Some say modern Poland is split into A and B; The "Old", and the "New".

Whom wields greater influence and/or power? Those holdovers from yesterday, "Poland A" whom might never have learned English, are highly devout, and refuse to acknowledge modernity, or "Poland B", those whom embrace youth-culture, scoff at organized religion, and are sometimes frankly embarrassed by "Poland A"?

I guess Poland A would refer to the eastern and western borders, particularly north-east Poland. Most of my family originates and lives in and around the Podlaskie/mazurskie/pomorskie regions, and they are all generally poor, lack basic english skills, and are very devout catholics and orthodox.

Quite frankly, I value those residing in Poland A because they are the backbone of the country. They highly retain our beautiful culture there!

I can`t stand those from Poland B at all! Way too westernized!! It`s disgusting. Especially those wishing to bombard beautiful homogeneous Polska with that western-influenced multiculturalism BS!

For the love of God people - IT DOESN`T F'in WORK!!

We Poles living in Canada see really just how stubburn Poles back home are.

Electing a transsexual and Black MP?! WTF?

What are they trying to prove to us westerners? That they've supposedly 'got with the times' ?!

As if...you don't see Canada with any tranny MPs.

Sadly, I have a feeling that most of the Poles on here, if not all, are all probably from or for Poland B.

Bash all u want - I'm a proud Pole living abroad and one day I wish to go back home and rasie my children there. I will not watch my homeland be destroyed by immigration!! :@

You've got backwards. There seem to be two metrics, one geographic and one social. There's some degree of overlap but a fair amount of Poland A in Poland B geographic area and vice versa.

Geographically

Poland A: roughly those areas with stronger Germanic (Prussian and Austrian) influence and Warsaw.

Poland B: roughly those areas with stronger Russian influence (minus Warsaw).

nb. Originally (for people in western Poland) Warsaw would be Poland B, but as the capital it now seems to have exited. Unlike the North/South social/geographic divisions in Britain and Italy, the division in Poland has always been West/East.

Socially

Poland A: higher education, better off financially, more urban, more progressive (or apathetic) about social/political issues

Poland B: lower education, worse off financially, more rural, more conservative (or reactionary) about social/political issues

mafketis, am I interpreting your analysis correctly in saying that you believe the balance of power lay with Poland A?

The wikipedia article is mostly correct though I'm not so sure about how rapidly Poland B is developing.

IME people from geographic Poland A feel generally superior to those from Poland B (including Warsaw) and throw the terms around pretty loosely. Those from Poland B are defensive and don't use the terms much (except to say how unfair it is).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_A_and_B

Says the emigrant Pole...

For Jason (the OP), you've got A and B confused in the common nomenclature. B is supposed to be the traditional, religious country folk, and A are the westernised urban-dwelling 21st-century yuppies.

What I see in Warsaw is 2million commuting villagers coming to the city for some quick cash; to save for a flat, to meet a husband, to get the contract that will let them take paid maternity leave, so that they can go back to their village in a few years time, affluent and comfortable. They bring with them Matka's cooking and Babcia's religious conservativism, and it's only the ones who bought flats in the city who will raise more modern-thinking children. But that won't happen for another decade.

For now, Poland B is still in charge, but Poland A's voice is getting louder and louder.

you say that as if I HAD A F***IN CHOICE!

I was 4½ yrs old... my mother, along with my 2 brothers and I immigrated out of Poland in 1990, assumingly shortly after the drop of the iron curtain... I always ask her to this day why she did it - why she moved me away from my beautiful homeland and into this disgusting hell hole Toronto. She always gives me that same bs answer, "for a better future for you and your brothers".. blah blah...if I could've decided back then to stay, I would have without a doubt. At times, she also feels remorseful.

We are the only ones living in canada, some family in US, and majority still live back home.

and another thing, Poles living in canada, particularly in missisauaga and toronto tend to be very patriotic about their homeland, considering that majority of us were born there and immigrated here at a young age.

Seems like we care more about the state and wellbeing of Poland than most Poles back home do. Tsk..

That is a staggering statement.

I was making a simple observation regarding the delicious irony of your statement. I'm sure you have your reasons; all migrants do.

But caring about your country and doing something to help it are wildly different things. At the age of 26, are you prepared to come "home" and help your homeland, or are you just going to be upset on the internet? Be assured that no-one cares more about Poland than the Poles whose feet are touching the soil of their country.

You only value them because you're not subsidising them. If you actually paid taxes in Poland, you'd soon change your mind about them.


You can't stand them? They're the ones subsidising your peasant relatives. Perhaps we should cut off the money, like many in Wielkopolska advocate? It's certainly a good idea - if they want to keep their ways so much, let them pay for it themselves.


It doesn't? Could it be that you don't *want* it to work? As they say - you can take the man out of the village, but you can't take the village out of the man.


Ah, that old complex. "We know what's best for you. And you wonder why you get ridiculed by people here?


You won't do a damn thing about it though, will you? I mean, you don't even live here!


Of course we feel superior - when you look at how wealthy Wielkopolska/Dolnoslaskie are, then when you look at how poor Podlasie/Lubelskie are, it's not hard to see where it comes from. But I suggest that it's nothing to do with money and everything to do with attitude.


So your mother actually abandoned Poland when the country was desperately in need of young workers? And you have the cheek to talk about "defending" Poland?

Incidentally, that makes you what, 25-26? That means that there's absolutely no excuse for you not to return - except, you know...easier in Canada, isn't it?


Really?

Me and several others have a standing offer to US/Canadian Polonia - if you care so much, we can arrange for you to come and work in a desperately poor "Polska B" village school. The kind of school where a native (or near native) speaker would make a massive difference to their lives - and because you care so much about Poland, you'll come straight away, won't you? We'll even pay for your flight tickets, as we're so generous. All you've got to do is commit to a year.

Or is it that you care about Poland when on the internet, but really - you couldn't care less about the place?

As has been pointed out, you've got that the wrong way round. And to answer your question, Poland B currently has a disproportionate amount of power but that will soon change (as Poland B itself will also slowly change).

That was 22 years ago, now the excuse is no longer valid. You're a grown man: nothing is stopping you coming back. Especially given that you supposedly live in a 'hellhole'.


I'll be going out to an utterly charming place in the way back of beyond Poland B in March to chase up something I've been researching for a while. I'll make sure to drop into the secondary school I visited last time I was out there and double check with the director that he would want a native speaker as a teaching assistant and organise accommodation for them. As I said before, I'm happy to chip in 50% of the cost of a plane ticket from USA/Canada to Poland (paid into an escrow account when the person arrives in Poland and released after they complete the school year).

Reaserch result which I saw in 2018 said: Poland A is richer but Poland B is happier. :):)

The division into Poland A and B started before WW2.

Look at the map of prewar Poland for high school History exam:

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Poland C is missing on this map. Poland A, B and C are described in this link:

encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/Polska-A-B-C;3959718.html

But C is an option, not taken seriously by some experts.