Almost West. Stories of Polish Transformation/Gdańsk Prime Minister

Poland of the 90s — a time of great hopes, rapid changes, entrepreneurship, but for many people also the loss of jobs and a sense of security. We will talk about the era of deep political and economic transformation and its impact on modern Poland. The protagonists will be Dr. Michał Przeperski and his latest book “Almost the West. History of the Polish Transformation.”

That's when our today began. The 1990s gave people new opportunities, motivated them to become entrepreneurs, and gave them hope that the world was finally open to them. Others were treated — the loss of income, the closure of industrial plants and farms, the need to find oneself in reality, the rules of which had yet to be learned. Poland changed its economy, institutions and way of life in a short time, but these changes looked completely different in Warsaw or Gdańsk, and in small towns and areas of the former PGRs.

In the book “Almost the West. Stories of Polish Transformation” Michał Przeperski looks at this extraordinary decade from the perspective of everyday experiences. He writes about bazaars and first private interests, about advertising, the media and popular culture, but also about unemployment, social divisions and the price that a part of society has paid for the pace of change. From these seemingly disparate stories emerges the story of Poland trying to catch up with the West while redefining itself. Dr. Michał Przeperski will talk to Dr. Przemysław Ruchlewski.

The book was published by Wydawnictwo Port, the national premiere took place on September 9, 2026.

Guest Dr Michał Przeperski | Historian and publicist, employee of the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences and spokesperson of the Polish History Museum. He specializes in the history of Poland and Central Europe in the 20th century, especially in the processes of political and social transformation. Author of, among others, the books “Hot Thirties. Events that shook the Rzeczpospolita” (Trio, 2014), “The Unbearable Burden of Fraternity. Polish-Czech conflicts in the 20th century” (Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2016), “Mieczysław F. Rakowski. Political biography” (Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2021) and “Dziki Wschód. Transformation in Polish 1986—1993” (Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2024). In his publications, he combines scientific precision with journalistic sensitivity, showing how great historical processes change everyday life.

Led by Przemysław Ruchlewski, PhD | Historian, Academic Lecturer, ECS Deputy Director for Research and Collections