Incredible story. I've heard and seen this before, but never in this level of detail. What was done to the Poles over the centuries is something that no people should ever experience. I wish them well in their goal of fortifying their country against future aggression from the east and hope that their allies to the west stay true to our shared values.
Just want to add that James A. Michener painted a very detailed portrait of all of Poland's tribulations along the centuries in his novel, Poland, first published in 1983. A wonderful read.
You can also notice the territory around Białystok (north-eastern part), than in 19th century was direct part of Russian Empire, not Congress Poland. Białystok was kind of Russian Hong-Kong - the gateway between Poland and Russia where all trade was going (esp. textiles) and a lot of Polish companies created outpost to avoid duties. And it's also still visible on some maps.
Getting the (great) Zanclean megaflood video in the middle of the (great) article about Poland is unfair to each content! They rob each other attention
Hi Tomás, I have a folder just for your articles. If I do not have time to read them when you send them, I eventually find a way of making time for them. So, I would say that yes, you are being conservative.
I voted on Professional storytelling because to me it's less buzzy-wordy than "business storytelling". I understand the power of keeping it very short but I played around with longer (probably too long) versions.
How to tell your professional story - A course on conveying your ideas and thinking in business
Also - will the course be full-time or when do you plan the lectures to take place? Asking since I am employed full time and need to plan accordingly :)
Interesting ideas. Yes, I probably need a longer title. It's a good idea.
The course will be online, a cohort-based course. There will be 3 lectures per week, probably around 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET. I will also organize project reviews and office hours around those times.
Tomas, keep in mind that this time the opposition to the PIS didn't participate as only one coalition. So the map of the results is actually quite similar to the last one if you just plot the % that the more conservative parties received. The divide in Poland is quite similar to the one in Germany, nad it'll take at least some generations more to smoth the divide.
I'm probably the definition of a map-nerd, so most likely too many to count (I have 10,000+ maps stored in my OneDrive, which I'm trying to slowly curate and upload into an online catalogue - https://mapasmilhaud.com ).
I haven't read all your articles in detail, but I believe you have not covered yet the geopolitics of China: Increase their presence in Africa, control of high-tech minerals, new trade routes… That could be an interesting one.
”Business Storytelling” seems most accurate but also most dry. Your posts have great titles like this one! I found the title intriguing. Dale Carnegie had a good book title with “how to Win friends and influence people” which kind of sounds like what you’re aiming at. I can’t think of a better title, but just wanted to let you know that I believe that you can find one!
What happened when millions of people were moved out of one area and into another? Did the people move voluntarily, or were they forced to (and how was that done)? Did they have to buy the homes from the former owners, who had gone to another country, or did they just walk into them? Was there any compensation provided to those who were displaced? The logistics are hard to fathom.
What I heard from people living in Szczecin (AKA them or their families relocated there after WW2):
You came with a train with your belongings. You were either forcefully loaded onto the train (especially in the eastern parts of Poland), or happily jumped on it looking for a better life. Or any life at all, if you lived in the cities destroyed during WW2. The train arrived to a major city, let's say Szczecin. You jumped out and ran to a nearest house that looked empty. You went in, had a look around, if t was nice, you just claimed it. Usually you put something on the door marking it as claimed. If you were successful, the house became your property later on.
The further west you went into the city, the better houses there were and lower chance on them being claimed by other Poles. However, it also increased a risk of meeting German partisans, who were fighting the invading Poles. So if you grabbed a house, you could be shot during the night. But if you survived long enough for other Poles to settle in and the German guerilla to be kicked out, you ended up owning a nice house in a proper district.
I didn't do much research into how it really looked. I recall similar scenes as above depicted in Polish movies about that time period.
Hahaha it's the one I decided not to translate with Google Translate... Translating from Polish is a nightmare! I assumed I could wing this one. WRONG! You can never assume with Polish.
I just found it, thank you - I am a huge fan of your Substack. One disclaimer: people were not self-elected; they were partially kicked out by the Soviets and faced a choice: remain Polish or stay Belarusian/Ukrainian. Polish minorities still live in Lithuania today (especially the Wilno/Vilnius area, which was a Polish city), Belarus (Navahrudek, Nowogrodek), and Lviv/Lwów in Ukraine.
Let me give you my family perspective, so it can give you broader context, and might be interesting as a story:
My grandparents were: my grandma was from Nowogródek (Belarus), and my grandpa was from Lwów (Ukraine). Grandma, as a teenager, left home and everything with little luggage and her family as a child on the last transport from Nowogródek in 1959 (cattle wagons). They arrived in Stargard Szczeciński (Stettin) on the West Pomeranian coast and eventually reached Namysłów (Namslau), 60 km from Wroclaw/Breslau in Lower Silesia.
Ironically, my 3-month-old father-in-law was going in the same transport and ended up in Gubin/Guben (a border-divided city with the Germans). They didn't meet until I married my wife— an amazing, "destiny-like" story; what are the odds?
