The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795-1918 comprehensively covers an
important, complex, and controversial period in the history of Poland
and East Central Europe, beginning in 1795 when the remnanst of the
Polish Commonwealth were distributed among Prussia, Austria, and Russia,
and culminating in 1918 with the re-establishment of an independent
Polish state. Until this thorough and authoritative study, literature on
the subject in English has been limited to a few chapters in
multiauthored works.
Chronologically, Wandycz traces the histories of the lands under
Prussian, Austrian, and Russian rule, pointing out their divergent
evolution as well as the threads that bound them together. The result is
a balanced, comprehensive picture of the social, political, economic,
and cultural developments of all nationalities inhabiting the land of
the old commonwealth, rather than a limited history of one state
(Poland) and one people (the Poles).