Ninety years of independent Poland

11 November, 2008, 15:17

As the world commemorates the end of World War I, Poland celebrates 90 years of independence. On the 11th of November 1918, after 123 years of partitions, Poland reappeared on the map of Europe as a sovereign state. The republic was short-lived, but it remains highly symbolic for Poles, who mark its inception in a spirit of unity and patriotism.

Celebrations and official ceremonies have been held all over the country. Cities and towns have hosted parades and concerts while flowers have been laid at monuments dedicated to the heroes who fought for independence.

More than 800 official international guests have been invited to Warsaw, amongst them, 16 heads of state. The presidents of Afghanistan, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine are expected to attend the celebrations. After official proceedings, the guests have been invited to attend a traditional Polish ball. Polka dancing is expected.

Poland's President Lech Kaczyński, who is one of the few official Polish figures expected to attend the ball, said he regretted not being able to wear a tail-coat to the event:

“To wear a tail-coat, you have to be at least 1.8 meters tall. Unfortunately, my height is much less,” he said.

Lech Walesa, the leader of the first independent trade union in the Soviet Bloc (“Solidarity”), the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and president of Poland from 1990 to 1995, has not been invited to the ball. The Polish foreign ministry refused to elaborate on the matter, saying simply that an invitation to Walesa has not been issued.

The decision to snub Walesa may be based on the fact that Walesa and Poland's incumbent president Kaczyński have a tense political relationship. This issue, highlighted on the country's Independence Day, is condemned by many, who note that it should be a day of national unity and not of political bickering.

Poland through the ages

From the Middle Ages until 1795 Poland was figuratively an independent state with its own monarchy. It remained in and out of a union with Lithuania, which was in the interest of both countries, joining them in one of the most powerful entities of Europe at the time.

In the 18th century, however, the country collapsed into anarchy, leading to its fragmentation.

Ever since the partition of Poland in 1795, the Polish people have not had their own sovereign state. Instead, the land was split among Russia, Prussia and Austria-Hungary. An opportunity to regain independence only emerged at the end of World War I, when the three occupying forces were crippled.

Prussia and Austria-Hungary were weakened by military defeat, while Russia was submerged beneath the Communist revolution. However, internal movements towards independence were already strong among Poles, their interests lying notably in the so-called “de-russification” of their nation.

The newly-founded so-called Second Republic was short-lived. Destabilised by growing Communist influence as well as the economic weight of the Great Depression, Poland fell to the Nazi forces which proceeded to occupy the country in 1939. After the end of World War II and the Yalta Conference held in February 1945, Poland was liberated again, but placed firmly under Soviet influence.

Although never a part of the USSR, Soviet control of Poland was never a tacit issue. All of its leaders, up until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 were directly approved by the Kremlin. Indeed, when speaking in Yalta during the creation of the spheres of influence, Stalin pointed out:

“For the Russian people, the question of Poland is not only a question of honour but also a question of security. Throughout history, Poland has been the corridor through which the enemy has passed into Russia.”

According to the Soviet government, putting Poland into its sphere of influence would protect the USSR from a potential German threat. The same reasoning allowed the USSR to retain the Polish territories it annexed over the course of World War II.