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History and traditions of Poland
History and traditions of Poland
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Poland’s first recognition as its own independent state began during the middle of the 10th century, by the 16th century it started to become even more powerful by gaining vast amounts of land in the central and eastern parts of Europe. During the 18th century there were various disputes on what to do with Poland among powerful monarchies. In 1772 and 1795 there were treaties created between Russia, Prussia, and Austria that split Poland into three sections. These treaties were done in an effort to create peace between these power hungry nations, but it inevitably failed. Finally in 1918 Poland had finally gained its independence as a nation. However its celebration was short lived when Germany and the Soviet Union (USSR) would take over Poland in World War II. It would be in January 1939, when Poland’s future would soon take a dark turn and enter an era full of communism. In 1990, almost 41 years later after Poland was invaded, Poland finally got rid of communism with solidarity that was one in free elections. Also In 1999 Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and then the European Union in 2004. Currently Poland is still and active member of the Euro-Atlantic Organizations, and is one of the world’s most successful countries today.
Poland’s government is Republican and its capital is Warsaw. Poland’s chief of state is President Bronislaw Komorowski and has been since August 6, 2010. Its Head of Government is Prime Minister Donald Tusk since November 16, 2007; Janusz Piechocinski has been Deputy Prime Minister since December 6, 2012 and Elzbieta Bienkowska has been Deputy Prime Minister since November 27, 2013. Council of Ministers respond to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the...
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... the bottom stripe being red with the dimensions of 5 feet by 8 feet. These colors were based off of the colors of Poland’s national coat of arms. The coat of arms consists of a white eagle (with a gold crown on top of his head) on a red shield. The white section of the flag symbolizes peace and honesty, and the red section symbolizes the bloodshed in Poland’s fight for independence. It represents the bravery, strength, and valor of the all Polish soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. This flag was adopted as Poland’s national flag on Feb 9, 1990, and the national colors have stayed white and red since Poland proclaimed independence from Russia in 1831. Another interesting fact is that on May 2nd is Poland’s Flag Day, and even though it is not a public holiday it is a day to honor and respect the flag that was inspired by the sacrifices of others.
After World War II, Europe emerged as a continent torn between two very different political ideologies, Communism and Democracy. As the two major superpowers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States, struggled to defend their respective governmental policies, the European Continent was caught in an intrinsic struggle to preserve the autonomy which had taken so long to achieve. During the Cold War, Eastern European nations struggled to achieve autonomy with the help of the West's dedication to break the Soviet sphere of influence. After the disintegration of the USSR, the struggle for autonomy among nations shifted from an intense, inward, nationalistic struggle to break away from a superpower to a commitment of international unity and cooperation as nations began to take moral and political responsibility for their actions.
“East Central Europe between the Two World Wars,” written by Joseph Rothschild, is ninth volume of the 11-volume series of books written about the history of East Central Europe. Each book in the series provides study of specific period of time in different historical context and this particular volume concentrates on the countries of East Central Europe in the interwar period. The book is rich with detailed information about each state-nation that was established in the given period and it tries to identify important political as well as socioeconomic issues that were experienced in the region.
The colors red, white and blue did not have any real significance in America until their rights for freedom and territory were challenged. "The American flag played no significant role in American life until the Civil War, during the fight at Fort Sumter" (Goldstein 1). Then, to all northerners it became a symbol of pride and an object of "public adoration" (1). The flag was held in such high esteem that the Flag Protection Movement was created in 1890 so that there would be no commercialism of the object(2). The FPM felt as though politicians and merchants were "prostituting" the flag so, in 1900 they joined with the American Flag Association and made a set...
