On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany joined forces with Slovakia to launch a plan of aggression against Poland. Over the next 16 days, the Soviet Union launched an attack on Poland under the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact.
On September 28, the Germans and the Soviets successfully joined forces at the Bug River, and on October 6, they conquered all of Poland, and Poland finally fell. Faced with such a tragic situation, Poland** was forced into exile.
And this was the real beginning of the far-reaching "Second World War". Poland's recent history was full of ups and downs, and their fate was tormented by the roar of knights' swords and cannons.
Although he has experienced the restoration of the country, he has also fallen into the predicament of losing the country again.
The glory of the former great power is still in front of us, but when they wake up, the Poles who have lost their country have to embark on a journey of displacement. Why has this country with a long history and abundant talents suffered so many times in modern times?
From the Principality of Poland to the Principality of Warsaw, and then to today's Poland, what kind of ups and downs has Poland experienced along the way? Sandwiched between the two great powers, Germany and Russia,"Pretentious"Poland always can't see its own position clearly, but it makes the wrong choice at a critical moment, and dies on the road to death all the way.
Therefore, a Polish history reveals not only the rise and fall of Poland, but also the changes in modern Europe, which contains the game between countries and the survival wisdom of small countries.
At one time, Poland dominated the European continent and became the premier power. In the 10th century, when Britain, France, Germany and other powerful countries had not yet risen, Poland had already established a feudal state, began the rule of the Piast dynasty, and entered the fast lane of development.
During the reign of Władysław I, Poland expanded its territory and annexed many small states in Eastern Europe, becoming a powerful country with a land area of more than one million square kilometers.
More importantly, Poland and Hungary blocked the westward advance of the Mongol cavalry, becoming a powerful barrier to Europe, and the limelight was unrivaled for a while. Although Poland has now become a second-rate country in Europe, its former glory is still worth remembering.
The expansionist ambitions of the Polish aristocracy led to a period of prosperity for the Polish principality, but it also presented them with challenges. They are constantly pushing westward, dreaming of mastering the Baltic coast and access to the sea.
However, this expansion led the Polish nobility to attract a formidable enemy, the Teutonic Knights, and their centuries-old feud began. At that time, the Teutonic Knights had just been expelled by King Andrei II of Hungary, but received an invitation from the Duke of Conrad of Poland.
The self-regarded Polish nobleman was met with resolute resistance from the Prussians in his conquest of Courland, and in desperation, he sought help from the Teutonic Knights.
After receiving double assurances from both the secular king and the religious pope, the Teutonic Knights sent troops to suppress the Prussians. After fifty years of brutal fighting, they established the powerful Knightly State with Prussia as the core, becoming the most dangerous enemy of Poland.
The Polish nobles deeply regretted this, so they decided to form an alliance with the Duchy of Lithuania to the north and form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to fight against the Teutonic Knights.
In 1410, the Polish-Lithuanian alliance fought a decisive battle with the Order at Greenwald, in which the Order's elite forces were almost wiped out, and the combined forces won a hard-fought victory, dealing a devastating blow to the Order.
From then on, Poland began to gradually regain lost territory, reached the peak of its national power, and became the hegemon of Eastern Europe.
This was the beginning of the glory of the Kingdom of Poland, but within the kingdom contradictions between various federations, nationalities, and classes gradually emerged. In the eighteenth century, when the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania was on the verge of collapse, the Poles faced centuries of pain and despair. "
Aristocratic democracy"The advanced nature of the feudal kingdom was not effectively brought into play. In the pursuit of democracy, the Polish parliament was often divided and its policies wavered, which to a certain extent hindered the development of the country and, more seriously, made Poland make serious mistakes on many key issues.
Even in the heyday of the Kingdom of Poland, they were able to act autonomously, but when the power of the country declined, they suffered a devastating blow.
In 1772, with the rise of the Russian, Prussian, and Austrian empires, Poland gradually faced the loss of its land and population until it was divided among the three kingdoms, and the shadow of its demise began to loom over it.