My grandfather, on the other hand, left earlier after the Volynia massacre in 1944, where Ukrainians raped and killed his mother as he watched; he fled and stayed for a month on the three, drinking cow milk and raw eggs until his father, who had just come from the Eastern Front, saw the burnt house and lost family. They packed and moved west.
My grandparents met in Namyslow, where they started building a life: he as a bus driver, she as a waiter/shop assistant, through a life of economic hardship.
Eventually, my mom and my father met as the first generation in the family to become educated in Wroclaw/Breslau — that's where they met, largely because socialism in Poland enabled social mobility. He was from the Greater Poland area, close to Poznań.
After their studies, they came back to Namyslow/Namslau and lived most of their lives there. They currently live in a village in an old 1857 house of a land supervisor (a small house they expanded) that was part of the Württemberg family estate (a German noble family).
So, it's a story from western Poland, seen through the lens of my own family. We were literally rebuilding life from scratch, trying to figure out how the land works (less fertile), how buildings work, and, for the first 20 years, until Germans and Poles agreed on borders: "Will they kick us out?"
Incredible story. I've heard and seen this before, but never in this level of detail. What was done to the Poles over the centuries is something that no people should ever experience. I wish them well in their goal of fortifying their country against future aggression from the east and hope that their allies to the west stay true to our shared values.
I agree!
Just want to add that James A. Michener painted a very detailed portrait of all of Poland's tribulations along the centuries in his novel, Poland, first published in 1983. A wonderful read.
You can also notice the territory around Białystok (north-eastern part), than in 19th century was direct part of Russian Empire, not Congress Poland. Białystok was kind of Russian Hong-Kong - the gateway between Poland and Russia where all trade was going (esp. textiles) and a lot of Polish companies created outpost to avoid duties. And it's also still visible on some maps.
Nice!
Getting the (great) Zanclean megaflood video in the middle of the (great) article about Poland is unfair to each content! They rob each other attention
You know I was struggling with that. I was excited to share it! And I don’t want to spam y’all!
That's kind!
I feel like I shouldn't be sending more than 2 articles a week though. Am I being too conservative?
Hi Tomás, I have a folder just for your articles. If I do not have time to read them when you send them, I eventually find a way of making time for them. So, I would say that yes, you are being conservative.
I voted on Professional storytelling because to me it's less buzzy-wordy than "business storytelling". I understand the power of keeping it very short but I played around with longer (probably too long) versions.
How to tell your professional story - A course on conveying your ideas and thinking in business
Also - will the course be full-time or when do you plan the lectures to take place? Asking since I am employed full time and need to plan accordingly :)
Interesting ideas. Yes, I probably need a longer title. It's a good idea.
The course will be online, a cohort-based course. There will be 3 lectures per week, probably around 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET. I will also organize project reviews and office hours around those times.
What else can I tell you?
Tomas, keep in mind that this time the opposition to the PIS didn't participate as only one coalition. So the map of the results is actually quite similar to the last one if you just plot the % that the more conservative parties received. The divide in Poland is quite similar to the one in Germany, nad it'll take at least some generations more to smoth the divide.
That's true, good point!
Just in case you don´t know, this year are the european elections, so we´ll get a new update on the political map soon
Ah yes!
I was about to suggest, "How to Tell Stories and Influence People", but Daniel beat me to it...
The first time I came across this persistent border was in an article on Strange Maps almost 15 years ago ( https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/348-an-imperial-palimpsest-on-polands-electoral-map/ ). I did some digging at the time and got impressed with the differences, but I didn't get as far as you got in this article.
Amazing work!
What other maps have caught your attention that you haven’t seen in my articles?
I'm probably the definition of a map-nerd, so most likely too many to count (I have 10,000+ maps stored in my OneDrive, which I'm trying to slowly curate and upload into an online catalogue - https://mapasmilhaud.com ).
I haven't read all your articles in detail, but I believe you have not covered yet the geopolitics of China: Increase their presence in Africa, control of high-tech minerals, new trade routes… That could be an interesting one.
Some maps to talk about this:
Chinese investment in Africa: https://www.businessinsider.com/map-chinese-investments-in-africa-2012-8
New Silk Road: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/06/why-china-is-building-a-new-silk-road/
Chinese control over High-tech minerals: https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_voa-news-china_studies-reveal-chinas-dominant-position-high-tech-minerals/6206341.html
Chinese tourisim: https://elordenmundial.com/mapas-y-graficos/donde-viajan-turistas-chinos/
Beautiful maps!!
And interesting points about China. I will look into them. Thx!
”Business Storytelling” seems most accurate but also most dry. Your posts have great titles like this one! I found the title intriguing. Dale Carnegie had a good book title with “how to Win friends and influence people” which kind of sounds like what you’re aiming at. I can’t think of a better title, but just wanted to let you know that I believe that you can find one!
Thank you!
Wow, just wow. What a story, so captivating! Thanks!
