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Poland saves Europe from Ottoman invasion

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Poland saves Europe from Ottoman invasion

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Did you know Polish soldiers and their "winged" horses saved all of Europe from an Ottoman invasion? These warriors were known as the "Winged Hussars". They staved off the Turkic invaders in the battle of Vienna in 1683.

Fig.1 (Brotherhood of the Winged Knights)

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In 1815 the Duchy of Warsaw, weakened by the Napoleonic wars, was absorbed by the neighbouring German, Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. This erased the independant Polish state from the map of Europe for the next century.
Fig.2 (First Partition of Poland)

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Most of the combat on the eastern front of WW1 occured on Polish lands. The conflict caused an immense amount of destruction across the ethnic territories. Famous polish painter Wojciech Kossak remembered seeing only "tragic masks of feral people who, at the sound of a car engine, looked out for a moment from the ruins of huts, to disappear soon like a spectre" (Kossak and Olszański, p. 298).
Fig.3 (WW1 Polish Refugees)

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Creation of the Second Polish Republic of 1918

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Creation of the Second Polish Republic of 1918

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Out of the ruins of the Great War emerged a new Polish state. It was a young republic, and therefore lacked resources and military might. They were completely dependant on Britain and France in terms of military assistance (Allen).
Fig.4 (Josef Pilsudski and the Polish Independance)

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Britain and France broke their promises to protect the young nation. The Nazis effortlessly ploughed through the Second Polish Republic, bringing about a second, and much greater, wave of destruction.
Fig.5 (German Invasion of Poland 78 yrs later)

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The Nazis commenced a reign of terror over poland. Executions, arrests, and deportations were commonplace. Starvation and poverty plagued the Polish people.
Fig.6 (The Nazi Terror in Occupied Poland)

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By the end of January, 1945, the Soviet Red Army had pushed the Nazis out of Poland, freeing six of the most notorious concentration camps. However, The general Polish population were wary of the Soviets.
Fig.7 (Auschwitz is Liberated)

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The victorious Soviet Union established a Polish socialist state, ruled by the Polish United Worker's Party which remained in power untill 1989. The Polish people were never asked for their opinion.
Fig.8(Passers-by infront of polish united workers headquarters)

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Under soviet occupation Poland faced economic stagnation. Food and product shortages were common. Political freedom was non-existent and personal freedom was limited.
Fig.9 (Hinc)

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In 1989, Poland became the first eastern bloc country to abandon communism and gain independance from the weakened USSR. One by one, all former Soviet Bloc countries followed. This period of revolutions became known as the "fall of nations".
Fig.10 (Nelsson)

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Despite the political upheavals Poland faced throughout history, today it has emerged as a developed nation with a growing economy, high literacy rates and low crime rates.
Fig.11 (Mecking)

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Poland has reported a healthy 4.2% annual growth that has remained relatively unaffected by Covid-19. It is currently the seventh largest economy in the EU (Fredriksson).
Fig.12 (People at Zlote Tarasy Mall, Warsaw)

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Poland boasts an adult literacy rate of 98.74%. This translates to Poland having the 8th highest literacy rate in the world acredited to a strong educational system and free higher education.
Fig.13 (Public vs Non-public Schools in Poland)

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Poland is ranked amongst the safer countries in europe. As of today it is the 15th safest country in the EU. Surveys state that 96% of poles feel safe in their neighnourhoods (Czarnecka).
Fig.14 (RealWorldImage)

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Poland has been given the short end of the stick in every major conflict on the European continent and yet it has emerged victorious. Poland shows promising potential for further economic growth (Fredriksson), its literacy rates are one of the highest in the world, and it values the safety and prosperity of its citizens. The polish people did not let the past hold them back from their future.
Fig.15 (Vogel)

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Image citations:
“Brotherhood of the Winged Knights.” Ironthronerp Wikia, https://ironthronerp.fandom.com/wiki/Brotherhood_of_the_Winged_Knights

“Allegory of the First Partition of Poland.” Wikimedia.org, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allegory_of_the_1st_partition_of_Poland_crop.jpg

The History Place - World War I Timeline - 1915 - Polish Refugees, 2009, www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/ww-polish-refugees.htm.

