Why was Poland, the first country to be destroyed in World War II, only 20 years after its restoration? Look at how hateful Poland has been in these 20 years

On November 11, 1918, Poland finally regained its independence. After 123 years of division and fall, the former European power has reappeared on the world map. However, fate always seems to favor Poland and play tricks on Poland. Just 20 years later, on September 1, 1939, Germany lightning invaded Poland and World War II began. In just a month, Poland disappeared from the map again.

Why did Poland go from restoration to destruction in such a short period of time? What has Poland experienced in the past 20 years? How did they go from being a weak country that was bullied to being a "troublemaker" that their neighbors hated? What astonishing decisions did the Polish government make during this short period of independence?

Let's take a look back at this tumultuous history and uncover what Poland has done in the past 20 years. Perhaps, we can find the answer from this: why would a newly restored country fall into ruin again in such a short period of time? Is Poland's fate really just a victim of geopolitics, or is there a deeper reason?

Poland's history dates back to the 10th century, and this country in the heart of Europe was once a powerful kingdom. However, from the end of the 18th century, Poland experienced a series of divisions and falls, and finally disappeared completely from the map of Europe in 1795.

In 1772, Russia, Prussia, and Austria joined forces to divide Poland for the first time. In this partition, Poland lost about 30% of its territory and 50% of its population. However, this is just the beginning. In 1793, Russia and Prussia joined forces again for the second partition of Poland. This time, Poland lost another 50% of its territory.

Faced with such a huge loss, the Polish people rose up in revolt. In 1794, under the leadership of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a nationwide uprising broke out in Poland. Although the uprising was fierce, it was eventually suppressed. Subsequently, in 1795, the third and final partition of Poland was carried out by the Russian-Prussian and Austrian powers, and Poland completely disappeared from the map.

For the next 123 years, the Polish people experienced a long policy of oppression and assimilation. However, they never gave up on their dream of regaining their independence. Poland's culture, language, and national identity have been passed down underground, waiting for a chance to be restored.

The outbreak of the First World War brought about a turning point for Poland. The war pitted the three empires that divided Poland against each other and gave the Polish people the opportunity to fight for independence. In 1914, the Polish Legion, formed under the leadership of Joseph Piłłsukki, began to fight for independence.

As the war progressed, the Polish question gradually attracted the attention of the international community. In 1917, U.S. President Wilson clearly put forward the idea of Polish independence in the famous "Fourteen Points" peace plan. This move greatly boosted the morale of the Polish people.

On November 11, 1918, the same day that World War I ended, Poland finally declared its independence. Piusutsky was appointed interim head of state and began work on the formation of a new government and army. However, independence does not mean smooth sailing. The new Poland faced many challenges: territorial disputes, economic reconstruction, and the establishment of political institutions.

Poland's road to national restoration was full of hardships and twists and turns. From the division at the end of the 18th century to the rebirth at the beginning of the 20th century, the Polish people experienced a struggle that lasted for more than a century. This history left a deep mark on Poland and largely shaped Poland's foreign policy and national strategy between the two world wars.

However, post-restoration Poland did not learn from history. On the contrary, they seem to be more eager to regain their former glory, a desire that eventually leads to a series of unwise decisions. The nascent Polish government, eager to expand its territory, had territorial disputes with almost all of its neighbors, which laid the groundwork for future difficulties.

After regaining its independence, Poland quickly demonstrated a strong sense of national pride and a desire for the glory of the past. This sentiment drove the nascent Polish government to make a series of bold and controversial decisions, the most notable of which was a policy of territorial expansion.

In the early years of its restoration, Poland was embroiled in border disputes with almost all of its neighbors. In the west, Poland clashed fiercely with Germany over the ownership of Danzig (present-day Gdańsk) and Upper Silesia. In 1919, Poland launched an uprising in the Greater Poznan region and succeeded in seizing the land, which had previously belonged to Germany. Subsequently, with the support of the Treaty of Versailles, Poland received another part of Pomerania, thereby gaining a corridor to the Baltic Sea. This decision directly led to the separation of the German province of East Prussia from the mainland and became an enclave, which laid the root cause of the deterioration of German-Polish relations in the future.

In the east, Poland fought a protracted war with the nascent Soviet Russia, known as the Polish-Soviet War. The war began in February 1919 and began as a few skirmishes on the border. However, the scale of the war rapidly expanded as the Polish army continued to advance eastward, capturing important cities such as Kiev.

In August 1920, the war entered a critical moment. Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive under the leadership of Marshal Tukhachevsky, advancing all the way to the city of Warsaw. Just as Warsaw was about to fall, the Polish army, under the command of Piłłsukki, miraculously turned the tide of the war. This battle, known as the "Vistula Miracle", not only saved Poland's independence, but also greatly enhanced Poland's international status and national self-confidence.

