Szkolnictwo wyższe w Polsce w pierwszej połowie XX stulecia – zarys dziejów, przemiany i organizacja
Higher education in Poland in the first half of the 20th century – an outline of the history, transformation and organization

Summary/Abstract: Higher education in Poland dates back to the beginnings of the Middle Ages. During the following centuries in large urban centers they were created other universities: University of Lubranski in Poznan (1519), University of Vilnius (1579), The Academy of Zamosc (1594), and University of Lviv (1661). The period of national slavery slowed the development of Polish culture and education, including higher education. The dynamic development of research and academic centers became possible only after Poland regained its independence in 1918. Previously existing universities were reactivated and new academic centers were systematically created. The legal basis for the organisation and functioning of higher education in Poland were set out in separate laws from 1920 and 1933 (amended in 1937). World War II suspended the activities of universities, and the policy of occupiers was focused on the extermination of the Polish intelligentsia and the destruction or theft of the achievements of the Polish nation in the fields of science, culture and education. Higher education conducted secret teaching, issuing diplomas and giving clandestine titles and degrees. New possibilities for the development of higher education in Poland occurred after the end of World War II, but in a different socio-political reality.

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