Poland: Past and Present info-poland.buffalo info-poland.icm.pl

1. Poland: Past and Present http://info-poland.buffalo.eduhttp://info-poland.icm.edu.pl Poland is located in Europe’s Center Note: in the east Europe stretches to the Ural mountains, which are off the map

2. Poland: Past and Present Notes: “located in Europe’s Center“ is literally true. If one draws one straight line from the Norway’s North Shore (Europe’ furthest northern point) – to Cyprus, (its farthest point south) and a second straight line from Portugal’s to the Ural Mountains that separate Europe from Asia (not shown on this map) the two lines cross in Poland.

3. Poland: Past and Present The country is bordered by the Baltic Sea to the North and the Carpathian Mountains to the South

4. Poland: Past and Present The highest Carpathian Mountains, the Tatras, rise above the resort town of Zakopane and are belowed by the Poles.

5. Poland: Past and Present Warsaw, the country’s capital for the last 500 years, is a bustling modern metoropolis studded with skyscrapers but also possessing many palaces and an Old Town.

6. Poland: Past and Present During WWII Warsaw was 98% destroyed, but it has since been completely rebuilt An exception is the monument to the unknown soldier which is located in a piece of a collonade that had formed part of a royal palace.

7. Poland: Past and Present Poland is a fertile land and agriculture dominates much of the countryside

8. Poland: Past and PresentHistorical timelines 966 – Mieszko I accepts Christianity on behalf of the Nation: History begins 1374, September 17 – In Kosice, King Louis I pledges to the Polish Nobility no Royal imposition of taxes without consent; integrity of the Nation’s territory ... 1505, May 3 – In Radom, the Nihil Novi Constitution adopted by Sejm and Senate. No introduction of new laws without consent of both Seim and Senate

9. Poland: Past and Present Jagiellonian Poland-Lithuania In 1466

10. Poland: Past and Present 1573, 28 February – The Seym (parliament) meeting as the Confederation of Warsaw assures the practice of any religion without discrimination or penalty 1573, 4 April to 20 May – Election of King and his signing the Pacta Conventa promising not to declare war, raise an army, levy taxes without consent of Seym 1791, 3 May – Enactment of Europe’s first written Constitution

11. Poland: Past and Present Poland in 1772 Poland 1918 - 1939 Poland since 1945

12. Poland: Past and Present Confederation of Bar – 29 February 1768 – aimed at Russian garrisons (Pulaski) Kosciuszko Uprising – March 24, 1794 – Krakow - For liberty, integrity, and sovereignty November Uprising – November 30, 1930 – Warsaw - For independence January Uprising – January 22, 1863 – Warsaw -For independence Wielkopolskie Uprising – December 27, 1918 – Poznan – to free Wielkoposka Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – April 1943 – To perish with dignity Warsaw Uprising – August 1, 1944 – To liberate city in advance of Red Army Poznan Demonstration – June 28, 1956 – For truth, freedom and bread Gdansk Events – December 12-22, 1970 – For bread …

13. Poland: Past and Present Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – April 1943 – To perish with dignity Warsaw Uprising – August 1, 1944 – To liberate city in advance of Red Army Poznan Demonstration – June 28, 1956 – For truth, freedom and bread Gdansk Events – December 12-22, 1970 – For bread …

14. Poland: Past and Present Religious faiths of the Polish Commonwealth in 1772 Today 95% of Poles are Roman Catholics

15. Poland: Past and Present A map of the 2nd Polish Republic as re-established in 1918 Showing the % of the population who was Jewish in towns (bold) and provinces. The Nazis murdered most of that population during WWII

16. Poland: Past and Present Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – April 1943 – To perish with dignity Warsaw Uprising – August 1, 1944 – To liberate city in advance of Red Army Poznan Demonstration – June 28, 1956 – For truth, freedom and bread Gdansk Events – December 12-22, 1970 – For bread …

17. Poland: Past and Present At the end of WWII Poland found itself consigned to the Soviet zone of influence and a was imposed a communist government. The elevation of Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow in 1978 to the Papacy as John Paul II and his pastoral visits to Poland gave the nation courage

18. Poland: Past and Present In 1980, the workers at the shipyards in Gdansk, led by an electrician by name Lech Walesa, went on strike and won the right to form a independent (non-communist) union: “Solidarity”

19. Poland: Past and PresentProf. Peter K. Gessnerhttp://info-poland.buffalo.edu Soon the Soldarnosc had over 10 million members and the communist government felt threatened. On December 13, 1981, Gen. Jaruzelski, the head of the government declared matrial law and interned Lech Walesa and thousands of other Solidarity members.

20. Poland: Past and Present The Tables are turned: December 22, 1990 Lech Walesa having won a landslide election is sworn is as Poland’s first post WWII non communist President

21. Poland: Past and Present March 12, 1999: Poland accedes to NATO May 1, 2004: Poland accedes to the European Union Aleksander Kwasniewski Poland’s President 1995 - 2005

22. Poland: Past and Present Jaroslaw and Lech Kaczynski, respectively Poland’s current Primeminister and President

23. Poland: Past and PresentProf. Peter K. Gessnerhttp://info-poland.buffalo.edu

24. Poland: Past and Present As of 6/22/05 info-poland is also available on the website of Warsaw University’s Mathematical and Computer Modeling Center