Is anything but Polish history taught in Polish schools?

From the shocking lack of knowladge displayed here by certain forum members regarding history that doesnt directly involve Poland Im wondering ;
Do you get taught world history in your schools or is it all Polands great and Polands always been the big victim?
Serious question here,looking for serious replies.
As an example every British school kid gets taught about what happened in your country during the last war,we get taught about Vietnam ,the Arab /Israeli problems etc etc not to mention the flippin holocaust,none of which,with the exception of our ignoble part in the screw up that is the middle east has anything to do with britain or british people.

So,please put me right on this.
Is it a wide spread thing this rather narrow minded view of world events or are some people on here just,well,a little slow?

It's shocking that you would build a picture of the entire country's education based on a few posters on PF.


Based on some posts of a few Brits on this forum, it would appear that the effort is useless. Some British posters appear to be complete imbeciles in regards to anything resembling the study of history - British or foreign.

that's gotta be the one mate.

lol.. z_..

Well, generally post-WW2 history isn't taught in Poland but majority of people get that knowledge from other sources. And before you open your mouth again show me results of any reasearches, which show that Poles somehow know less. Probably average Poles knows more about the wars in Vietnam or Korea than average Americans.

let's see what comes out of your mouth on this subject. ready? GO!...

So ask... maybe you will finally learn something.

so, what happened in vietnam or korea?

Korea war is indeed forgotten for me. Was it in 53? First cold war military conflict? Vitnam had many, many civilian victims, Napalm, small, naked child screaming running away, media reporting live from front lines, helicopters, Vetnamese in tunnels, jungle, peace movement in US, Russiun support for North, Nixon and Watergate, Nixon lied, Nixon gone, long war.

:) didn't use Wikipedia

USA got their asses kicked by China on both occasions.

An elemant of truth in that statement i suppose:

The basic infantry weapon for Vietnam the AK47 was regarded by most as a superior weapon to that of the Americans the M-16.

when I was in high school we were taught history up to the year 2000

I seem to remember reading somewhere lately that children were asked in the UK who Winston Churchill was, and a high majority selected from multiple choice questions that he was the first man to land on the moon.

So I don't think our education is anything to write home about!!
And another thing that I find quite depressing and shocking is the small amount of Polish people here compared to when I first joined.

telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/20/nchurchill120.xml

Thats why I hoped for a few more posters to clarify things


I can type without moving my lips thank you :) (reading,thats another matter :) )


Yep,I was tired and hacked off when I posted this thread.
A better thread title wuld have been simply what history is taught in Polish schools,but,when one is faced with some fool saying the thousands,millions in fact of Japans wartime victims were not victims because of some crap that happened in 1840 you may see where I was coming from.

That might not be the issue if knowledge, but interpretation. Much like, say, British and their colonies: was it beneficial to the colonies or to the Brits?

As for history in schools, I can't really say what they are doing there now but in my day the formal history curriculum started with prehistory and went on in chronological order and with consideration of all geographic areas. Poland did, of course, was covered in greater detail that, say, China.

There is also a difference, IMO, between teaching history in UK and in Poland. Poland had no colonies all over the world, unlike GB. So when you teach the history of 18th century India, are British kids in fact taught the history of India, or the history of their own country?

not milions I said that Chinese and other Asians were victims. English people were not victimes they had to pay small price for their sins in Asia. Hundrets years of murdering raping robbing. primitive colonistaion ... the best example of primitive colonisation is you and some of your firends who colonisated in primitve way this forum (or Kraków where is more pubs and more places where english are not welcomend). I am not religous person I find it discuting that pathetic people like you or tornado come on forum about Poland and tech people Polish history or that Catholics are dumb ... as I said it is the best example of primitive English colonisation. This forum is about Poland not about UK. This forum is about Polish history not English. When I read you I undestend Japanese in some points ....

Right,I had written a near essay as a reply but got disconected, suffice to say that in my day,just over 15 years ago, the history that was taught in schools regarding India was obviously intertwinned,but,with a definate pro india/anti empire stance.Ghandi is a name that will trip off any britons lips where as Robert Clive is not. We were taught all about the indian struggle for indipendance and also,surprise surprise the fact that Ghandi attended university in England where he recieved his law degree(not the picture of an evil represive empire that some on here would wish to paint) the Amritsar massacre was covered in some detail(without I might add the background or the fact that,in the eyes of the commander responsible he was crushing what could have been a re run of the previous centuries mutiny which had caused the death of countless thousands of indians at the hands of fellow indians).

BTW lukasz,Im not even going to bother answering to your points as they are so pathetic and factually inacurate as to not even really warrent this paragraph.

Why not look on this forum. Look on behaviur of English people here, who tell some people that who believ in God is idiot. Or who teach people here Polish history. Or look on Krakow next vicitme of primitve english people. Or look on discussions here. IT IS ENGLISH CULTURE PATHETIC. It is good that in Poland there is more and more pubs where you are not welcome and nobody will sell you single beer. Why ? Istahtu ?

