The Catholic Church in Polish History

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxix

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 1-11

3. From the Origins to 1772

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 13-37

4. The Polish Church in the Era of the Partitions, 1772–1918

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 39-110

5. The Interwar Republic, 1918–1939

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 111-144

6. War Years and Communism, 1939–1989

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 145-190

7. Transition to Pluralism, 1989–2004

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 191-226

8. Controversies in the Life of the Church

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 227-260

9. Conclusion

   • Sabrina P. Ramet

   Pages 261-269

10. Back Matter

    Pages 271-300

    PDF

The book chronicles the evolution of the church's political power throughout Poland's unique history. Beginning in the tenth century, the study first details how Catholicism overcame early challenges in Poland, from converting the early polytheists to pushing back the Protestant Reformation half a millennium later. It continues into the dawn of the modern age—including the division of Poland between Prussia, Russia, and Austria between 1772 and 1795, the interwar years, the National Socialist occupation of World War Two, and the communist and post-war communist eras—during which The Church only half-correctly presented itself as a steadfast protector of Poles, with clergy members who either stood up to foreign authorities or collaborated with those same Nazi and Communist leaders. This study ends with a consideration of how the Church has taken advantage of the fall of communism to push its own social agenda, at times against the wishes of most Poles.

• Catholicism
• German History
• Eastern European History
• Polish History
• Polish Religious History
• Catholic Studies
• Medieval Catholic Studies
• Modern Catholic Studies
• Polish Communism
• European Catholicism
• Eastern Europe Religion

“Over the course of her long and prolific career, Sabrina P. Ramet has distinguished herself as a respected authority on the political history of modern Eastern Europe and the role that religion has played therein. … She draws from an impressive array of secondary literature, and she presents an account that is well organized, eminently readable, and accessible to a general audience.” (Robert E. Alvis, Journal of Church and State, Vol. 60 (3), 2018) “…a sophisticated narrative, rich in details, which challenge[s]...popular beliefs and attitudes concerning the close and supportive connection between the Catholic Church and Poland....The Catholic Church in Polish History: From 966 to the Present is an engaging text, useful as a general introduction to the themes of religion and politics in Poland. The breadth of concrete detail is impressive, as is the ability of the author to synthesize disparate events into a coherent narrative whole.” (Michael A. Guziik, S.J., The Polish Review)

“Ramet correctly emphasizes three main themes in the book. The first of these is the fact that the Roman Catholic Church historically prioritized its own institutional well-being over that of the nation or state. Second, the Church ended up propagating a heroic (and only partially accurate) narrative of the Church's role in the Polish past, a narrative of religious resistance in the fact of oppression—this even when the majorityof clergy served as examples of accommodation and/or collaboration with the powers-that-be. Third, Ramet hones in on the connection between the Church and nation, which she sees as only ‘forged in the era of the partitions...the overall argument of a politicized Catholic Church that all too often saw itself as being under siege, even when it was not, is sound.’” (Patrice M. Dabrowski, Nationalities Papers)

• Sociology & Political Science, Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

  Sabrina P. Ramet

Sabrina Petra Ramet is a Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), in Trondheim, Norway, and author of 12 previous books, among them:  Nihil Obstat: Religion, Politics, and Social Change in East-Central Europe and Russia (Duke University Press, 1998) and The Three Yugoslavias:  State-Building and Legitimation, 1918—2005  (Indiana University Press & The Wilson Center Press, 2006).  She is also editor or co-editor of 34 books published to date.

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