Historic Background Of Poland

The aggressive advances of its not-so-noble neighbors have plagued Poland for many a century. Being the bone of contention among world powers may be flattering, but it’s a tough ride all the way – something Poland knows all too well. Apart from the empire-hungry Russians, Ottoman Turks and the neighboring Austrians – the country has also had to ward off the pushy Ukranians, Cossacks and Swedes.

Many Polish lives perished in the struggle to protect its sovereign borders, and by the early 19th century, internal crises such as the bubonic plague ate away at the already dwindling population. The Russians, Austrians and other players on the prowl decided to ambush the country during this period of weakness and constantly pulled antics to try and break the country’s stability. Major exodus characterized the end of the 19th century, when over 4 million Poles left for Western countries, especially America.

When World War I took Europe by storm, Poland was occupied by Russia, Austria and the then Prussia. The ruling countries commissioned millions of Polish soldiers to insane military assignments that just led to a confused frenzy, with Poles massacring each other. At the time of the Russian Revolution, Polish leaders mustered the remnants of their national consciousness and tried to awaken the populace to revolt.

But before they could get far with national awakening, one of the greatest tragedies to ever have struck Poland was well on its way. Once the Nazis took over Warsaw, Hitler unleashed his sinister program for racial cleansing : hunting down and hoarding the Jews of Poland into concentration camp in Dachau, Auschwitz and Warsaw. Till the fall of the Axis powers, Poland was turned into a practical ghetto and the Jewish community that survived was haunted by the memory of the Holocaust.

After the Axis powers fell in 1949, Poland was free in a sense – but with an entire country in ruins and half of its population massacred, there was much to rebuild. Unfortunately for Poland, the years that followed were far from hopeful. Stalin’s purges and the legacy of his repressive Communist regime plagued Poland and arrested development. After the fall of the Soviet Union, semi-free elections were held in 1989. In the 21st century, Poland is earning international credibility as it capitalizes on its material strengths. It became a full NATO member in 1999 and is scheduled to become a member of EU in May 2004 along with nine other states.