Poland (Differently)

Republic of Poland
*Rzeczpospolita Polska*
Timeline: Differently
Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita PolskaTimeline: Differently
Flag	Coat of arms
	Anthem: ; Mazurek Dąbrowskiego; "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" https://althistory.fandom.com/wiki/File:Mazurek_D%C4%85browskiego.mp3;
	Location of Poland (Differently) Location of Poland (green)
Capital; (and largest city)	Warsaw
Official languages	Polish
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
Legislature	National Assembly
Establishment
Area
Population
Currency	Polish złoty (zł) (PLN)

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Poland (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Eastern Europe. With its capital being Warsaw, Poland is bordered by Germany to the west, Lithuania and Latvia to the north, Danubia to the south, and Belarus and Ukraine to the east. Its surface area of 388,634 square kilometers makes it the 10th-largest country in Europe and the 76th-largest in the world. With a population of over 51 million inhabitants, it is the 7th-most populous country in Europe and the 32nd in the world.

Human activity on modern-day Polish lands traces back to around 10,000 BC. During late antiquity, the region exhibited cultural diversity and eventually became inhabited by a tribal group known as the Polans, who bestowed the name "Poland" during the early medieval era. In 966, the Polans' adoption of Christianity occurred simultaneously with the establishment of statehood, facilitated by the Roman Church. The Kingdom of Poland emerged in 1025, and in 1569, it solidified its enduring connection with Lithuania, resulting in the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During this period, the Commonwealth wielded significant influence as one of Europe's major powers and possessed a uniquely liberal political system. However, the Commonwealth came to an end in 1795 when it was fully partitioned by its neighbours.

Following decades of partition, the Republic of Poland emerged in 1918, and managed to defend itself from Soviet Russia, even expanding eastwards. In May 1926, a faction of the Polish Armed Forces, Sanation, led by Józef Piłsudski, took over the government and established a military dictatorship staunchly opposed to the Soviet Union. By the 1938 election, Poland had fully banned most opposition parties, and was a Sanation-dominated dictatorship that allied itself with the United States during the Cold War. In the 1980s, protests against the regime rose up towards the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ultimately forcing the government to hold free elections. Since democratisation, Ukrainian and Belarusian independence movements have risen in recent years, with activists demanding either autonomy or full sovereignty.

Poland is a semi-presidential democracy, with the president being directly elected since the 1980s. The nation is classified as a developed market and boasts a high-income economy. Its remarkable achievements are reflected in a very high standard of living, a strong emphasis on safety and economic freedom, alongside the provision of free university education and a universal healthcare system. Poland is a member of the League of Nations, the European Union, PANTO and other organisations.

History[]

Early years (1918-1935)[]

Pilsudski — Józef Piłsudski, leader of Poland from 1918 to 1922, and from 1926 to 1935

Towards the end of the Great War, the German Empire relaxed its strong control over its puppet kingdom, as the local Poles started being able to effectively govern themselves; this was part of an effort to conform to U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt's Europe Manifesto, in which one of the terms ordered Germany to grant self-determination to the occupied areas of Eastern Europe. However, many Polish nationalists were not satisfied with this, and on 9 November, Polish communist Adolf Warski proclaimed the Polish People's Republic in Łódź to rival the kingdom's authority. The day after, the Polish government allowed general Józef Piłsudski to return to Warsaw, and the next day, granted him authority over the Polish state. King Maximilian abdicated, and three days later the Council voted to dissolve itself, as Piłsudski proclaimed the Government of the Polish Republic. France was the first country to recognise Polish independence, and soon other nations followed suit.

