birdeen's call
VIP Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2010
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Polish
- Home Country
- Poland
- Current Location
- Poland
It's true that communism made studying English less profitable than in the freer parts of Europe, but many people of my generation wanted to and did study English. During the Gierek Decade, regular people started being allowed to visit non-communist countries, and even earn money there. Earlier, when Gomułka was in power, it was also possible, although more difficult. So many people did study some English to be able to communicate with the rest of the world. However, reaching a decent level of proficiency was difficult back then, as there were almost no qualified teachers, a shortage of books in English and a very limited access to recordings of native English speakers speaking English.