The signing of the First Partition Treaty resulted in the loss of a third of Poland's land and population, making it a protectorate of the Three Kingdoms. With the signing of the Second Partition Treaty, Poland had completely become a puppet state of Russia, and after losing its territory and population, it had lost its sovereignty.
Finally, with the signing of the Third Partition Treaty, the once glorious Kingdom of Poland completely disappeared from the map. It had been 123 years since Poland reappeared in Europe as a nation, and that generation of Poles who had experienced the pain of their death had closed their eyes in hopeless waiting.
The Poles were also restored in 1918 before the forces led by Napoleon temporarily established the Duchy of Warsaw. However, with the defeat of Napoleon, the Duchy of Warsaw also disappeared into the long river of history like a meteor.
During this period, capitalism in Poland made significant progress, and the spirit of European rationality and Enlightenment ideas were introduced to Poland, which triggered a revolutionary movement in Polish society and laid a solid foundation for the restoration of Poland after World War I.
However, the deterioration of Poland's relations with its two major neighbors, Germany and Russia, sounded the death knell for Poland's subsequent demise. Under the decisions of the Paris Peace Conference, Poland was formally restored in 1918, and the newly formed Republic of Poland regained its independence.
However, at a time when the situation in Europe is turbulent and the world situation is complicated, Poland's restoration will not last.
In 1939, Hitler's blitzkrieg raided Poland, causing 600,000 Soviet Red Army troops to cross the Soviet-Polish border on Stalin's orders. This country, which has just been restored in 20 years, is once again facing the fate of its demise.
However, Poland's feud with Germany did not begin today. In modern times, this once powerful country has always been pressed to the ground by strong enemies, and this is not unrelated to its own actions.
When Poland is strong, it bullies; When it is weak, it is treacherous. Therefore, we should not blame Germany and Russia for all this, but should reflect on Poland's own problems.
Poland's historical grievances and hatreds are not innocent, whether it is in the Soviet Union and Germany, or in disputes with other countries, they have not always been at a disadvantage. The dispute between Poland and Germany dates back to the period between the Duchy of Poland and the Teutonic Knights, and the two powers fought for nearly a hundred years to decide Poland's victory at the Battle of Gründwald.
Poland, as the victor, divided the Teutonic Knights into two and made East and West Prussia its own vassals. However, even if the Teutonic Knighthoods submitted to Poland, the contradictions between the two sides did not disappear, but intensified, and the long-term conflict and repression led to a deepening hatred between the two sides, even to the point of not dying.
After the secularization of the Order and the rise of the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany began to carry out revenge against Poland, and a total of three partitions of Poland were carried out, which we can call the first wave of German revenge against Poland.
In 1918, after the restoration of Poland, vindictive Poles began to go crazy against Germany**. With the assistance and instruction of Britain and France, Poland occupied Germany's "Danzig Corridor" and gained access to the sea, thus separating East Prussia from Germany proper, hindering the coordinated and unified development of the entire territory of Germany, and deepening the contradictions between the two countries.
Then, Poland became a tool of Britain and France, and encircled and blockaded Germany according to the British and French plans.
After the defeat of Germany, it went through a difficult period of reconstruction, and they knew that only by developing the economy could the country rise again. They pinned their hopes on the future, hoping that one day they would be ashamed of their defeat.
"Fortunately", though, this goal didn't wait long. In the 30s, due to the impact of the economic crisis, countries such as Britain and France could no longer restrain the rise of Germany.
France, on the European continent, is worried about the rise of Germany, especially Poland, which is adjacent to Germany. However, to Poland's surprise, Germany, which was gaining momentum, did not retaliate against it, but took the initiative to extend an olive branch, hoping to form an alliance with Poland.
This move by Germany not only appeased Poland, but also gave Poland the illusion that it was capable of swaying the situation in Europe. The Poles began to maneuver between the great powers, allied not only with Britain and France, but also with the Soviet Union behind Germany's back, playing the European powers in the palm of their hands.
In the chaos of the situation in Europe, Poland took the opportunity to occupy territories that did not belong to it, but it suffered the consequences. While they were complacent, their conspiracy with the Soviet Union, Britain and France was discovered by Germany, and after Hitler came to power, Germany was opposed"Danzig area"The demands put Poland in the face of a great threat.