The new Polish state found itself in a difficult position, being surrounded by numerous enemy states. The People's Republic soon fell to government forces, and Warski was imprisoned for treason. Then, Piłsudski redirected his focus to taking advantage of the messy situation in the East and capture all ethnic Polish territory. Around the same time, the Soviet Red Army moved into the abandoned Ober Ost territory, with plans to invade Poland to establish a bridge between Soviet Russia and Germany, so that the "revolution" could be spread. However, in 1919, Polish troops started moving into Polish-inhabited territories and most of modern-day Lithuania, and fully defeated the Ukrainian People's Republic. In April 1920, Poland launched a full-scale offensive against the Red Army, with minimal success, as the Soviets reorganised and launch a counteroffensive. The Soviets then pushed back Polish forces westwards, and by summer were rapidly approaching Warsaw. However, shockingly, the Polish Army turned the tide of the war by winning the Battle of Warsaw, and began significantly pushing the Soviets back. Eventually, the Soviets sued for peace and a ceasefire was proclaimed on 18 October 1920; the 1921 Treaty of Riga fully concluded the war. Poland was also fighting Lithuania in 1920, seized Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, and proclaimed the Republic of Central Lithuania; the republic was later annexed by Poland in 1922 following a plebiscite which Lithuania has repeatedly refused to recognise.

Piłsudski May 1926 — Józef Piłsudski and other coup leaders on Poniatowski Bridge in Warsaw.

In March 1921, the first formal constitution was adopted, modelling itself based on the French model; this was mainly to prevent Piłsudski from becoming dictator. The early years of Polish politics, however, were relatively unstable, as the government squabbled over certain policies. In 1922, the first proper elections were held, with Gabriel Narutowicz being elected as the first proper president of Poland, as an unhappy Piłsudski resigned from his office and retired from politics; five days later, he was assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, a disgruntled antisemite who believed the National Democracy movement's claims of Narutowicz being elected by the "Reds, Jews, and Germans" rather than ethnic Poles. The assassination revealed the major flaws in the Polish democratic system, and resulted in many within Piłsudski's inner circle - the Sanation group - suggesting that the general launch a coup to help stabilise the political situation. Eventually, Piłsudski, growing tired of political parties focusing on their own interests rather than the interests of the state, organised a group of military officers loyal to him, and then stormed into Warsaw and overthrew the newly-elected Wincenty Witos. A new government, led by Kazimierz Bartel, was formed, with Piłsudski serving as Ministry of Military Affairs; on 31 May, the National Assembly nominated Piłsudski as president, but he declined, resulting in Ignacy Mościcki being selected as the new president. However, Piłsudski maintained real power throughout the remainder of his life. The last fully free election was held in 1928, with the Sanation-aligned Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government(BBWR) winning a majority in the National Assembly.

Under the Piłsudski-dominated government, Poland replaced its former "ethnic-assimilation" policy one of "state-assimilation" - the ethnic minorities in Poland would not be judged by their ethnicity, but by their loyalty to the Polish state; this policy was extended to Polish Jews, due to Piłsudski's opposition to the National Democrats' antisemitic policies. This led to many Polish Jews supporting the dictator, seeing him as their friend. However, the situation deteriorated after the outbreak of the Great Depression, as the government's relationship with the national minorities became more complicated; by 1935, the issue remained unresolved. The regime's economy also heavily declined during the Depression era, due to 45.4% of Polish equity capital being controlled by foreign investments and corporations. In 1932, after years of negotiations, the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact was signed between Poland and the Soviet Union, seen as a measure to prevent a future war between the two nations. Following the German coup d'état in 1934, the Polish government began seeking a non-aggression pact with the new nationalist dictatorship; one was successfully formed in February 1935. On 12 May 1935, Piłsudski passed away, ending an era of government dominated by him.

Post-Piłsudski era (1935-1947)[]

Marshal Rydz-Smigly LOC hec 27123 — Edward Rydz-Śmigły, *de-facto* dictator of Poland from 1935 to 1939

In the aftermath of Piłsudski's death, a power struggle emerged within the Sanation movement between the moderates (led by Ignacy Mościcki) and the Piłsudskites (led by Edward Rydz-Śmigły) to succeed the former general. Eventually, a power-sharing agreement was made between the two factions - Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski was to become Prime Minister, Mościcki was to continue his role as President, and Rydz was to have a big role in Polish politics, effectively ruling as de-facto leader. Rydz was heavily backed by the Camp of National Unity (Ozon) - which had replaced the dismantled BBWR in the late 1930s - as the party promoted the idea of him being Piłsudski's true successor. However, many former aides of Piłsudski felt alienated by Rydz's self-promotion as dictator. Under the Składkowski government, Polish Jews became further isolated, as antisemitic attacks became more common in the late 1930s and early 1940s; Składkowski opposed the attacks but did nothing to stop them, even remarking that the Jews were to blame for the violence because of their lack of understanding of the Polish peasants, which, just like the Jews, were striving for a higher standard of living. Many Polish politicians advocated for the lowering and possibly the complete eradication of Jews within the country, with the National Democracy movement supporting policies to force Polish Jews out of the country.

