Between Propaganda and Truth: changing patterns in the Polish historiography about the Civil War

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of public and historiographical discourse on the Spanish Civil War in Poland, exploring the post-Stalinist period and current democratic Poland. It explains how, during these two very different eras: the dictatorial, communist past and the capitalist, liberal-democratic present, historical discourse concerning the past has been transformed so as to meet the prevailing political needs and demands of today. The conclusions reached here point to a change of paradigm in historiographical discourse on the Civil War, and encourage reflection on the epistemological and methodological implications that historical processes raise for the historian’s task.

Keywords

• Polonia
• Guerra Civil
• historiografía
• propaganda
• democracia
• dictadura