Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Except for the mountain ranges in the south and southwest, most of Poland is low-lying, forming part of the North European Plain. The landscape is drained by numerous rivers, the most significant of which is the Vistula, which rises in the Carpathian Mountains and flows through the centre of the country, through Warsaw, and to the Baltic Sea. Most of this plain is fertile, covered with rich loess soil that supports a range of cereal and vegetable crops, in which Poland is almost self-sufficient, and livestock, the most important of which are cattle and pigs. In the northeast the country is more undulation, and much of northern Poland is dotted with extensive lakes. Towards the Baltic coast a range of hills, known as the Baltic Heights, slope down to a sandy coastal plain.
Agriculture, which once employed more than half of Poland’s workforce, still accounts for just over 25% of it. The post-war years saw a rapid expansion of heavy industries, which now include shipbuilding, based in Gdansk, and steel and cement manufacture, based around the mining centres in the south. Many industrial activities rely on Poland’s rich coal reserves, and coal is used to generate more than half the country’s electricity. Reliance on the form of fuel has resulted in serious air pollution and acid rain. Other mineral resources include natural gas, iron ore, and salt, on which important chemical industries are based.
Poland has been more successful than many former communist states in converting to a privatised economy. While many Poles have prospered from a growing number of entrepreneurial opportunities, however, others have seen their incomes seriously lowered. Unemployment remains comparatively high. |
