When analyzing how Poland's, or any other country's, problems of today are linked to

the past, scholars must take a look at the country's background. This paper aims to

expose and explore Poland for what it is today using the backdrop of its past. The

Poland is a central European country bordered by the former Czechoslovakia,

Germany, and several former Soviet Republics (Poland World Book 1096). Poland

comes from the Slavic tribe Polane that once lived there more than a thousand years

ago. The word The Piast family, mainly Prince Mieszko I, were the first rulers to

control most of the land by the 900's. But when Mieszko's son, Boleslaw I, who

conquered much of eastern Europe, died, the country broke apart into several

sections. Then Casimir the G But soon after, the power began to slip from the

government's hands as the nobles gained control of it. From then on, the country's

well being suddenly dropped. As a result of this decline through the 1700's, Austria,

Prussia, and Russia decided to tak After World War II, Poland became independent,

but in name only. This was because the Communist government controlled the land

and had imposed strict rules on the people. During the 1945 Yalta Conference, a

number of Allied leaders agreed to recognize orld Book 1095).

During World War II, many Poles endured great suffering when the German Nazi

occupation took over the country. Some were arrested or executed, while others were

forced to leave the country. Because of anti-Semitism, about 500,000 Jews were

confined to What about the Jews? Many were sent to various concentration camps

throughout Europe. One in particular, Auschwitz, stands out among all others. An

estimated 75,000 Poles, especially Jews, were killed here as part of the Nazi plan to

reduce Poland int her than a memorial. Because of these feelings, many Jews,

including The World Jewish Congress, threatened to boycott the ceremonies. Michael

Schudrich, an American rabbi, expressed his disgust at how the government was

"using the dead to glorify the po For many years, people were silent about the

Holocaust of the Jews. Although for years it was printed in textbooks that Auschwitz

was a place where Poles were murdered, the extent of the Jewish tragedy was not

divulged. "New textbooks are coming out th Another factor that has to be discussed in

exploring Poland's past is its religious background. Through years of unrest and

turmoil from 1790-1920, Poland was able to keep its national identity through its

loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church. It was d It is the opinion of the writer that

religion is a strong force that can indeed bind a nation together. Regardless of what

religion it may be, whether Hindu, or Catholic, history bears witness to the influence

religion has on the political and social li However, it is also the writer's opinion that

the conflict between Jewish and Catholic leadership in Poland must be resolved in

compromise, not in bloodshed. Both parties need to face each other across the table

and try to understand each other in a con Poland, like any other emergent country,

has had to struggle with economic problems. Many Poles feel that the recent

elections of ex-Communists back to power has come at an inopportune time.

Although people remember that Communism gave them an apartmen ssino

(Barraclough 16).

There is also a major problem with the banking system. Nine large Polish Communist

banks, created out of the old Communist banking system, carry a troublesome weight

of bad debts. The cause? In the absence of formal bankruptcy procedures, banks

have e State industries, which have hardly contributed to Poland's growth and have

hurt the reforms politically, may yet doom the whole reform project if its failures

undermine the entire banking system. What is to be done with the State companies?

The obviou The writer is inclined to agree with the idea of letting poor companies go

bust. Not only will this allow incentive for new people to rise in the banking world, but

this may very well provide the country with new ways of revamping the economy. In

cases s to have turned the corner ("If it works..." 21).

Allowing poor companies to go bust could also preclude the tedious, time-consuming

red tape involved in the government procedures. It would definitely save a whole lot of

people a great amount of time that can instead be dedicated to establishing new bu

Considering the political, social, religious, and economic struggles that Poland has

had to face, reform becomes a natural outcome that this country needs. Since 1989

the Liberal Democratic Congress spear headed reform. However, they haven't

worked, an The writer contends that the major cause for most of Poland's problems

boils down to gross flaws in its government. With the overthrow of the Communist

Party, many felt their problems would be solved. Few anticipated that new problems

would arise that is, Poland is doomed to spend time in a place that is neither

capitalists nor socialist (Wandycz 245).

Flaws in the Polish government can also be traced to an incident in August of 1980,

when Lech Walesa climbed over the wall of the Lenin shipyards in Gdansk. As a

result of this, Communist rulers loosened their grip and Solidarity, with Walesa at the

hel Walesa denounced himself from the Solidarity Party after it refused to support his

non-party bloc in the 1995 elections. "I should not care to belong to such a union that

doesn't allow arguments to be voiced," he said ("Walesa denounces..." 10). His de So

why is it that he was elected out of government? Historians may never know. He was

compared to Winston Churchill's losing votes in the last hours of a World War that

could not have been won without his leadership. It could also be compared to Mikha

The question now is, what is in store for Poland with newly elected Aleksander

Kwasniewski? Apparently he promises to soften reform, not kill privatization nor

strangle market economics. He plans to move ahead with the market reforms and

continue the w Walesa helped change the world and though he may wonder how he'll

be remembered, it is certain he won't be forgotten. As he himself said, "I don't know

what my place in history will be, because I won't be the one writing it. I think there'll be

a lot o It is the writer's belief that if Walesa does try to make a comeback, this won't be

a surprise. Even though the odds are against him, he has the skills and perhaps the

political machinery to pull a successful comeback. Even though it may have been a

hu ay reflect what is happening in the world at large.

This paper attempted to demonstrate that Poland's roots of the present lie deep in its

past. To achieve this objective, it was necessary to discuss the following topics: an

overview of Poland's geography that made it vulnerable to conquest by powerful c

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