Poland, a powerful country that dominated Eastern Europe in the 14th and 16th centuries, is now only a medium country in Europe, and the past hegemon has disappeared from its former glory.
Poland's path to hegemony in Eastern Europe
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Poland was in a state of fragmentation, and it was not until the appearance of Archduke Władyav I that Poland was reunified.
Władyav I
During the period when Poland was restoring unity and gradually expanding, Lithuania in the east converted to Catholicism under the leadership of the monarch Joghera and married a Polish princess, this time tying the two countries together completely.
In 1410, the Battle of Greenwald broke out. The Polish-Lithuanian confederation defeated the armies of the Teutonic Knights and incorporated them into vassalage, and Poland established itself as a European power.
Teutonic Knights
The first subjugation of the country
In 1480, the Grand Duchy of Moscow in Eastern Europe defeated the Khanate of Chincha and the Great Horde, freeing many principalities in the Russian region from Mongol rule and gradually unifying, forming a powerful force led by Moscow.
Coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow
In 1569, in order to fight against the growing power of Tsarist Russia, the first communist state in history, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (also known as the First Polish Republic), was united in Lublin. The complete integration of the two countries allowed Poland to reach its peak, becoming the largest and most populous country in Europe at that time, and for a time it shocked Europe and was unbeatable.
Territory of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
However, the situation is always changing, and sometimes the changes are really unexpected.
In 1572, King Auguste of Poland died, and Poland fell into a situation of internal and external troubles.
The implementation of the two systems of free monarchy and free veto within the Federation has led to extremely inefficient state administration and has also made the country's diplomatic situation worse.
Finally, after decades of prosperity, in 1772, it was defeated by Tsarist Russia, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Austria, gradually losing its territory and sovereignty, and Poland, which had existed for 800 years, completely destroyed the country for the first time.
The Second Subjugation of the Nation
In the twelfth year after the fall of Poland, a golden opportunity was placed before the Poles.
In 1806, the French, who had defeated Prussia, were invincible to Europe, forced Prussia to cede the lands of Eastern Europe, and took advantage of the Poles' hatred of Prussia to establish the Principality of Warsaw on this land, allowing the Poles to successfully restore their country.
Napoleon
Thanks to the help of the French, the Poles were willing to become Napoleon's sharp blade and follow the French to fight in the East, however, the good times did not last long, Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the Poles failed to withdraw in time, and finally they were divided and dismembered at the Vienna Conference, and the Poles, who had only been restored for only 7 years, lost their country again.
The Third Subjugation of the Nation
A hundred years after the second fall, the Poles once again had a chance to restore their country, this time looking much better than before.
After the October Revolution, the Soviet Union was founded. At the Paris Peace Conference, in order to contain Germany and the Soviet Union, all the countries participating in the meeting agreed to rebuild Poland, and the Polish people were successfully restored again.
Polish army during the Soviet-Polish War
In the 1920s and 30s, poles re-opted for a wavering diplomatic strategy, first with the Soviet Union and Germany, and then with the Anglo-German alliance, a series of actions that directly angered the Soviet Union, and in September 1939, Germany launched a blitzkrieg against Poland, and the Soviet Union had already colluded with Germany to attack Poland at the same time.
In less than half a month, the Polish government went into exile in Britain, and the Soviet Union seized the opportunity to regain the land lost in the Soviet-Polish war.
At this point, Poland suffered a third subjugation.
Soviet troops marched toward Poland
Modern Poland
World War II ended in the Victory of the Allies, and the Axis ambitions were completely killed.
The world entered the Cold War, and the British feared that the Soviet Union that occupied Warsaw would establish a socialist state in Poland, so it liberated Poland again through the Entente, which allowed the Poles to regain their country again.
Poles with a glorious history are full of national pride, yet they continue to repeat the mistakes of the past diplomatically and constantly turn against other countries.
Warsaw today
At the 2018 climate summit, the Polish president ridiculed French President Macron, who is in the midst of the yellow vest movement.
Recently, following the pace of the United States, it unjustifiably arrested a Huawei employee...
Doing things like this can be described as a good death.