In March 1921, Poland signed the Treaty of Riga with Soviet Russia, which defined the border between the two countries. Poland gained huge territorial benefits in this war, including large swathes of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine. This victory reminded the Poles of the glory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and further fueled their desire for expansion.

However, this expansionist policy also had serious consequences for Poland. The incorporation of a large number of non-Polish ethnic populations made the nascent Poland a multi-ethnic state, and the issue of minorities became a major problem for the Polish government. At the same time, this radical expansion also aroused vigilance and hostility from neighboring countries, especially Germany and the Soviet Union.

In addition to territorial expansion, Poland has even greater geopolitical ambitions. They put forward the idea of "between the two seas", that is, to create a powerful alliance extending from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea to defend against the threat of Germany and the Soviet Union. This concept includes countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

To achieve this goal, Poland actively intervenes in the internal affairs of neighboring countries. In 1919, Poland supported anti-Bolshevik forces in establishing a pro-Polish regime in Lithuania, but it ended in failure. In 1920, Poland reached an agreement with the Ukrainian nationalist leader Simon Petryula to recognize him as the legitimate government of Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine's recognition of Polish sovereignty over the Galician region.

This policy of active intervention, although it expanded Poland's influence in the short term, also aroused discontent in neighboring countries. Lithuania broke with Poland over the Vilnius question, and Czechoslovakia was at odds with Poland over the Tieshen region.

These moves by Poland undoubtedly show the ambition of a new state, but they also reflect the short-sightedness and recklessness of its foreign policy. They seem to have forgotten that, as a medium-sized country sandwiched between Germany and the Soviet Union, excessive expansion and ambition could have disastrous consequences.

As the 1920s progressed, Poland gradually realized that it was in an increasingly difficult situation. The revival of Germany and the rise of the Soviet Union led to a deterioration of the geopolitical environment in Poland. However, due to the diplomatic isolation caused by earlier's expansionist policies, Poland found itself with few reliable allies. This dilemma culminated in a series of puzzling foreign policies in Poland in the 1930s, setting the stage for its eventual tragic fate.

In the two decades since Poland regained its independence, it faced a series of serious domestic and foreign challenges. These predicaments not only reflect the general problems of a new nation, but also highlight Poland's special geopolitical situation and historical baggage.

At the political level, Poland has experienced an ongoing tug-of-war between democracy and dictatorship. In 1921, Poland promulgated a new constitution that established parliamentary democracy. However, the system soon ran into trouble. Frequent changes of government, fierce fights between parties, and the inefficiency of parliaments have seriously affected the stability and development of the country.

In May 1926, the then Field Marshal Joseph Piusutsky staged a military coup d'état that overthrew the democratically elected government. The coup d'état marked Poland's transition from parliamentary democracy to authoritarianism. Piussutsky, although not formally in the office of president or prime minister, actually controls the power of the country. He pursued what he called a "restorative form of government" in an attempt to find a balance between democracy and authoritarianism.

Piłsutsky's rule brought some political stability, but it also provoked strong resentment from the opposition. In 1930, he ordered the arrest of several opposition leaders, prompting international criticism. Although this kind of political repression has maintained superficial stability in the short term, it has also exacerbated social contradictions and laid hidden dangers for future political turmoil.

On the economic front, Poland also faces enormous challenges. As a newly independent state, Poland needed to integrate the different economic systems of the three divided countries and create a unified monetary and financial system. The task itself was daunting, and the Great Depression of 1929 exacerbated it.

The economic crisis led to a significant drop in industrial output in Poland and a surge in unemployment. Poverty is particularly acute in rural areas, where a large number of peasants are in dire straits. The government tried to stimulate the economy by implementing the "big push" industrialization plan, establishing a "central industrial zone" in the central region. However, the effect of these measures was limited, and it was not until the late 1930s that the Polish economy began to recover gradually.

In addition, the issue of minorities is a major problem for the Polish government. According to the 1921 census, nearly one-third of Poland's population was a national minority, including Ukrainians, Belarusians, Germans, and Jews. Most of these minorities are concentrated in Poland's eastern and southern border regions, posing a challenge to state rule.

The Polish government pursued a series of assimilation policies in an attempt to "Polonicize" these minorities. In the field of education, for example, the Government promotes the teaching of the Polish language and restricts the use of minority languages. In the east, the government also implemented a policy of "military colonization", encouraging Polish veterans to settle in areas populated by ethnic minorities in order to change the local demographics.

These policies have intensified ethnic contradictions. In the regions of Western Ukraine, Ukrainian nationalist groups carried out frequent armed attacks, and in 1930 there was even a large-scale "Sabota Day" movement. The government's hard-line repression further exacerbated the contradictions, making the issue of minorities a ticking time bomb in Polish society.

