Figure 1.-- Much of the history of Poland is intertwined with that of the Roman Catholic Church. Both the NAZIs and the Communists sought to destroy it. The Polish people refused to give up their faith, surely the most respected national institution. Even during the Cold War, Polish parents insisted on having their children do First Communion. Here Polish children are doing First Communion in the 1960s. They and most of their parents were unaware of it, but they were playing an imprtant role in the Cold War. Even some Party members had their children do First Communion. Ironically the Polish nation and Polish Catholic Church that Stalin sought to destroy would begin to unravel in Poland with the Church as a critical catalyst.

Poland is a largely Catholic country. Few countries have such religious homigunity. The Catholic Church has played a major role in the country's history. Various religious minorities have also played a role in Polish history. The Slavs were pagans on the frointiers of Christian Europe. The Russians in the east were Chritinized by the Byantines and thus accepted the Eastern rites, Poles adhered to the Holy See and became Catholic, This occured at the time Poland emerged as a nation (10th century). Poland was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the nation to Christianity, establish a centralized state, and integrated Poland into Europe. The Polish Sejm (parliament) passed the Nihil novi act (1505). This effectively shifted legislative power from the Monarch to the Sejm. This was the beginning of "Nobility Commonwealth" under which Poland was ruled by the bobility throuh the Sejm. The Lublin Union established the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569). Poland-Lithuani was one of the most powerful states in Europe and an important cultural entity. Polish aristocratic demorcacy had by the 18th century declined into national anarchy. Squabling among nobels had undermined the Polish Commonwealth. It also exposed made the Commonwealth vulnerable to foreign intervention, especially by increasingly powerful Russia. The Congress of Vienna created the Kingdom of Poland as part of the reconstitution of Europe follosing the Napoleonic Wars (1815). As a result the Kingdom of Poland was often referred to as "Congress Poland". The territory of the Kingsom of Poland included a substantial area of what Prussia and Austria had annexed as a result of the Partitions. An independent Polish republic was founded at the end of World War I. Poland until World war II had a large Jewish minority which was largely destroyed by the NAZI Holocaust. Poland after World War I acquired a large area in the East with a more diverse ethnic and religious make up than largely Catholic central Poland. Much of what is now Beylorusia was between the Wars a part of Poland. This included Lithuanians, White Russians, Ukranians, and others. Thus the religious makeup of the country has been affected by the boundaries. NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland and partioned it (September 1939). Both the NAZIs and Soviets attempted to destroy Polish nationality. Both arrested and killed large numbers of individuals seen as part of the Polish inteligencia. The NAZI Holocaust succeeded in murdering about 90 perdent of Poland;s Jews. As part of the World War II peace s'ttlement, the Polish nation was shifted west. The Germans wre expelled from the west and the Ukranians forced to move east and settle in the Ukrania SSR of the Soviet Union and what is now the independent Ukraine. A small portion of Congress Poland becme part of the Soviet Union or what is now Belarus. The result to make Poland more uniformily Polish and Catholic. After World War II the boundaries of Poland were essentialky shifted West and the Polish population to the east transported to the new boundaries given the country a much more purely Polish and Catholic make up. During the five decades of Communist rule, the Church successfully resisted the Communists, the only national institution to do so.

Medieval History

The Slavs were pagans on the frointiers of Christian Europe. The Russians in the east were Chritinized by the Byantines and thus accepted the Eastern rites, Poles adhered to thevHoly See and became Catholic, This occured at the time Poland emerged as a nation (10th century). Poland was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the nation to Christianity, establish a centralized state, and integrated Poland into Europe. Mieszko I, duke of the Slavic tribe of Polans, was baptized (966). This is traditionally seen as the birth of the Polish nation. He founded the Piast dynasty. Mieszko officially accepted the authority of the Holy See (990). Mieszko's son Bolesław the Brave expanded his father's territory, bulding a state comprising the core of the Polish nation. Located in central Europe, Poland was surounded by powerful enemies. The initial Polish state fragmented (13th centyry). Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaila established the Jagiellon dynasty (1385–1569) and formed the Polish-Lithuanian Union. The union led to the establish mebnt of one of the largest European states. This led to the spread of Roman Catholicism deep into Eastern Europe, especially large areas of the the Ukraine. The Polish aristocracy resisted royal authority.

Polish Commonwealth (1505-795)

The Polish Sejm (parliament) passed the Nihil novi act (1505). This effectively shifted legislative power from the Monarch to the Sejm. This was the beginning of "Nobility Commonwealth" under which Poland was ruked by the bobility throuh the Sejm. The Lublin Union established the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569). Poland-Lithuani was one of the most powerful states in Europe and an important cultural entity. The important role of the nobility over time made it difficult to reach a consenus on important issues and mount effective military opeations as well as opened Poland up to foreign intervention.

