Piotr Gontarczyk is a Polish

Poles

thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

 historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

 with a doctorate

Doctor (title)

Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...

 in history and political science.

Gontarczyk is employed by the Polish Institute of National Remembrance and specializes in history of the Polish communist movement during the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and in contemporary history. In 2008 Gontarczyk and Sławomir Cenckiewicz

Sławomir Cenckiewicz

Sławomir Cenckiewicz is a Polish historian and journalist. A former employee of the Institute of National Remembrance, he is currently the main historical consultant of the Wprost weekly. He gained much media attention following the 2008 publication of a book "SB a Lech Wałęsa", suggesting Lech...

 published a historical publication entitled "SB a Lech Wałęsa. Przyczynek do biografii" ("Lech Wałęsa & SB"). The book caused a major controversy in Poland and both authors were heavily criticised. In their work Gontarczyk and Cenckiewicz claim that in the 1970s the Solidarity leader and former President of Poland Lech Wałęsa

Lech Wałęsa

Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...

 was a secret informer of the Polish communist secret police - Służba Bezpieczeństwa (SB).

Publications

Gontarczyk's work as a historian, researcher and political scientist comprises several books and numerous press articles as well as scientific papers.

Books

• Tajne oblicze GL-AL, PPR. Dokumenty (1997–1999) ISBN 83-87654-03-5 - co-author
• Pogrom? Zajścia polsko-żydowskie w Przytyku 9 marca 1936 r. Mity, fakty, dokumenty (2000), ISBN 83-909046-4-0
• Polska Partia Robotnicza. Droga do władzy 1941-1944 (2003), ISBN 83-60335-75-3
• Tajny współpracownik "Święty" (2005) ISBN 83-919221-8-9
• Kłopoty z historią (2006) ISBN 83-60533-03-2
• SB a Lech Wałęsa. Przyczynek do biografii (2008) ISBN 83-60464-74-X (with Sławomir Cenckiewicz
  Sławomir Cenckiewicz
  Sławomir Cenckiewicz is a Polish historian and journalist. A former employee of the Institute of National Remembrance, he is currently the main historical consultant of the Wprost weekly. He gained much media attention following the 2008 publication of a book "SB a Lech Wałęsa", suggesting Lech...
  
  )