Wild East - author's meeting with Michal Przeperski

Meeting with Michal Przeperski, author of "Wild East. Transformation in Polish 1986-1993" as part of the Discussion Book Club. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Katarzyna Rembacka. In his book, Michal Przeperski argues that the transformation is more than a political change negotiated at the round table. He challenges popular opinions with surprising numerical data, and drawing on sociological research of the time, he draws fascinating collective portraits. But above all, he is interested in what was happening on Polish streets and in Polish homes at the time. He gives voice to ordinary people - including those who were not spared by the transformation. What were they thinking then, what were their plans, what did they want and what did they fear? How did they go from an era of "getting it done," two channels on TV, the queue as the basic form of social life and Soviet military bases to an era of wild capitalism, an explosion of small businesses and big scams, stadium trading and the mantra of "chasing the West"? The Wild East is an expedition to the strange yet fascinating country that was Poland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Michal Przeperski - an employee of the Institute of History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Polish History, specializes in the history of Central Europe in the 20th century. Author of the books "The Hot Thirties. Events that Shook the Republic," "The Unbearable Burden of Fraternity. Polish-Czech conflicts in the 20th century" and "Mieczyslaw F. Rakowski. A Political Biography."