History of Poland

The Histoire of Poland starts officially at the 10th century before even the foundation of the Royaume of Poland with the first Piast S, on the territory of the Polanes. One knows can of things on the history of the territory which was going to become the Poland with the Early middle ages, because it was located apart from the Roman Empire. Poland becomes, thereafter, with the Moyen-âge a power impossible to circumvent in Central Europe.

Early middle ages

Poland is formed only in the context of the medieval Histoire. Previously, the archeologists of the late Antiquité had identified the zone under the name of Culture of Wielbark. Before the foundation of the Kingdom of first Piasts, archaeological excavations made it possible to put at the day of the Castra (plural castrum), at the 8th century which attest existence of an organized company of the Polanes ( Pola , “those which cultivate the fields”). The place of this establishment is the basin of the Warta, hearth original of Large-Poland. If there is a “capital”, it is precisely there that it is: Gniezno.

This period is relatively calm for Polanes, which can develop far from the telluric conflicts which agitate the remainder of the known world (Mérovingiens, Byzance, Expansion of Islam, Viking S. One notes just the passage of the Varègues in boat: Polanes have time to be structured quietly, without armies with their doors.

Around Cracow, the Vislanes are established, of the tribes cousins, which extend and come into contact with the inhabitants of Large-Moravie, auprès of which they find an opposition firm. In fact the Moraves carry it.

In 863, the Christian missions arrive in the area: Cyrille and Méthode speak about concepts christic and write the indigenous history (it is as that which she reaches us).

At the 9th century, the Magyars absorb the Large-Moravie , Vislanes are run away and, perhaps, amalgamate with Polanes.

Some figures founders of these Potentate S: Siemovit; Lestko; Siemomysł.

The Kingdom of Poland (1025-1138)

The christianization of the country

Territorial dismemberment of Poland (1138-1320)

The apogee 15th and 16th centuries

End of independence

The communist period

Officially classified among the winners, Poland does not find therefore freedom - it passes from a totalitarian mode to another, with the blessing of the Occident. The Soviet preserve the oriental party of the country, populated mainly by the Ukrainians, annexed in 1939, and the Polish territory “has slipped” towards the west, by absorbing the south of the Eastern Prussia, the Poméranie and the Silesia, allemandes for several centuries. The country becomes a “People's democracy” under the supervision of Moscow, and member of the Warsaw Pact. He will be nevertheless an atypical member, with a powerful clergy, the maintenance of the small rural property, and a relative freedom of expression, in particular in the cinema.

The communist period is marked out working revolts. In 1956 with Poznan of the working riots force Khrouchtchev, first secretary of the PCUS, to accept the nomination of Gomulka to the head of the Working Parti Unified Polish. This one carries out, with the support of the people and the army, a revolution carefully (massive décollectivisations in agriculture, legalization of the working councils, abolition of the censure…). The intervention of the Red Army aiming at repressing such a dissidence is prevented when Gomulka declares that the government multipartist that it set up is neither anti-Soviet, nor anticommunist. Largest of the working revolts carried out in 1980 by Lech Wałęsa within the trade union not-Communist Solidarność remains that, which shakes the Soviet Bloc because of the real opposition to the mode that it constitutes, just like the election of the bishop of Cracow Karol Wojtyła to the papal throne in 1978. The general Wojciech Jaruzelski ensures the ultimate resumption in communist hand by proclaiming the state of war in 1981 (he will declare later that this decision prevented an intervention of the Soviet Armée).

Today

In 1989, trade-union pluralism is finally authorized and the legislative elections of June ratify the victory of Solidarnosc. The same year, the Poland will be one of the first countries of the Warsaw Pact to be withdrawn from the treaty and to form a communist government not . It adheres, in 1999, with NATO, and in 2003, the E. - U. allots to him the command of a zone of occupation in Iraq. It integrates the European Union on May 1st 2004.

