Piotr S. Wandycz
Encyclopedia
Piotr Stefan Wandycz is a Polish-American historian, President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
, and professor emeritus at Yale University
, specializing in Eastern and Central European history.
in 1923 during the Second Polish Republic
and raised in Lwow, Piotr S. Wandycz left the country during World War II
on September 17 1939, when the Soviet army invaded eastern Poland. He and his family crossed into Romania, and in 1940 went to France. Graduating from the Polish Lycee in Villard de Lans, he studied at the University of Grenoble
(1941-42]. In late 1942 he reached the United Kingdom where he served in the Polish army until 1945 as a second lieutenant. After the war he studies at the University of Cambridge
where he received B.A. and M.A. and the London School of Economics
(Ph.D. 1951). Later he moved to the United States, where he taught at Indiana University before coming to Yale University
in 1966 as an associate professor. He was promoted to a full professorship in 1968 and was named Bradford Durfee Professor in 1989. At Yale, he has served as director of graduate studies in Russian and East European studies and in history, chair of the Council on Russian and East European Studies, and director of the Language and Area Center. He is the author of 18 books and over 400 articles, book reviews, etc.
Piotr S. Wandycz is a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
, the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
, the Polish Academy of Learning
, and is an honorary member of the Polish Historical Association. His many other honors include the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and honorary degrees from the University of Wrocław, the Sorbonne
, the Jagiellonian University
, and the Catholic University of Lublin.
's George Louis Beer Prize; The Twilight of French Eastern Alliances, 1926-1936, which received the Wayne S. Vucinich Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
; and The Price of Freedom: A History of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present, which was a 1992 History Book Club selection.
Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America is a Polish-American scholarly institution headquartered in Manhattan , at 208 East 30th Street.-History:...
, and professor emeritus at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, specializing in Eastern and Central European history.
Life
Born in KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in 1923 during the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
and raised in Lwow, Piotr S. Wandycz left the country during 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...
on September 17 1939, when the Soviet army invaded eastern Poland. He and his family crossed into Romania, and in 1940 went to France. Graduating from the Polish Lycee in Villard de Lans, he studied at the University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble
University of Grenoble or Grenoble University was a university in Grenoble, France until 1970, when it was split into several different institutions:...
(1941-42]. In late 1942 he reached the United Kingdom where he served in the Polish army until 1945 as a second lieutenant. After the war he studies at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
where he received B.A. and M.A. and the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
(Ph.D. 1951). Later he moved to the United States, where he taught at Indiana University before coming to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1966 as an associate professor. He was promoted to a full professorship in 1968 and was named Bradford Durfee Professor in 1989. At Yale, he has served as director of graduate studies in Russian and East European studies and in history, chair of the Council on Russian and East European Studies, and director of the Language and Area Center. He is the author of 18 books and over 400 articles, book reviews, etc.
Piotr S. Wandycz is a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
, the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America
The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America is a Polish-American scholarly institution headquartered in Manhattan , at 208 East 30th Street.-History:...
, the Polish Academy of Learning
Polish Academy of Learning
The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning , headquartered in Kraków, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of sciences....
, and is an honorary member of the Polish Historical Association. His many other honors include the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and honorary degrees from the University of Wrocław, the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
, and the Catholic University of Lublin.
Works
Piotr Wandycz is a noted authority on Eastern and Central European history. His many books include France and Her Eastern Allies, 1919-1925, which won the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
's George Louis Beer Prize; The Twilight of French Eastern Alliances, 1926-1936, which received the Wayne S. Vucinich Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is a scholarly society dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about the former Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe...
; and The Price of Freedom: A History of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present, which was a 1992 History Book Club selection.