In the diplomatic sphere, Poland is in an equally difficult position. Although a treaty of military alliance was signed with France in 1921, the reliability of this alliance became increasingly questionable over time. France was disappointed and disturbed by the signing of the Locarno Treaty in 1925, which recognized the inviolability of Germany's western borders but made no similar commitment to Poland's eastern borders.

At the same time, relations between Poland and Czechoslovakia were strained by disputes over the Tieshen region. The two countries, which were supposed to join forces against the German threat, were unable to establish an effective cooperative relationship because of territorial disputes.

Faced with a growing external threat, the Polish government tried to find a balance between the great powers. In 1932, Poland signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union; In 1934, a similar agreement was signed with Germany. However, this policy of balancing Germany and the Soviet Union ultimately proved unsustainable.

With the rapid deterioration of the international situation in the late 1930s, Poland's diplomatic situation became increasingly difficult. Germany's aggressiveness and the Soviet Union's aggressiveness put Poland in an extremely dangerous situation. However, due to earlier's various domestic and foreign mistakes, Poland could hardly find a reliable ally in the face of the coming storm.

In 1938, the situation in Europe deteriorated dramatically. With the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia by Germany, Poland found itself in an increasingly precarious situation. However, the Polish government seems to have underestimated the severity of the impending crisis and instead tried to profit from it.

Shortly after the signing of the Munich Agreement, the Polish government issued an ultimatum to Czechoslovakia demanding that it cede the Tieshen region. Although this area is small, it has important industrial facilities and coal resources. In October 1938, Polish troops, with the support of Germany, occupied Tieshen. This action, while satisfying Poland's territorial ambitions in the short term, also seriously damaged its international image, especially in the eyes of the Western allies.

At the same time, Germany began to put pressure on Poland. In October 1938, German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop made a series of demands to the Polish ambassador to Germany, including the return of the Free City of Danzig and the construction of roads and railways through the Polish Corridor. These demands would in practice mean that Poland would lose access to the Baltic Sea, which would be tantamount to relinquishing sovereignty.

In the face of German pressure, the Polish government at first resorted to delaying tactics. On the one hand, they insisted on rejecting the German demands, and on the other hand, they tried to avoid outright anger at Hitler. In January 1939, Polish Foreign Minister Beck visited Germany and had a long talk with Hitler. During the talks, Beck expressed Poland's willingness to discuss the Danzig question, but insisted that the sovereignty of the Polish corridor was inviolable.

However, this ambiguity did little to ease tensions between Germany and Poland. As time went on, Hitler became more and more demanding of Poland. In March 1939, Germany annexed what was left of Czechoslovakia and established the Bohemia-Moravian Protectorate. This action put Poland's southern borders directly under threat from Germany, and the Polish government finally realized the gravity of the situation.

Under these conditions, Poland began to actively seek the support of the Western powers. On March 31, 1939, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced in the House of Commons that Britain would provide military assistance if Polish independence was threatened. A few days later, France made a similar pledge. These assurances gave Poland some confidence, but also some unrealistic illusions to the Polish government.

At the same time, Polish-Soviet relations became a key issue. Faced with the German threat, some Polish politicians advocated an alliance with the Soviet Union. However, due to historical grievances and ideological differences, the Polish government was extremely cautious about cooperating with the Soviet Union. In August 1939, a British and French delegation came to Moscow in an attempt to conclude a military alliance with the Soviet Union. However, Poland's refusal to allow Soviet troops to pass through its territory became one of the main reasons for the failure of the negotiations.

At a stalemate in the negotiations between Britain, France and the Soviet Union, Germany and the Soviet Union made secret contacts, culminating in the signing of the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact on August 23, 1939. The signing of this treaty was a bolt from the blue for Poland. Poland suddenly found itself in isolation, facing threats from two powerful neighbors, east and west.

In the days following the signing of the treaty, the Polish government made its final diplomatic efforts. They tried to convince Britain and France to put pressure on Germany as soon as possible, and at the same time began to consider the possibility of improving relations with the Soviet Union. However, these efforts were too late.

In the early hours of September 1, 1939, German troops crossed the border and launched a full-scale attack on Poland. Although the Polish army resisted valiantly, it was defeated by the superior German forces and advanced equipment. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany, and World War II broke out.

While the Polish army was struggling to hold on on the Western Front, on September 17, the Soviet Red Army suddenly invaded Poland from the east. Faced with the onslaught of two powerful neighbors, Poland's fate was sealed. On 28 September, Warsaw finally surrendered after stubborn resistance. By early October, organized resistance in Poland was essentially over.