At the end of the same year, the Polish government by its implication and its support brought to Viktor Iouchtchenko, gives again glare with the Polish diplomacy in the ex-countries of the east.

Topics

Rzeczpospolita

The term “Rzeczpospolita” can lend to confusion. Indeed if the word means “the republic” - literal translation of Latin ( LMBO publica ) into Polish - the Polish kingdom was not a republic within the meaning of yesterday, but a “republic peerage-book” (theoretically all the noble ones were equal). The nobility was a state complex and many - approximately 25% of the total population.

According to the chronology established in the 20th century, one distinguishes three “republics” in the history from Poland:

I {{Re}} Rzeczpospolita - period of the “democracy peerage-book” (1454 - 1795)
IIe Rzeczpospolita - (1918 - 1939)
IIIe Rzeczpospolita - starting from 1989

The time of Poland under political domination of the the USSR (1944 - 1989) is called the PRL - Popular republic of Poland , although the “popular” adjective was added only in 1952.

The Union of Lublin constitutes a political organization where the term “Rzeczpospolita” associated with “Obojga Narodów'” underlines the equality of the Two Nations , Nation wanting to say noble both making allusion to the nations Polish and Lithuanian.

The collapse of the Communist regime

The collapse of the Communist regime in Poland starts in 1989 with the Roundtable of spring.

In June, the trade union Solidarność leaves victorious the legislative elections, the working Parti unified Polish (POUP) obtaining only one relative majority, the historic decision is between the minority hands of two small parts - the country left (ZSL) and the democratic party (SD) - which until there had been used for to put forward with the orders of the capacity.

The August 16th, they decide to approach Solidarność to form a coalition. The general Czesław Kiszczak, first deputy secretary by POUP, former minister for the Interior and member of the political office of the Communist party is put in minority.

The August 19th Tadeusz Mazowiecki, one of the close relations advisers of Lech Walesa, is indicated at the post of Prime Minister.

The August 21st, following a long phone interview between Gorbatchev and Mieczysław Rakowski, the chief of the Communist party to the capacity, POUP takes a certain number of historic decisions: participation of the Communists in the government of catholic the Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and nomination of the government with the contribution of the 150 votes of the communist members of Parliament.

The August 24th Tadeusz Mazowiecki is invested with one crushing majority, only 4 Communists vote against and 41 others abstain from. The new chief of the government is congratulated by Gorbatchev. The general Jaruzelski remains Head of the State. The general Czesław Kiszczak declares: “ This evolution was foreseeable, but I thought that it would take several years… Tadeusz is a personality remarkable, wise, strong, we will support it . ”

Careful, Mazowiecki agrees to leave to the Communists two ministry-keys: interior and Defense. Lech Walesa declares that “ Mikhaïl Gorbatchev|Gorbatchev is an admirable man ” and that Solidarność does not wish “ to reverse ” the established order, it what the the Kremlin answers that “ that would not be in the interest of stability in Europe ”. Mazowiecki, on its side, declares: “ We include/understand the importance of the Warsaw Pact, and will respect we it ”. However, one of the first decisions taken by the Polish Diète is to condemn the Pacte germano-Soviet.

With this new government, Poland joins again with the situation of 1945 when the Communists had agreed to take part in a democratic government by reserving the same ministries for the Interior and Defense, that they used to seize the totality of the capacity and to establish their dictatorship.

See too

Internal bonds

List of the sovereigns of Poland
List of the dukes of Large Poland

External bonds

Lithuania - Poland: successful marriage or union missed by Suzanne Champonnois, teaching of history at the National institute of the languages and Eastern civilizations.
History of Poland by Alexandra Viatteau, writer, lecturer at the university of Marne-the-Valley.
Stalin assassinates Poland. 1939 - 1947 per Alexandra Viatteau.
Poland in the EU by Henryk Woźniakowski, president of the Znak editions.
the Polish crisis (1980-1989) Cliotexte.

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