Lecture in NY: “Anatomy of independence, 1918. Transformation of society of Polish lands on the rubble of empires”

 The war led to crises, famine and poverty, which caused widespread social discontent, caused by the fall of three great empires: the Habsburgs, Romanows and Hohenzollerns. This is a period full of chaos, turmoil and violence, when finding a compromise in the Polish multinational society was almost impossible. The lecture will also touch the topic of the transformation process – from a citizen of former empires to a citizen of a regenerating Republic. Although November 11, 1918 is symbolically associated with the regaining of independence, we will wonder whether for the average person this moment really marked the end of the struggle for national identity.