The Republic of Poland. History and modernity

Poland still occupies a prominent place on the political map, and in the old days its influence on European affairs was even more significant. The modern Republic of Poland appeared as a result of a long and difficult evolutionary path from the medieval kingdom to a democratic state within a single Europe.

The origins of democracy: freedom and independence

The history of Poland begins in the distant X century, when the first Polish prince named Mieszko adopted Christianity. A hundred years later, the state received the status of a kingdom from the Pope, and five hundred years later it signed a union with the Lithuanian principality and went down in history called Rech Pospolita, which is a Latin translation from Latin and translated as a "common cause". This moment is extremely important for understanding the entire subsequent history of Poland.

Despite the fact that formally Poland was a monarchy, there was never any absolutism, and any attempts to restrict the freedom of the urban population faced strong resistance.

Government act and the struggle with the magnates

The eighteenth century turned out to be not the easiest for the country - there are internal turmoil and tense relations with neighbors. However, it was then that the first constitution of the Republic of Poland, which was included in the world history under the name "government act", was adopted. In the strict sense, the state then did not have a republican form of government, but on the European continent it was the first experience to codify the basic law.

This truly revolutionary undertaking turned out to be such a surprise for the neighbors, which provoked a war with the Russian Empire, which decided to destroy the nascent democracy.

Inside the country, too, not everyone was satisfied with the new law and, having united, the Polish tycoons began a war against their own government and the Seim, the main representative body of the country, which was continuously sitting at that time for three hundred years.

Free Poland. Country or republic

The genuinely republican principles of the state were fixed in the constitution only after liberation from Russian domination - in 1919. After the Russian revolution, most of the countries of the Empire gained sovereignty. The free republic of Poland appeared as a result of the proclamation of independence and the adoption of the so-called Minor Constitution, which established the post of chief of state, but sharply limited its powers.

Two years later, a new fundamental law was adopted. According to that constitution, the Sejm was endowed with great powers, but the executive power was exercised by the President of the Republic of Poland.

The Communist period. A new round in the development of Polish law

After the end of World War II, the Republic of Poland falls under the strong influence of the Soviet Union. It was during this period that a new Constitution was adopted, written off, by and large, with Stalin's. Although the basic human rights and freedoms were asserted in that document, the right of personal property to artisans and peasants was retained, but all these rights could not be fully realized. In the same constitution, the traditional division of powers into branches was eliminated for Poland, and all power and right to speak in the name of the people remained for the Sejm.

A new period in the history of Poland begins after the abolition of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact. After a few years, the Sejm will adopt a new constitution, which will be written taking into account all the hard and unfree past.

The new basic law forbade confiscation, torture, and the right of inviolability of the person was put on the first place. Also, the inviolability of the home and correspondence was declared, which, in the conditions of the modern development of technology and the attempts of various states to arrange for the total surveillance of their citizens, is particularly important.

In 2004, Poland finally achieved one of its important goals and joined the European Union, while retaining partial sovereignty. The traditions of the struggle for independence force politicians to be cautious about various kinds of associations and alliances. Perhaps that is why the Republic of Poland is in no hurry to introduce the European currency into circulation and carefully protects its zloty, which has been a means of payment on its territory for several centuries.