Making of the modern polish state
As long as there are Poles we have Poland. Poland was first unified as a nation in the 1000s. Divided into principalities again it was reunified in the 1300s. Poland one of continental Europe's largest and most powerful states, first needed to unite its scattered tribes into one nation-state. Poland's earliest history is mostly legends. Around 4000BCE 3 brothers and their families walked across central Europe. One brother, Lech, stopped in Poland and said, here is the most beautiful land. The second brother, Rus, disagreed and moved on to what is now Russia. The third brother, Czech, also disagreed, moving on to Czechoslovakia. In 1797-1807, 1874-1918 and 1939-1945 Poland didn't appear on the map at all, gobbled up by neighboring countries. Poland, then one of Europe's most powerful countries, divided into small provinces and was lost to invasion many times over centuries.
Geographic setting
Poland, about as big as the British isles, is mostly flat with no natural obstacles to invasion except the Sudeten and Carpathian mountains along its southern border. Poland, Europe's 5th largest country in population, in summer is around 75 degrees, with long, cold winters. Poland has many Nobel literature winners, yet feels it should have more world recognition for its culture.
Critical junctures
Poland emerged as a state during the 800s to the 1000s. Little is known of the first Piast king, ruling Poland sometime in the 800s when Lecithic tribes lived in Poland's dense forests. His great great grandson Miezko I (963-993) united Poland into a nation and in 966 converted it to Christianity. Poland had to fight the Teutonic knights to its north before becoming one of Europe's most powerful nations. Poland in 1634 was quite large and powerful compared to later periods.
Until the 1100s the arts were enjoyed by the upper socioeconomic classes only. In the 1200s they were disseminated to the rest of Poland's population. Toward the end of the 1300s Poland, divided into many small duchys, was a target for invasion.
Jews, granted special freedoms by King Boleslaw I settled in Poland in 1264 and began a 700-year era of tolerance, ending with World War II and the Holocaust.
Teutonic Knights, invited by Mazowsze Prince Konrad to settle in Chelmno, conquered the lands of the Prussians and later, starting in the early 1300s, turned their expansion towards Poland, starting a 150-year war with them. Kazimierz the Great (1333-1370) made peace with them in 1343 and gave them Pomerania as "eternal alms". Kazimierez could them promote settlement, creating new towns and villages, and promote new trade and industry.
In 1384 Hedwig married Jagiello, pagan ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, uniting Poland with Lithuania. Its population then became more diverse. Hedwig lived only 29 years but is remembered for her many acts of charity and work with Poland's poor. Poland's golden age (1410-1587) ended with the end of the Jagellion dynasty. Poland in the 1400s was a center of literature and education. This led to more successes duing the 1500s, almost doubling Poland's size and population. Its kings now needed consent from the sejm (parliament) and Royal power was no longer absolute.
Poland's long century 1795 - 1914
Poland was partitioned 3 times. The first partition in 1772 coincided with the French revolution 1789 - 1815 and launched German modern history. Prussia was no longer a German vassal state, but actually part of Poland. Its residents were both Polish and German. Germany's first chancellor, Prince Otto von Bismarck, erected the German empire as based on Germany's Prussian holdings. Poland's second partition - 1793 - included the kosciuszko insurrection in which Poland's serfs were freed. Poland's third partition - 1795 - its last king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski, abdicated in favor of the Duchy of Warsaw. Poland became a republic in which its leaders were not chosen by heredity.
Politics in action
Poland's history over centuries contains many periods of laxity in which its population formed small groups instead of national unity. During these periods Poland was fair game for any taker with a big enough army. A weakened Poland fell under many invaders during these hard times of poverty and famine. From the 1700s onward Poland became the battleground for foreign wars. The end of World War I brought relative independence from Germany and Russia, lasting until World War II and more invasions by Germany and Russia.
