 2015, Poland’s government “has sought to control the news media, purged and politicized the civil service, and intimidated intellectuals and… Continue reading “Poland: A Special Case of Radical Right Mobilizations”
It seems that communist habits die hard, even amongst anti-communists: legislating to tell people what they may and may not say is currently back in fashion in Poland. Much has been written about the new law of 26 January 2018, which promises to prosecute those who identify Nazi death camps located in occupied Poland during… Continue reading “Not Even Pretty from a Distance: Rural Poland and the “Holocaust Law””