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Country Profile : POLAND
About the Republic of Poland Settled in the 10th Century by the Polanie, meaning people of the fields, Poland is still known as the granary of Europe. With a long cultural and political tradition, Poland has been subject to the empire building of its neighbours for centuries, ending with Soviet domination for the last half of the twentieth century. The trade union movement Solidarity, led by Lech Walesa, captured the interest of people in the West during the 1980s and eventually led to Polish independence. Many parts of Poland still retain an almost medieval feel to them, with severe problems in the agricultural industry remaining, although the country has worked hard to attain the reforms necessary for entry into the EU. History of Poland Poland has a long and ancient history – dating back to approximately the 10th century, Poland’s golden era was in the 16th century, this floundered in the 17th century when the nobles took control for their own benefit. Invaded in turn by Tatars, Ukrainians, Cossacks, Ottomans and Swedes, Poland was finally partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria in the 18th century. War, famine and plague took its toll and huge numbers of Poles emigrated, mainly to the USA. WW2 put paid to that, Poland was invaded first by Nazi Germany during which time six million Poles were killed, then later by the Soviet Union. Awarded to the Soviet Union following the post-war Yalta Conference of 1945, Poland operated as a satellite state of the USSR, nevertheless maintaining a progressive and tolerant government often at odds with their Soviet masters. Aided by the intelligentsia and the strong feelings engendered by the visit of Pope John Paul 11 to his homeland in 1978, labour unrest grew during the 1980s culminating in the formation of Solidarity, an independent trade union which gathered considerable political power during this time, becoming a significant threat to the weakened Communist Party. The Party responded by instigating martial law, Solidarity was suspended and its leaders interned. However, severe economic problems followed and so did disillusionment with Walesa’s party, which was displaced by former communists in 1995, gaining less than 1% of the vote in subsequent elections in 1997. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in May 2004. Polish Economy Although described as one of the Eastern European economic success stories, Poland has many difficulties still to overcome; these include a lack of efficiency and investment in the huge agricultural sector, corruption, bureaucracy and an overly large state sector. Unemployment remains high with low income and growth, whilst work is being done to improve Poland’s competitiveness in the export market. |
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