Glad to hear!
The videos are amazing!!
Thx!!
This was a great read🔥Thanks Tomas! 🌟
You’re welcome!
What happened when millions of people were moved out of one area and into another? Did the people move voluntarily, or were they forced to (and how was that done)? Did they have to buy the homes from the former owners, who had gone to another country, or did they just walk into them? Was there any compensation provided to those who were displaced? The logistics are hard to fathom.
The Germans just had to leave, so AFAIK no buying. Remember: This was the Red Army steamrolling over the very hated Nazis, so no nicety there.
A lot of the land was nationalized though. Remember, this was a Communist country.
I believe Poles weren't forced to move, since many stayed in what's now Belarus. There are 300k-1.1M Poles there today.
But I am not 100% sure
This Wikipedia page discusses this event:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_and_expulsion_of_Germans_(1944%E2%80%931950)
What I heard from people living in Szczecin (AKA them or their families relocated there after WW2):
You came with a train with your belongings. You were either forcefully loaded onto the train (especially in the eastern parts of Poland), or happily jumped on it looking for a better life. Or any life at all, if you lived in the cities destroyed during WW2. The train arrived to a major city, let's say Szczecin. You jumped out and ran to a nearest house that looked empty. You went in, had a look around, if t was nice, you just claimed it. Usually you put something on the door marking it as claimed. If you were successful, the house became your property later on.
The further west you went into the city, the better houses there were and lower chance on them being claimed by other Poles. However, it also increased a risk of meeting German partisans, who were fighting the invading Poles. So if you grabbed a house, you could be shot during the night. But if you survived long enough for other Poles to settle in and the German guerilla to be kicked out, you ended up owning a nice house in a proper district.
I didn't do much research into how it really looked. I recall similar scenes as above depicted in Polish movies about that time period.
Oh wow that’s crazy. Can I add this to the quarterly update?
Sure thing. But please do some historical cross-checking for this, I only heard it as a story from some families I got to know while living there.
Nice one, what a history the Poles have seen and endured .
Hahaha I see you edited your comment. I assume you found the Ukraine article!
https://unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com/p/why-isnt-ukraine-a-global-superpower
Indeed. I found 2 articles on Ukraine :) Thanks .
Fantastic article, amazing info, thanks!
Zanclean Flood video was fantastic too.
Glad to hear!
ewangelickiej doesn't mean evangelical (esp. not in modern American sense), it means Lutheran
Hahaha it's the one I decided not to translate with Google Translate... Translating from Polish is a nightmare! I assumed I could wing this one. WRONG! You can never assume with Polish.
Thanks for noting it!
I could help with the translation next time. (If there will be a next time).)
It’s pretty ad hoc and I’ve finished the 2nd Polish article but I might need it. Thx!
I just found it, thank you - I am a huge fan of your Substack. One disclaimer: people were not self-elected; they were partially kicked out by the Soviets and faced a choice: remain Polish or stay Belarusian/Ukrainian. Polish minorities still live in Lithuania today (especially the Wilno/Vilnius area, which was a Polish city), Belarus (Navahrudek, Nowogrodek), and Lviv/Lwów in Ukraine.
Let me give you my family perspective, so it can give you broader context, and might be interesting as a story:
My grandparents were: my grandma was from Nowogródek (Belarus), and my grandpa was from Lwów (Ukraine). Grandma, as a teenager, left home and everything with little luggage and her family as a child on the last transport from Nowogródek in 1959 (cattle wagons). They arrived in Stargard Szczeciński (Stettin) on the West Pomeranian coast and eventually reached Namysłów (Namslau), 60 km from Wroclaw/Breslau in Lower Silesia.
Ironically, my 3-month-old father-in-law was going in the same transport and ended up in Gubin/Guben (a border-divided city with the Germans). They didn't meet until I married my wife— an amazing, "destiny-like" story; what are the odds?
My grandfather, on the other hand, left earlier after the Volynia massacre in 1944, where Ukrainians raped and killed his mother as he watched; he fled and stayed for a month on the three, drinking cow milk and raw eggs until his father, who had just come from the Eastern Front, saw the burnt house and lost family. They packed and moved west.
My grandparents met in Namyslow, where they started building a life: he as a bus driver, she as a waiter/shop assistant, through a life of economic hardship.
Eventually, my mom and my father met as the first generation in the family to become educated in Wroclaw/Breslau — that's where they met, largely because socialism in Poland enabled social mobility. He was from the Greater Poland area, close to Poznań.
After their studies, they came back to Namyslow/Namslau and lived most of their lives there. They currently live in a village in an old 1857 house of a land supervisor (a small house they expanded) that was part of the Württemberg family estate (a German noble family).
So, it's a story from western Poland, seen through the lens of my own family. We were literally rebuilding life from scratch, trying to figure out how the land works (less fertile), how buildings work, and, for the first 20 years, until Germans and Poles agreed on borders: "Will they kick us out?"