The study is a presentation - in an essayistic and exemplary approach - of the meandering history of multiculturalism and multinationalism in Poland. This history until 1918 is described in two dimensions - firstly, a rather peculiar and in fact harmful multiculturalism of rulers’ world (mostly foreign election kings and later aggressors) and, secondly, the developing, increasingly richer and introducing important values, multiculturalism of people. This is followed by an outline of the changes after 1918 (mostly the crisis of the multinational state), as well as after 1945 and 1989 - the birth of a national state in two different political systems. The recent years are the times of drifting apart from a pro-European (open to multiculturalism) state in favour of a state and a substantial part of the society which is increasingly less democratic and contests European and global problems. This constitutes the background for the discussed issues of multicultural education. What has been also considered is the (developed in Poland) concept and practice of intercultural education. Intercultural education seems to enhance in the best way the familiarization with and understanding of Others and, in consequence, the shaping of positive relations among people.

The Division of Power in the Republic of Cyprus Between the Greek and Turkish Communities as a Constitutional Response of the State to its Ethnic Structure

The ethnic structure of the state is one of the factors that can shape its system and result in the adoption of various specific legal mechanisms. The aim of this article is to present, on the example of the Republic of Cyprus, an unusual legal system solution consisting in the proportional division of power, i.e. positions and offices in the state, between the dominant ethnic groups. The analysis will concern selected provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, which refer to the Greek and Turkish communities living in Cyprus and regulate the level and manner of their participation in exercising power in the state. The uniqueness of the constitutional solutions adopted in Cyprus will be emphasized, which, in order to ensure the unity of the state and constitute significant guarantees for ethnic groups, may in practice, however, turn out to be non- -functional or lead to distortions.