However, Poland still fantasized about becoming a great power, turning a deaf ear to Hitler's demands and rampaging ** Germans in the Danzig area, which eventually provoked German anger and led to the destruction of Poland by the German blitzkrieg and the destruction of the country in just one month.
Under the influence of racist policies, countless Poles fell victim to national strife, just like the Danzig Germans. Poland would not have been left alone in the event of a German invasion had it not been for the "wall-to-wall" strategy.
The Poles in the war were pitiful, but equally innocent were Poland's allies, the Slovaks, who had been invaded by Poland. The contradictions between Poland and Germany can be reduced to a question of nationality and faith, but the "roommate" between Poland and Russia is even more ridiculous and absurd.
After the restoration of Poland, Poland retaliated against Russia, which was already the "Soviet Union", on the one hand, because the Soviet Union had just been founded on an unstable foundation, and on the other hand, it was bullying the weak by the power of Britain and France.
In 1917, the outbreak of the October Revolution in Russia removed the obstacles to Poland's restoration. At the Paris Peace Conference, Poland, with the support of Britain and France, regained its position on the world map.
However, the Poles were not satisfied with this, they were eager to restore the glory of the former great power and wash away the shame of being partitioned, and this strong desire to restore the country made them dissatisfied with the actions of the Soviet Union.
Poland was not satisfied with the Polish-Soviet demarcation line drawn by the Central Powers, which led them to launch the Soviet-Polish War. Although the British and French were dissatisfied with Poland's expansionist behavior, they did not stop it, because they could not ignore the rise of the Soviet Union.
Thus, Poland became the best option to confront the USSR. At a time when the Soviet Union was just being founded, the domestic situation was turbulent and the national strength was weak, Poland launched an attack on the Soviet Union.
Polish troops advanced all the way east, occupying Belarus and then Western Ukraine, however, after that, they were met with a strong Soviet counterattack. The Polish army was vulnerable, the front extended to Polish territory for a time, and even the Red Army had approached the city of Warsaw.
Panicked, Pilsudski immediately appealed to Britain and France for help, and the two sides began armistice negotiations.
The Poles, who once felt that there was no hope of defeat, ushered in an unexpected victory under the influence of internal strife and various factors in the Soviet Union. The Polish cavalry fought back like a Jedi, successfully reversed the battle line, and finally with the mediation of Britain and France, the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement and signed the Treaty of Riga.
However, this treaty cost the Soviet Union a large amount of territory and sowed the seeds of hatred in the hearts of the Soviets. The war put the newly established Soviet power in an embarrassing position, but because of the weakness of the state, the Soviet Union could only swallow its anger and in 1932 took the initiative to extend a hand of friendship and reach a reconciliation with Poland.
In view of the rise of Germany in the west, the Soviet Union and Poland signed the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, hoping that the two countries could put aside past grievances and protect each other.
Poland, after signing a treaty with the Soviet Union, signed a "German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact" with Germany with a higher priority, which undoubtedly made the Soviet Union feel great anger.
They cannot forget the shame of the past of land cessation. Therefore, when Hitler proposed a joint partition of Poland, Stalin decided to send troops to Poland, despite the consequences of Germany's collapse after Poland's demise.
Poland was once again caught between the Soviet Union and Germany, and finally fell into disappointment, and the dream of a great power in the past was shattered. But in essence, Poland's actions were already doomed to their defeat.
In today's international arena, Poland, which "remembers what to eat but not to fight," has begun to frequently provoke China and Russia at the instigation of the United States. History has repeatedly proven that this kind of dependence on external forces for profit is unsustainable, and the "grass on the wall" vacillation is destined to attract backlash.
A country that is not based on its own development cannot become a true power, and the arrogance of the Poles only allows them to lie on the merits of their ancestors and immerse themselves in the glory of the past.
We need to refer to the lessons of the past, such as the articles on CNKI, "An Analysis of the Reasons for the Collapse of Poland in the 18th Century" and "Germany's Blitzkrieg on Poland's Air Raid Operations", to recognize the reality and make plans for the future.