“Jozef Pilsudski and the Polish Independence - The Myth of the Commander.” Polishnews.com, 11 Nov. 2008, www.polishnews.com/jozef-pilsudski-and-the-polish-independence-the-myth-of-the-commander.

Admin. “The German Invasion of Poland 78 Years Later.” National D-Day Memorial, 1 Sept. 2017, www.dday.org/2017/09/01/the-german-invasion-of-poland-78-years-later/.

“THE NAZI TERROR IN OCCUPIED POLAND.” Imperial War Museums, 2013, www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205136417.

“Soviets Liberate Auschwitz.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 5 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-liberate-auschwitz.

Limited, Alamy. “Stock Photo - Warsaw, Poland, 1970s; Passers-by in Front of the Headquarters of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers` Party ( PZPR ), Portrait of Lenin Hanging on the Building.” Alamy, www.alamy.com/warsaw-poland-1970s-passers-by-in-front-of-the-headquarters-of-the-central-committee-of-the-polish-united-workers%60-party-pzpr-portrait-of-lenin-hanging-on-the-building-during-a-party-congress-fot-chris-niedenthalforum-image264649099.html.

Hinc, Danuta  September. “The Lessons of My Childhood in Communist Poland Are Relevant Again.” Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2019, https://lithub.com/the-lessons-of-my-childhood-in-communist-poland-are-relevant-again/

Nelsson, Richard. “The Birth of Solidarity in Poland - Archive 1980.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Sept. 2019, www.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2019/sep/18/the-birth-of-solidarity-in-poland-archive-1980.

Mecking, Olga. “Why Polish People Hate Rules.” BBC Travel, BBC, 4 Sept. 2019, www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190903-why-polish-people-hate-rules.

Benedek. “People Walk and Sit at Patios at the Zlote Tarasy Shopping Mall in...” IStock, 22 Apr. 2019, www.istockphoto.com/photo/people-at-zlote-tarasy-shopping-mall-in-warsaw-poland-gm516208364-88877175.

Ourkids.net. “Public Vs Non-Public Schools in Poland.” Public versus Non-Public Schools in Poland, www.ourkids.net/pl-en/public-vs-nonpublic-schools.php.

International., Real World Photographs. “A Man Crosses a Busy Street in Old Town. Warsaw, Poland.” Twitter, Twitter, 10 Aug. 2020, https://twitter.com/realworldimage/status/1292780928021016581

Vogel , Sally, et al. “I Photographed Gdańsk, Old City That Was 90% Destroyed During War, And Rebuilt By Polish People.” Bored Panda, 1 Jan. 2016, www.boredpanda.com/gdansk-destroyed-rebuilt-photography-karol-nienartowicz/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.

Texts Researched:
Kossak, Wojciech, and Kazimierz Olszański. Wspomnienia. Instytut Wydawniczy Pax, 2016.

Allen, Erin. “World War I: Restoring Poland.” World War I: Restoring Poland | Library of Congress Blog, 25 Jan. 2017, https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/01/world-war-i-restoring-poland/

Fredriksson, Eglé. “How Poland's 'Golden Age' of Economic Growth Is Going Unreported ǀ View.” Euronews, 25 June 2019, www.euronews.com/2019/06/25/how-poland-s-golden-age-of-economic-growth-is-going-unreported-view.

“Poland - Literacy Rate 2008.” Countryeconomy.com, Follow Us, 30 Jan. 2019, https://countryeconomy.com/demography/literacy-rate/poland

Czarnecka, Joanna. “Poland Ranked among Safest Countries in the EU – News.” Careers in Poland, 19 Mar. 2021, www.careersinpoland.com/article/news/poland-ranked-among-safest-countries-in-the-eu.

Szczepankiewicz, Julie Roberts. “Those Infamous Border Changes: A Crash Course in Polish History.” From Shepherds and Shoemakers, 17 Jan. 2017, https://fromshepherdsandshoemakers.com/2017/01/15/those-infamous-border-changes-a-crash-course-in-polish-history/

Szlanta, Piotr. “Poland.” New Articles RSS, 8 Oct. 2014, https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/poland

Daniluk, Jan. “Poles under German Occupation.” Truth About Camps | W Imię Prawdy Historycznej (En), 2012, https://en.truthaboutcamps.eu/thn/poles-under-german-occu/15596,Poles-under-German-Occupation.html