Themes and implications
Poland's decline was caused by poor leadership, internal squabbling and wars with its neighbors. Poland was many times taken over by Russia, Germany and other countries such as Sweden and Turkey. During the late 1800s and early 1900s Polish peasants arose, demanding their rights as Polish citizens. Poland refused to return Danzig (now Gdansk) to Germany, providing Hitler's excuse to invade Poland (Sept 1, 1939) Many Polish activists were deported or shot as troublemakers. Hitler built most of his concentration camps in Poland to shorten distance needed to transport Jews, marked for extermination under Hitler's "final solution.". Postwar Poles preached antisemitism but didn't actually practice it. Most of Poland's Jews died or emigrated, leaving few Jews remaining in Poland today. Today antisemitism is considered obsolete.
Poland lived under Communist rule from 1946 onward until the collapse of the Soviet Union and is now a democracy. Workers and peasants struck and fought many times for independence from Communist rule, still divided helplessly until the liquidation of Poland's socialist party into the Polish United Workers Party (PUWP) in December, 1948. Today Poland is pretty much a nation with its own government, Polish language and culture. Polish cities especially Warsaw lay in ruins from German bombs. Instead of building a shiny new city, Poles lovingly reproduced traditional Warsaw from old photos and blueprints. Polish citizens, more secular today than earlier, still attend Polish church services and festivals. In 1978 Poland rejoiced when Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. Polish immigrants still live in Chicago and other cities worldwide. Poland still has many opposition parties and divides itself into quarreling partitions.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
It seems that leaders of Law and Justice (PiS) are decent enough to know a coalition with Self-Defence (Samoobrona) is bad for Poland, and bad for them. Jan Rokita, the deputy head of the Civic Platform (PO) - Polish News Bulletin
During its Communist years Poland although more liberal than most other Communist countries Poland still shared most of the Soviet Union's lifestyle such as Long lines hastily formed to buy merchandise to barter with people, and consumer shortages. Goods and agriculture produced in Poland mostly went to Russia while Poles went without. I read a news story about how doctors in Poland earn minimum wages like they do in Cuba. Another story tells how Poland wants relations with the United States and will copy American foreign policy and act harsher toward its neighbors as a consequence. I shivered when I read it. Another story: broadcasters feud over Polish digital TV. Poland even wories about refugees and immigration like they do in the United States.
Polish humor of the era was much like that of the Soviet Union. Polish jokes are today more mainstream than they were then, able to substitute almost any ethnic group Polishjoke.com also likning to littlejohnnyjoke.com and momma-joke.com which consists of yo-mama jokes. Some vestiges of the old regime remain (Polich bank joke) For more, see netfunny.com/rfh/jokes
Poland is parliamentary. One current crisis is the zloty's value on the international market. Its government is a mixture of parliament and cabinet. Its Constitution mostly rights wrongs from previous administrations. Power is divided between legislature (Sejm, Senate and Constitutional Tribunal), executive authority (President, Prime Minister, and Council of Ministers) and judicial authority (independent judicial system with general, administrative and military courts) All these elements cooperate with each other. During general parliamentary elections the people elect their representatives, seating candidates according to votes received in the election. Poland's Constitution now guarantees basic democratic rights and freedoms for individuals as well as protections for families and children.
Poland's executive and legislative branches are popularly elected while the judicial branch is appointed by the president and confirmed by the sejm.
Poland has many political parties including foreign ones. Included are religious parties and joke parties as well as minority and candidate parties. Low voter turnout is believed due to popular disenchantment with politicians. poland's list of political parties is 44 pages long.
I liked reading about Poland's beginnings, recent history and news sites. I found 3 good library books and several websites.
Books Intro to Comparative Politics - Mark Kesselman - 2000 edition The Poles - Stewart Steven - 1982 Nations in Transition - Poland - Steven Otfinoski - 1995 History of Poland - M B Biskupski - 2000
Poland wikipedia Library of Congress Poland Online Polish world Inside Poland Polonia Today Polish home page Polish embassy warsawvoice Polish newspaper in English Poland inyourpocket embassies Poland Blogs Prime minister Polish news Worldstatesmen.org Poland.pl