1. 1
EVALUATION STUDENTS’ NATIONAL
HISTORIES
Date: May 2012
Number of students: 16
1. Do they use the Periods? Do they know them?
Only one work contains one Period – Renaissance
They don’t use the Periods
Usually they prefer to use:
- Years of rule royal dynasties
- Important dates
- Important events
2. What event/Period is considered as the beginning of the national history?
All students considered “baptism of Poland” (966) as the beginning of the national history
7 students mentioned about earlier times (the Slavic peoples)
3. What characters are mentioned? Do they speak about people? Individuals?
All students (16) said about people, they usually mentioned:
Polish kings:
 Mieszko I and his wife Dobrawa
 Bolesław Chrobry
 Bolesław Krzywousty
 Władysław Łokietek
 Kazimierz Wielki
 Władysław Jagiełło
 Queen Jadwiga
 Jan III Sobieski

2. 2
 Stanisław August Poniatowski
Some of them mentioned about individuals (not only Poles):
 Saint Wojciech / St. Adalbert
 Otton III / Emperor Otto III
 Gall Anonim / Gallus Anonymus
 Konrad Mazowiecki / Konrad I of Masovia
 Albreht Hochenzollern
 Mikołaj Kopernik / Nicolaus Copernicus
 Jan Kochanowski
 Tadeusz Kościuszko
 Napoleon
 Gen. Jan Henryk Dąbrowski
 Józef Wybicki
 Józef Piłsudski
 Pope Jan Paweł II (Karol Wojtyła)
 Lech Wałęsa
4. What events are mentioned? /List of most popular events/
“Baptism of Poland” by Mieszko I (966)
The Congress of Gniezno (1000)
Bolesław Chrobry became the first king of Poland (1025)
Feudal fragmentation (1138 – 1320)
Signing of the Unions with Lithuania (1385, 1569)
Battle of Grunwald (1410)
Battle of Vienna (1683)
Adoption of Constitution of May 3 (1791)
Partitions of Poland (1773, 1793, 1795) – Poland disappeared from the world map (1795)
National Uprisings (Kościuszko Uprising 1794, November Uprising 1830, January Uprising
1863)
Napoleonic Wars – creation of Polish Legions (1797) and future Polish national anthem
“Mazurek Dąbrowskiego” (by Józef Wybicki)
World War I
Poland reappeared on the world map (1918)
Battle of Warsaw / the “Miracle at the Vistula” (1920)
World War II
Warsaw Ghetto Rising (1943)
Warsaw Rising (1944)
Communism in Poland (after war – 1989)

3. 3
Election of Pope John Paul II (1978)
Creation of Independent Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity" (full name) (1980)
Martial law in Poland (1981 – 1983)
Polish „Round Table Talks” (1989)
Poland - member of NATO (1999)
Poland - member of European Union (12 V 2004)
5. What is their point of view?
Only two students said “I think” in their works.
Students didn’t notice progress. They talked only about facts.
All of them (16) mixed up military and social point of view.
6. The narrative
Generally they mixed up national and European history but only when it is important for
national (Polish) events.
All of them (16) used linear narrative.
All students mixed up militant and social narrative.
Nobody used judgment narrative
All works were correct (they weren’t anachronistic)