Patition (1772-95)

Poland which has once been a major European power disappeared from the map of Europe as a result of three partitions at the hands of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Polish aristocratic demorcacy had by the 18th century declined into national anarchy. Squabling among nobels had undermined the Polish Commonwealth. It made the Commonwealth vulnerable to foreign intervention, especially by increasingly powerful Russia. Ultimately the neigboring powers (Russia, Prussia, and Austria) partitioned and annexed all of the former Polish kingdom (1772-95). This Poland disappeared grom the maps of Europe until being revived after World War I. Russia acquired the largest share of Poland, including all of eastern and central Poland as well as Warsw. Prussia acquired western Poland, much of which was renamed West Prussia (formerly Royal Prussia) and Posen. This was Wielkopolska or Greater Poland. Austria acquired southern Poland, including Kraków and Lwów and renamed "Galicia". During and after the Napoleonic Wars, Poland briefly reemerged as the small Duchy of Warsaw under Napoleon and the Kingdom of Poland within the Tsarist Empire. With the disappearance of the Polish state, the Catholic Church became the principal naional institution during the 19th century when most of Poland was controlled by Orthodox Russia.

Kingdom of Poland/Congress Poland (1815-1918)

The Congress of Vienna created the Kingdom of Poland as part of the reconstitution of Europe follosing the Napoleonic Wars (1815). As a result the Kingdom of Poland was often referred to as "Congress Poland". The territory of the Kingsom of Poland included a substantial area of what Prussia and Austria had annexed as a result of the Partitions. This included areas of historic Lithuania. The Kingdom of Poland as initially constituted was in personal union with thev Russia Tsar. Poles desiring independence revolted against the Tsar. The Tsar supressed the rebellion and sharply reduced Polish autonomy. The great bulk of the population of the Polish Kingdom were both Polish speaking Roman Catholic. There were, however, three important ethnic/religious minorities contituting over 20 percent of the population. Lithuanians who were Catholic lived in the region from Suwalki north. Ruthenians were importabt in te east and adhered to Byzantine Catholicism. There was also one of Europe's largest Jewish populaions. And there was amall German population. After the asssasination of Tsar Alexander II, his son reactonary son became Tsar Alexander III. He aopted policies including bloody pogroms against Jews and a Russificaion program aimed at other etnic groups in the Russian Empire. The Tsar abolished Byzantine Catholicism (the Uniate rite) (1875). Byzabntine Catholics were forced to accept Eastern Orthodoxy. Eventilly many converted to Roman Catholicism which essentially led to Polonization. Those who remained Orthodox mostly came to see themselves as Ukrainians. After World War, Congress Poland became the core of the new Polish Republic. A small area in the northernmost became part of Lithuania.

Independent Poland (1918-39)

An independent Polish republic was founded at the end of World War I. Poland until World war II had a large Jewish minority which was largely destroyed by the NAZI Holocaust. Poland after World War I acquired a large area in the East with a more diverse ethnic and religious make up than largely Catholic central Poland. Much of what is now Beylorusia was between the Wars a part of Poland. This included Lithuanians, White Russians, Ukranians, and others. Thus the religious makeup of the country has been affected by the boundaries.

World War II (1939-45)

NAZI Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland and partioned it (September 1939). Both the NAZIs and Soviets attempted to destroy Polish nationality. Both arrested and killed large numbers of individuals seen as part of the Polish inteligencia. The NAZI Holocaust succeeded in murdering about 90 perdent of Poland;s Jews. As part of the World War II peace settlement, the Polish nation was shifted west. The Germans wre expelled from the west and the Ukranians forced to move east and settle in the Ukrania SSR of the Soviet Union and what is now the independent Ukraine. A small portion of Congress Poland becme part of the Soviet Union or what is now Belarus. The result to make Poland more uniformily Polish and Catholic.

Catholocism and Communism (1945-88)

After World War II the boundaries of Poland were essentialky shifted West and the Polish population to the east transported to the new boundaries given the country a much more purely Polish and Catholic make up. During the five decades of Communist rule, the Church successfully resisted the Communists, the only national institution to do so. Adolf Hitler and his ally, Joseph Stalin, invaded Poland launching World War II (1939). The occupation of Poland was a disaster not only for the Polish people, but for the Catholic Churchn itself. The Germans and Soviets set out to destroy the Polish nation and the Church after the disolution of the Polish state, the Army, and the universities, was the only important national institution left standing. The German supression of the Church was most brutal in the areas of Western Poland annexed to the Reich. Priests were shit or arrested and interned in concentration camps where many perished. The Germans are believed to have killed some 3,000 priests. Otheres were deported to the General Government. And had the Germans prevailed in the War the priests in the General Government as well as the general population wuld have eventually been targeted there as well as part of Generalplan Ost. This was a foretast as to what the NAZIs palnned for the larger Reich after the War, the destruction of Christian churches and the creation of a new NAZI state religion. The Soviet authorities in the parts of eastern Poland that they invaded and occupied also attacked the Church. Priests were among those Poles the NKVD shot or deported. And after the Red Army drove out the Germans (1944), Soviet authorities renewed the attack on the Church. Poland's new Stalinist leaders under Soviet tutaledge launched a brutal campaign of supression, adopting the tactics of the atheists campaigns in the Soviet Union. This did not end until Stalin's death (1953). Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski had vbecome an international symbol of resistance to totalitarian Communism. The 20th Party Congress ushered in a new era (1956). Communist Party reformers ended much but not all of the brutality. They did not, however, end its efforts to supress the Church which was a integral component of Marxism.

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Created: 9:12 PM 1/2/2014
Last updated: 9:12 PM 1/2/2014