In 1914, Europe was diving into two separate powers. One was Triple Entente composed of France, Russia and Britain. Other one was Triple Alliance, consists of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. (Pope 2) Each of the countries was connected with different treaties. The caused of European countries’ unstable political situation and threat of war was present. By arranging alliances with other governments, most countries found ways to protect themselves from assault. While Germany was becoming the center of the struggle, Europe made a spider web of tangled alliance that led most countries into two opposing powers. (Hamilton 16) In the late nineteenth century, the most surprising event in Europe was the birth of united state of Germany. Under the leadership of the Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, system of alliances was established to achieve peace in Europe. By 1890, Bismarck succeeded in having every major power into his alliance system...
The flag of the United States symbolizes our nation and more.The colors of the flag were not just chosen randomly, but with meanings behind it. The specific colors wanted to be able to symbolize our country with powerful words behind it. The separate colors must be able to unite everyone as one. The flag should represent the nation, so there should
In the fall of 1989, people all around the world were watching unbelievable scenes on their televisions. Thousands of people in eastern Europe were meeting in the streets and squares and demanding the end of the communist rule. For the first time in history, opposition to communism was publically voiced. Barbed wire border fences in Hungary were being torn down. East Germans were fleeing to the West. Overnight the Berlin wall collapsed. The start of these historical events was the Polish Revolution of 1989.
Zabecki, David T. "Poland: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
satisfied and in doing so, they created a new and improved Poland. Previous to the formation of
The colors of the Flag may be thus explained: The red is for valor, zeal and fervency; the white for hope purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct; the blue, the color of heaven, for reverence to God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth.
On our American flag, the white signifies purity and innocence. The red color means hardiness and bravery. Blue expresses courage, vigilance (alertness), perseverance (never giving up), and justice.
Another view of the American flag is the colors red, white, and blue. Some Americans see the color red as blood for all the blood shed on the battlegrounds. Another color white for victory or triumph in our great nation of America. Lastly, the color blue for the sadness or sorrow felt because of the lives lost in war.
Most narratives out of the Holocaust from the Nazis point of view are stories of soldiers or citizens who were forced to partake in the mass killings of the Jewish citizens. Theses people claim to have had no choice and potentially feared for their own lives if they did not follow orders. Neighbors, The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, by Jan T. Gross, shows a different account of people through their free will and motivations to kill their fellow Jewish Neighbors. Through Gross’s research, he discovers a complex account of a mass murder of roughly 1,600 Jews living in the town of Jedwabne Poland in 1941. What is captivating about this particular event was these Jews were murdered by friends, coworkers, and neighbors who lived in the same town of Jedwabne. Gross attempts to explain what motivated these neighbors to murder their fellow citizens of Jedwabne and how it was possible for them to move on with their lives like it had never happened.
Within parliamentary systems, the government i.e. the legislature consist of the political party with the most popularly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) in the main legislative parliament e.g. the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is appointed by the party to lead as the executive decision-maker, and the legislature work to support and carry out their will (Fish, 2006). In presidential systems, the President is directly elected with the support of their political party, with the legislative being separately elected and, in the case of the United States, being made up of representatives from different states (BIIP, 2004). This essay will provide examples to suggest that Presidents are generally more powerful than Prime Ministers. As two of the oldest forms of parliamentary and presidential governments (Mainwaring and Shugart, 1997), the United Kingdom and the United States will be the main focus of this essay, but other parliamentary and presidential countries will be mentioned.
The First Silesian War The First Silesian War inaugurated, and is generally seen in the context of, the wider ranging War of the Austrian Succession. It owed its origins to the Pragmatic Sanction of 19 April 1713 whereby the Habsburg emperor Charles VI decreed the imperial succession arrangements as set out in his will, according precedence to his own daughters over the daughters of his (by now deceased) elder brother Joseph I. This proved prescient: in May 1717 the emperor’s own eldest daughter was born and on his death in 1740, she duly succeeded as Archduchess of Austria as well as to the thrones of the Bohemian and Hungarian lands within the Habsburg Monarchy as Queen Maria Theresa.
Influences Polish MEPs' Perceptions of Poland's place in Europe’, Perspectives on European Politics and Society, vol.11, no.4, pp.358-375.