Antoni Mączak was a Polish historian specializing in the economic, political and social history of Poland

History of Poland

The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...

 and history of Europe

History of Europe

History of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...

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Biography

Antoni Maczak was born to Lwów in 1928. During the Second World War he fought in the Boy Scouts units of the Polish resistance

Polish resistance movement in World War II

The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...

 against the Nazis and in the ranks of Home Army took part in the Warsaw Uprising

Warsaw Uprising

The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...

 (August-October 1944). Captured, he remained a prisoner until Germans surrendered in 1945. He then studied at the University of Warsaw

University of Warsaw

The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...

. In 1981 he achieved the rank of professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

. From 1981 to 1987 he was director of the History Institute of the University of Warsaw. Fellow of Collegium Invisibile

Collegium Invisibile

Collegium Invisibile is an academic society in Poland, founded in 1995, that affiliates outstanding Polish students with distinguished scholars in accordance with the idea of liberal education...

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Works

Antoni Maczak has written much about economic history of Poland and on comparative history of Poland and Europe. He also wrote on the systems of authority in Europe, especially between the 15th and 18th centuries, and on the clientelism

Clientelism

Clientelism is a term used to describe a political system at the heart of which is an assyemtric relationship between groups of political actors described as patrons and clients...

 in history. His 1980s book Governing and governed (Rządzący i Rządzeni) was considered one of the most important historical texts in contemporary Poland, breaking with the past Marxist look on history that until than dominated in historiography

Historiography

Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...

 in the People's Republic of Poland

People's Republic of Poland

The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...

. In the English speaking world he is best known for his Travel in Early Modern Europe (Życie codzienne w podróżach po Europie XVI–XVII wieku) (by Antoni Maczak and Ursula Phillips).