The Seeds of Triumph

"The Seeds of Triumph points to the church-state conflict in Gomulka's Poland as the catalyst for events over the following decades and as paving the way to the dramatic changes that took place in 1989. It argues that the role of Pope John Paul II, Gorbachev and Walesa in the l980s should not overshadow the long-term and profound influence of Cardinal Wyszynski's clash with Gomulka. The book focuses on the balance of power between the Communist regime and the Polish Church during the first decades of the post-war era and proves that the church remained a significant power even during the darkest days of Stalinism. The events and dynamics of the later Communist era and of post-Communist Poland are discussed in an extensive epilogue. The research is based on a wide variety of sources and employs an original, system-approach analytical framework."--BOOK JACKET.