WÅ‚odzimierz Borodziej

Włodzimierz Borodziej ( born 1956 in Warsaw) is a Polish historian who specializes in contemporary history.

Life

His studies he completed in 1979 at the University of Warsaw. In 1984 he received the doctoral degree at the same university. The habilitation in 1991 on the subject of Poland in international relations 1945-1947/Polska w stosunkach międzynarodowych 1945-1947. In 2004 he received the title of professor in human sciences. In the years 1999-2002 he was Vice-Rector of the University of Warsaw.

In 2002 he received together with Janusz Reiter, Markus Meckel and Rudolf von Thadden the Viadrina Prize of the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt ( Oder). He was awarded by the city of Oldenburg, Carl -von-Ossietzky Prize for Contemporary History and Policy in April 2010. From 1998 - 2011 Borodziej was co-editor of the Journal of East-Central Europe research.

Since October 2010 Borodziej passes along with Joachim von Puttkamer the Imre Kertész Kolleg - Eastern Europe in the 20th century. Past experience compared at the University of Jena.

Controversy

In an article published in Rzeczpospolita on May 2, 2008 article in the historian Bogdan Musiał Borodziej accused to have owed his scientific career to a high degree of support from the Polish State Security Service SB. Viktor Borodziej, his father, therefore, was a senior officer and SB have the career of the son promoted, including through posting on the German - Polish Textbook Commission, which was under the control of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party and the SB. It followed other publications in the Polish media connections Borodziejs for SB. His father was responsible for espionage and for actions in the Federal Republic in the eighties.

The distinction made in these publications connection the secret past of the father of Włodzimierz Borodziej and whose scientific career led to protests within the German and Polish science and the press. In the Rzeczpospolita output from 2nd to 4th May 2008 marked 63 Polish historian in an open letter to the articles of 2 May 2008 an " emotionally charged attack, which probably arises from personal reasons. " Equating today acting persons with the biographies of their family members awaken in them the worst associations.

Nevertheless, the right-wing Gazeta Polska 17 November 2009 published a full-page article with further materials on the alleged connection between Borodziej and the SB by other people from Borodziejs family and professional environment was accused of collaboration with the SB. Thus, even his mother had worked for the SB, as well as his doctor father and the two reviewers of his dissertation. The SB had also repeatedly instructed the passport authorities to ensure that Borodziej time for the appointments in the Federal Republic receive their travel documents. For a Borodziejs cooperation with the SB but the author presents no evidence.

Publications (selection)

• Terror i polityka: policja niemiecka a polski smell oporu w GG 1939-1944 (1985, ISBN 83-211-0718-4 )
• Od Poczdamu do Szklarskiej Poręby: Polska w stosunkach międzynarodowych 1945-1947 (1990, ISBN 0-906601-77-0 )
• Polska i Niemcy: krótki przewodnik po historii sąsiedztwa (1999, co-author, ISBN 83-910344-0-2 )
• The Warsaw Uprising 1944 (2001, ISBN 3-10-007806-3 )
• Gdyby ... całkiem inna historia Polski: historia kontrfaktyczna (2009, ISBN 978-83-247-1676-0 )
• History of Poland in the 20th century (2010, ISBN 978-3-406-60648-9 )