Obnova národů - Polsko, Ukrajina, Litva, Bělorusko 1569-1999 – Snyder Timothy (2018)

The book is a unique and convincing study of the historical development of ethnic nations based on language and identity. It concerns four Eastern European countries. Timothy Snyder argues that "The themes of this book are the transformations of national ideas, the causes of ethnic cleansing, and the conditions for national reconciliation." Snyder explains these themes by narrating the intricately intertwined stories of Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus and their common roots in the early modern state: the Polish-Lithuanian Union (1569–1795), where the foundations of political identity lay in shared culture and civil rights. When and how do modern nations arise? Why do ethnic cleansings occur? How can nation-states establish peace? These and many other questions are posed by Timothy Snyder's book, The Reconstruction of Nations, which attempts to answer them through the example of the former Polish-Lithuanian Union. This union was formed in 1569, when the word "nation" meant something substantially different than it does today. In the Polish-Lithuanian Union, various languages were spoken, religious tolerance prevailed, and a parliament functioned. However, it also created—or permanently preserved—languages, religions, and myths that we today perceive as Ukrainian, Belarusian, or Russian. The author guides us through centuries and events, often terrible and cruel,…