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Jun 2, 07, 11:07 #74
During the 1650's, (the period is known in Poland as the Deluge) Estimates range anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the population being wiped out by war, or as a result of the wars with Sweden, Cossacks, and others. Although Poland came out victorious, it was left in ruins, literally. The deluge also coincided with a huge economic crisis due to prices dropping for food exports, which Poland's economy depended on. The food prices dropped because countries like France now had a source of limitless practically free food and materials from the Americas.
From that time onwards Poland fought many more wars, which included destroying the Ottomans (with whom the French conspired, btw) power in Europe, setting them back 200 years. However, Poland was weakened enough for Russia to take much political control, this of course did not stop Poland from writing the first constitution in Europe, or from forming the world's first ministry of education. During the partitions, Poles were subjugated to brutal policies of Germanization and Russification, were often not allowed to study, had to endure humiliation and discrimination on a daily basis, and witnessed an enormous amount of art, books, documents, (basically anything of importance to the Polish nation) burned or taken away to Russia or Germany. In spite of this nightmare, Poland produced many great writers, musicians, scientists, explorers, etc. Most of whom were lucky enough to leave occupied Poland. Had they not left Poland, the likes of Curie - Sklodowska or Chopin would never be known. Interestingly enough, most dissidents went to France because of the stable and prosperous political and social climate there.
Young Poles not only fought during uprisings, but also as forced conscripts in German, Russian or Austrian armies, not to mention in Napoleon's armies. Poland gained it's independence only after the first world war, and re-possessed a land decimated by the effects of the first great war, where so much fighting took place between Germans and Russians. Often overlooked, this left the country in ruins, yet again. Once more, countless Poles were forced to fight and die in foreign armies.
In the first few years of independence, Poland had to fight another 6 wars just to stay on the map, and in the meanwhile defeated the red army which was hell-bent on marching on the corpse of Poland to unite with German communists. After only 2 decades, once again, Germany and Russia occupied and destroyed Poland, taking over 6 million citizens, with the intelligentsia, clergy, and leadership being the biggest targets. It is estimated that Poland lost over 50% of its wealth during the war. Of course, after the war, Poland was occupied by the Soviets. God only knows how many people were killed or imprisoned, or how much was looted from Poland during this time. It should be noted that from the 19th century to this very day Poland has suffered almost constant brain-drain due to emigration which was seen as the only way out.
With all that being said, being the home of the fathers of modern day astronomy and oil industry, some of the best mathematicians (Lwow school), having practically fed western Europe for centuries with enormous amounts of exports of grain, while at the same time often being the only defender of Christendom fighting off the Turks (1683 Vienna, if not for Poland Europe could have fallen-- instead the Turks were set back 200 years, their power forever being reduced) and Mongols while western Europe watched and meddled, saving Europe from Communism literally months after regaining independence (1919-1920) then fighting both Nazism and Communism and just recently being the catalyst in the fall of the iron curtain all the while producing incredible art and music most of which remains unknown in the western world solely due to politics, or in other instances because some great literary works simply cannot be translated into comprehensible English (to give just one example), having a the closest thing resembling a democracy (wiec, sejm) centuries before anyone else in modern Europe, being open to and a haven for all people, regardless of ethnicity or religion, the first constitution in Europe, first ministry of education in the world, I could go on and on...is no small task
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