History of Poland

Poland is a country of central Europe. Poland is located at a geographic crossroads that

links the forested lands of northwestern Europe to the sea lanes of the Atlantic Ocean and
the fertile plains of the Eurasian frontier. Now bounded by seven nations, Poland has
waxed and waned over the centuries, buffeted by the forces of regional history. In the
early Middle Ages, Poland’s small principalities and townships were subjugated by
successive waves of invaders, from Germans and Balts to Mongols. In the mid-1500s,
united Poland was the largest state in Europe and perhaps the continent’s most powerful
nation. Yet two and a half centuries later, during the Partitions of Poland (1772–1918), it
disappeared, parceled out among the contending empires of Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

The problems of environmental degradation were not officially recognized until the early
1970s and were not addressed until the Solidarity movement began agitating in the early
1980s. Significant reduction in the emission of pollutants occurred, however, as a
consequence of the rapid fall in industrial production in the early 1990s, following the
abandonment of communism and the introduction of economic reforms. Throughout the
decade the government implementedantipollution policies, such as closing the most
damaging industrial plants.

Before World War II the Polish lands were noted for the richness and variety of their
ethnic communities. The traditional provinces of Silesia and Pomerania were home to a
significant minority of Germans. In the southeast, Ukrainian settlements predominated in
the regions east of Chełm and in the Carpathian Mountains east of Nowy Sącz. In all the
towns and cities, there were large concentrations of Yiddish-speaking Jews. The Polish
ethnographic area stretched eastward: in Lithuania, Belarus, and western Ukraine, all of
which had a mixed population, Poles predominated not only in the cities but also in
numerous rural districts. There were significant Polish minorities in Daugavpils (in
Latvia), Minsk (in Belarus), and Kiev(in Ukraine).

The war, however, killed vast numbers of people, precipitated massive migrations, and
radically altered borders. As a consequence, the population of Poland became one of the
most ethnically homogeneous in the world. In addition, minority ethnic identity was
not cultivated publicly until after the collapse of communism in 1989. Virtually all of
Poland’s people claim Polish nationality, with Polish as their native tongue. Now, in the
21st century, most communities of non-Poles are dispersed but reside in the border
provinces, primarily in the south. Ukrainians are scattered in various southwestern and
northern districts. Belarusians and Lithuanians live in areas adjoining Belarus and
Lithuania, respectively. In Silesia a significant segment of the population tends to declare
itself as Silesian or German according to political circumstances. Kashubians live west
of Gdańsk near the Baltic Sea. Situated in the southeast are communities of Roma
(Gypsy), in Małopolskiewojewództwo (province), and Ruthenians, in Podkarpackie
province. The Jewish community, now almost entirely Polonized, has been greatly reduced
and can be found in major cities. There are small numbers of Slovaks, Czechs, and
Armenians. Conversely, there is a large Polish diaspora, notably in the United States.