The rapid collapse of Poland shocked the whole world. This is not only a national tragedy, but also a sign of the complete collapse of the old European order. Poland's fate became one of the most painful lessons of the early years of World War II, reflecting the fragility of small states in great power politics and the failure of the collective security system.

With the end of World War II, Poland once again stood at the crossroads of history. The war-torn country not only faces enormous material losses, but also has to deal with complex political situations and social changes. The process of reconstruction and transformation of post-war Poland was full of hardships and twists and turns, reflecting the common destiny of Eastern European countries in the early days of the Cold War.

In February 1945, the Yalta Conference decided Poland's post-war fate. According to the resolution of the conference, the eastern border of Poland was pushed to the Kurzon line, while the western border was extended to the Oder-Neisse line. This decision resulted in Poland losing about 178,000 square kilometers of its eastern territory, but gaining about 101,000 square kilometers of the western and northern regions. This territorial change not only changed the geographical map of Poland, but also triggered large-scale population migration.

At the political level, the Polish Communists, with the support of the USSR, gradually seized state power. In June 1945, the Provisional Government of Polish National Unity, supported by Stalin, was formed. Despite the demands of the Western Allies for free elections, the parliamentary elections held in January 1947 were actually held under the tight control of the Communist Party. The election results showed that the democratic bloc, led by the Communist Party, won an absolute majority of seats.

Subsequently, the socialist transformation of Poland began. In 1947, the government promulgated a three-year economic reconstruction plan aimed at restoring pre-war levels of industrial production. This plan paid off, and by 1949 industrial production in Poland had exceeded pre-war levels. However, this rapid industrialization came at the expense of agriculture and the production of consumer goods.

In 1950, Poland began a six-year plan focusing on heavy industry. The government has invested heavily in steel, coal, machinery and other industries, and has built a number of large-scale industrial projects such as the Nova Huta Iron and Steel Plant. This strategy of "prioritizing heavy industry" allowed Poland to industrialize in a short period of time, but it also led to a serious imbalance in the structure of the economy.

At the same time, the collectivization of agriculture was carried out throughout the country. The government forced peasants to join collective farms through high agricultural taxes and forced sales. However, this policy was met with widespread resistance from the peasants. By 1956, only about 10% of farmland had been collectivized, much lower than in other Eastern European countries.

In the field of culture and education, the government has carried out a comprehensive socialist transformation. Higher education institutions were reorganized, and course content was redesigned to conform to Marxist-Leninist ideology. At the same time, the Government has made great efforts to eradicate illiteracy and has established an extensive adult education network. Although these measures have raised the level of national education, they have also led to a simplification of ideas.

However, this rapid and coercive socialist transformation inevitably provoked social contradictions. In June 1956, Poznan workers staged a mass strike to protest deteriorating living conditions and political repression. This incident shook the entire Polish society and became the fuse for Poland's "October Thaw".

In this situation, Vładysław Gomulka, who was seen as a reformist, returned to power. Gomulka put forward the concept of the "Polish-style socialist road", which attempted to loosen economic and cultural control while adhering to the socialist system. He abolished the policy of collectivization of agriculture and allowed the existence of a private small-scale peasant economy; In the industrial sector, a certain degree of corporate autonomy is introduced; In the field of culture, the control of intellectuals has been relaxed.

These reforms have indeed improved the economic situation and the social climate in the short term. However, without touching on the fundamental problems of the system, the reform soon came to a standstill. By the mid-1960s, the Polish economy was once again experiencing slowing growth and rising inflation.

At the same time, changes in the international situation have had a profound impact on Poland. After the events of the Prague Spring in 1968, Poland participated in the Warsaw Pact military intervention in Czechoslovakia. This action not only damaged Poland's international image, but also exacerbated the discontent of domestic intellectuals.

In December 1970, the government's decision to announce a drastic increase in food prices sparked workers' riots in cities on the Baltic coast. The Gomulka government's tough crackdown led to dozens of deaths, eventually leading to Gomulka's ouster and Eduard Girek coming to power.

Girek took a series of measures to stimulate the economy, including the introduction of Western technology and loans, and the increase in workers' wages. These policies have indeed improved the economic situation and the living standards of the people in the short term. However, in the absence of fundamental institutional reforms, this growth model that relies on external debt eventually led to a severe economic crisis.

By the end of the 1970s, Poland's external debt had reached alarming levels, inflation was out of control, and commodity shortages were widespread. In July 1980, the government again announced an increase in meat prices, triggering a nationwide workers' strike. At the Gdansk shipyard, workers organized themselves into "solidarity" and put forward 21 demands, including the right to strike. This marked the beginning of the process of democratization in Poland and laid the groundwork for the upheavals that followed.