Part 14

OVERVIEW AND CONCLUSION

Poland was first unified as a nation in the 11th century. It subsequently was divided into principalities again, and reunified in the 14th century.

The country reached the height of its grandeur in the 16th century, when it was one of the most important powers in Europe, with territories stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

When the Jagiellonian dynasty came to an end, the Poles took the unique step of introducing an elected monarchy of kings chosen from the royal families of Europe. They also introduced a parliamentary voting system called the liberum veto, by which any member of parliament could veto a law with a single vote.

In the 17th century Poland came under attack from all sides; it was invaded by the Swedes, fought with the Turks, and there was a Cossack rebellion in the southeastern territories. The country's power was whittled away until at the end of the 18th century Russia, Austria and Prussia together divided Poland up in a series of three partitions.

Throughout the 19th century Poland continued to be occupied, despite two uprisings in i830 and 1863. Independence finally came with the end of World War I.

A 20-year period of social and political troubles were abruptly interrupted by the German invasion and the outbreak of World War II. Poland suffered terribly under the occupation, though Poles offered heroic resistance.

The communists seized power immediately after the war. There followed a harsh Stalinist period of repressions; from the late 50s on things were a little easier, though Poland continued to suffer from the dual burden of political oppression and economic hardship.

In 1980-81, the latest in a series of popular protests led to concessions that included the establishment of Solidarnosc (Solidarity), the Communist bloc's first independent trade union. These freedoms were taken away when martial law was declared, but the precedent had been set. The opposition continued, legally and illegally, to chip away at the monolith of communism, and in the late 1980s and early 1990s the seemingly impossible came to pass: the Communist party was disbanded and democratic elections were held.

The country is completing its conversion to a free market economy.

Important Dates in Polish History

966
Prince Mieszko baptized into Christianity; Poland becomes a Christian nation.

1025
Boleslaw the Brave becomes the first King of a unified Poland.

1364
King Kazimierz the Great founds the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

1410
Poles defeat the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald.

1517
First book published in Polish.

1569
Union of Lublin: Poland and Lithuania join under a single crown.

1572
King Zygmunt August, the last Jagiellonian king, dies without an heir; Poland adopts an elected monarchy

1596
King Zygmunt III Waza moves the capital from Krakow to Warsaw.

1621
Poles defeat the Turks at the Battle of Chocim.

1652
The Liberum Veto is instituted.

1655
Czestochowa besieged by the Swedes.

1683
Relief of Vienna: Polish King Jan Sobieski defeats the Turkish army besieging the city.

1772
The first partition of Poland.

1791
The Third of May Constitution.

1793
The second partition of Poland.

1794
Kosciuszko leads an insurrection against the Russians.

1795
The third partition of Poland, after which Poland ceases to exist as a state.

1830
The November Uprising against the Russians breaks out in Warsaw.

1863
January Uprising against the Russians.

1867
Austrian parliament allows greater autonomy for Galicia (the part of Poland under the Austrian partition.)

1918
As part of the settlement after World War I, an independent Poland is reborn.

1920-21
Poland fights a successful war with the Bolsheviks.

1926
Pilsudski takes power in a coup d'etat.

Sept. 1, 1939
Nazi Germany attacks Poland; World War II begins.

1939-1945
World War II: 6 million Poles, including 3 million Polish Christians, lose their lives.

1945
The Communists take control in Poland, backed by the Soviet Union; the country is renamed "Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa," or "People's Republic of Poland."

1953
Death of Stalin.

1956
Workers' protests in Poznan; Stalinist leader Bierut replaced by Wladyslaw Gomulka.

1968
Student protests, which the Communists blame on "Zionism."

1970
Workers' protests in Gdansk; Gomulka forced to step down, succeeded by Edward Gierek.

1970s
Relative prosperity in Poland, mostly paid for by foreign credit.

1978
Karol Wojtyla elected Pope; assumes the name John Paul II.

1980
Workers' protests lead to the formation of Solidarnosc, a nationwide independent trade union, with Lech Walesa as president. Gierek is brought down; later, General Jaruzelski becomes First Secretary of the Communist Party.

December 13, 1981
The Jaruzelski regime declares martial law; Solidarnosc is outlawed.

1983
Martial law is lifted; Lech Walesa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1984
Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a priest associated with Solidarnosc, is kidnapped and murdered by the Polish secret police.

February, 1989
Industrial unrest and economic problems lead to Round Table Talks between the government and the opposition.

June, 1989
In partly democratic elections, Solidarity wins a landslide victory; Tadeusz Mazowiecki becomes the first non-Communist Prime Minister.

January, 1990
The name of the country is changed back to "Rzeczpospolita Polska" or "The Republic of Poland"

January, 1990
Polish Communist Party ceases to exist.

December, 1990
First democratic presidential elections; Lech Walesa elected President.

October, 1991
First fully democratic parliamentary elections since before World War II.

September, 1993
A coalition of leftist parties gains control of the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

November, 1995
Aleksander Kwasniewski, a leader of the leftist coalition and former Communist, is elected President. He promises to continue reforms and integration with free Europe.