On 3 April 1939, on the orders of Rydz, Polish forces crossed the Polish-Lithuanian border and occupied Alytus without a formal declaration of war. This move angered the Lithuanian government, and caused a significant diplomatic crisis between the two countries as a second war seemed imminent. The League of Nations urged both sides to show restraint and back away from conflict. The United Kingdom and France decided to ultimately take action, and invited the two countries to London to resolve the crisis. In the conference (8-10 April), it was agreed that Poland was the aggressor in the situation, and demanded the nation to withdraw from Alytus within two days; however despite Lithuanian demands, the status of Vilnius wasn't discussed. The Polish government reluctantly accepted, and the troops withdrew from Alytus by 12 April. The failure to annex Alytus was a major embarrassment for Rydz, and a national humiliation for Poland; the aftermath of the April Crisis sparked a political crisis in which many government ministers demanded Rydz's resignation from all his government positions. After President Mościcki recommended him to resign, Rydz reluctantly did so, losing his position as de-facto dictator; Mościcki and the moderates then secured full control over the government, as Ozon dissolved and the Party of State Unity (PJP) took its place as the ruling party of the Polish state.

Mościcki wished to improve living conditions for Polish Jews, advocating for greater action against antisemitic violence. This put him at odds with Składkowski, who wished to retain the status-quo; an argument eventually rose over the topic in July 1939, and led to the President dismissing Składkowski on 17 July and invited retired politician Janusz Jędrzejewicz to replace him as prime minister. Jędrzejewicz, who had been heavily opposed to Rydz's right-wing faction, accepted the role. Under the new government, Poland started implementing protections for Jews, as police forces became required to halt antisemitic attacks and arrest the perpetrators. Most of the police followed through with government orders, but the police department in Łódź - operated by Aleksander Nowak - refused to follow through with orders, allowing the horrific October Łódź massacre where police officers watched antisemites attack innocent Jews but didn't act. This was resulted in the government launching a full-scale investigation into the Łódź police department, firing Nowak from his position and anyone else who didn't assist in halting the attacks. Nowak was later arrested and imprisoned for defying government orders.

In March 1940, the second post-coup presidential election took place, with Mościcki as the only legal candidate; he was easily reelected for a third term. The liberalisation of Jewish minority rights continued; however, this put the Polish government at odds with the Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Belarusian minorities, with political activist Jan Stankievič criticising the government's bias towards the Jewish minority and ignoring the other groups. The status of eastern minority rights put Poland at odds with the Soviet Union; Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov demanded that the Ukrainian and Belarusian minorities be just as respected as Jewish rights. During a tour by Jędrzejewicz across the country, when he was visiting Minsk, Yaroslav Stetsko - a Ukrainian nationalist - shot the prime minister, killing him; he was immediately arrested by Polish authorities, and was executed for treason against the government. Despite Stetsko not being an ideological communist, the Soviet Union condemned his execution, and demanded Poland to adhere to the demands of the Ukrainians and Belarusians. Following the assassination, Mościcki appointed Julian Kulski as new prime minister. [WIP]

Early Cold War (1947-1962)[]

Final years of the dictatorship (1962-1983)[]

Government[]

Demographics[]

The current population of Poland is around 51 million as of 2023, making it the 7th most populated country in Europe, and the 32nd-most populated in the world. The total fertility rate is estimated to be around 1.83 children born to a woman in 2022, which is roughly around the world's average fertility rate. The population is considered to be relatively young, with the median age being 41.6 as of 2023.

Urbanization is a prominent feature of Poland's societal landscape, with around 60% of the population residing in urban areas or major cities, while the remaining 40% lives in rural zones. Housing preferences also reflect a diverse pattern, with 54.5% of Poles residing in detached homes and 39.9% in apartments as of 2020. The most populous administrative province is the Kielce Voivodeship, while the nation's capital city, Warsaw, is the most populous city in Poland. The population resides mostly around the cities, similarly to other nations.