You have primitive colonisation in your blood and it is noticable on this forum.

ENGLISH PLAGUE

Dont be silly,just as you are far from the shinning example of Polish manhood there are for sure plenty of idiotic Britons on here and pucking up on your lovely streets.....


You would have to say a bit of both if you are looking at this dispasionatly. Of course Britain did not build such a huge empire on the grounds of doing it all for the "poor natives" but,and this is a big but,if you look at the reasoning behind much of the expansion this was exactly the raison d'etre.Much the same as the Christian missionaries,infact,much of the empire was intertwinned with Christian missionary thoughts and ideals.

As to the present day,lets look at the third world,in general which countries are the ones doing the best? Yes,it has to be stated,those that were former colonies or in fact members of the present commenwealth. India is the power hous of central asia is it not,this can clearly be laid at the door of the infrastructure left behind when Britain pulled out in 1947,it is or has been untill recently the same for the African nations.

We had been taught similar events in Poland's history, although at the time it was taught through the prism of the struggle of the classes more than of nations (communism times). So in the end Poland was presented as not so bad. It was all those bad bad landowners and capitalists who were screwing around until comrade Lenin saved us all from those evil doers and empowered his own ;)

Great,we are back on thread,POLAND..not Britain...:)

beause it is. :)


damn, i missed that one. lol


well, a bengali friend of mine was basically thought british history and such or at least the brit pov of things.


yes, iraq is one of those shining examples, isn't it? lol

I was taught universal history, i.e. from the beginning of civilisation, through ancient Greece and Rome, medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Enlightenment, Romanticism, The Rest Of The XIX Cent. (whatever you call it), I WW, 20 years in-between, II WW, and the rest of modern history. The stress was laid on Poland and Polish people in the course of world history (where applicable) and I guess it should be done with less bias, although being stuck between Germany and Russia (especially the latter nowadays) has never been easy. Now I supplement my historical knowledge by using well-stocked Glasgow libraries. One of the best authors is IMHO Norman Davies who is looking with a sober eye at the II WW.

To my knowledge Scotland has only ever had one colony and that was on the Darien peninsula near Panama.
On false promises Scotland invested almost a fifth of its wealth on the venture. Darien was little more than a swamp, the settlers soon died of disease in their hundreds. Investors were broke.

England then offered bribes to influential nobility and offered compensation to investors if they were to sign up to the Act of Union. So, in 1707 a handful of traitors sold Scotland.

We were bought and sold for English Gold,
Sic a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation.

So, back to the question, were colonies beneficial to the Brits ?
The Brits would not have existed without Darien.

this was one of those league of nations jobbies,we were only there between the 2 world wars and then not for the full time,Iraq ended up with a pro nazi government thats why we had to kick some butt in Basra in 41...and dont complain too much,anders army fled the soviet union via iraq and iran :)


WOW,now thats what I call comprehensive education :) Was this only in high school or through out your schooling? We touched on the Ancients(ie shiney stuff ) in our primary education then tended to "specialise" in high school.


Nah,back to the question,Whats taught,was taught in POLISH schools :) Is there a "national curriculum" or is it down to individual schools,areas etc?

How about Canadian schools? :)
Up until University, I was taught that the English and the French that settled in Canada did so peacefully with the fur trade. There was nothing about the English coming in and infecting the Natives with syphilis or the French selling them weapons to kill other nations of Natives. We learned that the French convincingly converted the Hurons into Catholicism but we didn't learn that they were wiped out soon after.

The educational process can be very selective and I think that this is the case with many nations, not just Poland.

Btw, my mom has an MA in world history. She went to a uni in Kielce and she had no problems getting her MA approved in Canada (they even awarded her the years that she taught in Poland), while my brother's gf's parents who both got their MAs in Croatia had to do bridging courses. Obviously education in Poland isn't that bad :)

I was taught it in both primary school (of course in a much more general way) and then 'liceum', guess it's something like grammar school in the UK (in my times primary was for kids between 7-14 y.o, liceum 14-18; now it's different, I'm not sure about it). Liceums are supposed to be for people who 'score better' and aim to continue their education e.g. at universities.


There is a 'national curriculum' and schools have to conform to it. However private schools are considered much better than public ones (which of course is reflected in fees).

tsk,lukasz will start complaining about "primitive kanadyans takign over pf and raping indyans" (sic) . :)
Bart,the schoolings probably opposite now,In my day primary was 5-9/10 then middle school untill 13 then onto comprehensive/grammar school. but apart from that,not much different.:)


aint that the truth brother,though maybe they are better Because of the fee's,ie funding.

it is always selective and I cannot see it changing any time soon.

Yeah, better paid teachers, smaller classes, better and more of educational aids etc. On the other side students in professional schools aren't generally interested in studying anything that's not connected to their future profession; therefore their rather poor comprehensive historical knowledge.

Its six of one half dozen of the other sometimes isnt it,you find with those who deeply specialise from a young age that they dont have a wide basis of knowladge,but on the other hand there is a lot of people who know a little of a lot but not a lot of anything :)