History of Poland in Timeline

Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a Central European country bordered by the Baltic Sea to the north and the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains to the south. It shares borders with several countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Kaliningrad Oblast. With a population of over 38 million, it's the fifth most populous EU member and the fifth largest by land area (312,696 km2). Poland has sixteen voivodeships, varied landscapes, diverse ecosystems, and a temperate climate. Warsaw is its capital and largest city; other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.

November 1918: Armistice with Germany

In November 1918, following the armistice with Germany, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic.

1918: Regaining Independence

In 1918, at the end of World War I, Poland regained its independence with the founding of the Second Polish Republic.

1918: Women's Suffrage

In 1918, the Second Polish Republic became one of the first countries to introduce universal women's suffrage.

June 1919: Treaty of Versailles

In June 1919, the Allies confirmed the reconstitution of Poland through the Treaty of Versailles.

1922: Assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz

In 1922, Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president, was assassinated at the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw.

1925: Establishment of Poland's Radium Institute

In 1925, Maria Skłodowska-Curie established Poland's Radium Institute.

1926: May Coup

In 1926, the May Coup, led by Józef Piłsudski, turned the rule of the Second Polish Republic over to the Sanacja movement.

September 1939: Invasion of Poland

In September 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, marking the start of World War II.

November 1939: German Planners called for destruction of all Poles

In November 1939, German planners called for "the complete destruction of all Poles" as outlined in the Generalplan Ost.

1941: Soviet deportations and executions of Poles

In 1941, the Soviets deported hundreds of thousands of Poles, and the Soviet NKVD executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war ahead of Operation Barbarossa.

1943: Wołyń Massacres

Beginning in 1943, at least 100,000 Poles were murdered by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in what became known as the Wołyń Massacres.

August 1944: Warsaw Uprising

The Warsaw Uprising began on August 1, 1944, as part of Operation Tempest initiated by the Polish resistance.

1944: Massacres during the Warsaw Uprising

During the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, over 150,000 Polish civilians were killed, most were murdered by the Germans during the Wola and Ochota massacres.

1944: Stalin's Guarantees

In 1944, Stalin made guarantees to Churchill and Roosevelt that he would maintain Poland's sovereignty and allow democratic elections, although this later proved false.

1945: Border Shifts

In 1945, Poland's borders were shifted westwards, and over two million Polish inhabitants of Kresy were expelled along the Curzon Line by Stalin.

February 1947: Adoption of the Small Constitution

In February 1947, the new communist government took control with the adoption of the Small Constitution.

1952: Proclamation of the Polish People's Republic

In 1952, the Polish People's Republic (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) was officially proclaimed.

1953: Poland contributes to UN peacekeeping missions

Since 1953, Poland has been a large contributor to various United Nations peacekeeping missions.

1956: Gomułka's more liberal regime

In 1956, after the death of Bolesław Bierut, the regime of Władysław Gomułka became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms.

1980: Formation of Solidarity

In 1980, labor turmoil led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" ("Solidarność"), which became a political force.

1981: Imposition of Martial Law

In 1981, martial law was imposed by General Wojciech Jaruzelski in an attempt to suppress the Solidarity movement.

1989: Democratic Parliamentary Elections

By 1989, Solidarity had triumphed in Poland's first partially free and democratic parliamentary elections since the end of the Second World War.

1989: Poland's Transformation

In 1989, Leszek Balcerowicz initiated a shock therapy program to transform Poland's Soviet-style planned economy into a market economy.

1989: Dissolution of Communist Government

In 1989, the communist government was dissolved, and Poland re-established itself as a liberal democracy, holding free elections.

1990: Lech Wałęsa Wins Presidency

In 1990, Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, won the presidency.

1991: Visegrád Group

In 1991, Poland became a member of the Visegrád Group.

1995: Reached pre-1989 GDP levels

In 1995 Poland became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels

April 1997: Adoption of Constitution

On April 2, 1997, the current democratic constitution was adopted by the National Assembly of Poland.

1999: Joined NATO

In 1999, Poland joined NATO.

2001: Average annual air temperature

In 2001 the average annual air temperature between 2011 and 2020 was 9.33 °C (48.8 °F), around 1.11 °C higher than in the 2001–2010 period.

June 2003: Referendum to Join European Union

In June 2003, Polish citizens voted in a referendum to join the European Union.

May 2004: Joined European Union

On May 1, 2004, Poland became a full member of the European Union.

2007: Joined the Schengen Area

In 2007, Poland joined the Schengen Area, dismantling borders with other EU member states.

2008: Compulsory military service discontinued

Compulsory military service for men in Poland was discontinued in 2008.

2008: Poland avoided the recession

Poland was the only European economy to have avoided the recession of 2008.

April 2010: Plane Crash near Smolensk

On April 10, 2010, the President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and 89 other high-ranking Polish officials died in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia.

2010: Central European Floods

During the 2010 Central European floods, floods occurred in low-lying areas of Poland during periods of extreme rainfall.

2010: Average annual air temperature

In 2010 the average annual air temperature between 2011 and 2020 was 9.33 °C (48.8 °F), around 1.11 °C higher than in the 2001–2010 period.

2011: Average annual air temperature

In 2011 the average annual air temperature between 2011 and 2020 was 9.33 °C (48.8 °F), around 1.11 °C higher than in the 2001–2010 period.

2011: Civic Platform Wins Election

In 2011, the ruling Civic Platform won parliamentary elections.

2011: Polish Census

In the 2011 Polish census, 37,310,341 people reported Polish identity, 846,719 Silesian, 232,547 Kashubian and 147,814 German.

2014: Donald Tusk Chosen as President of the European Council

In 2014, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, was chosen to be President of the European Council and resigned as prime minister.

2014: Polish Corporations with foreign interests

The Central Statistical Office estimated that in 2014 there were 1,437 Polish corporations with interests in 3,194 foreign entities.

2015: Knowledge of the English language among Polish citizens

According to the Centre for Public Opinion Research, around 32% of Polish citizens declared knowledge of the English language in 2015.

2015: Law and Justice Party Win Elections

The 2015 elections were won by the national-conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) led by Jarosław Kaczyński, resulting in increased Euroscepticism.

December 2017: Mateusz Morawiecki Sworn in as Prime Minister

In December 2017, Mateusz Morawiecki was sworn in as the Prime Minister, succeeding Beata Szydlo.

2017: Ukrainian Citizens Working in Poland

More than 1.7 million Ukrainian citizens worked legally in Poland in 2017.

2017: Poland's Energy Policy until 2040

The new Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 (EPP2040) would reduce the share of coal and lignite in electricity generation by 25% from 2017 to 2030.

2018: Homicide Rate

In 2018, Poland had a low homicide rate at 0.7 murders per 100,000 people.

2018: Poland Reached Developed Market Status

Poland reached a developed market status in 2018.

2019: Income tax exemption for workers under 26

Since 2019, workers under the age of 26 are exempt from paying the income tax.

2019: Law and Justice Party Win Elections

The 2019 elections were won by the national-conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) led by Jarosław Kaczyński, resulting in increased Euroscepticism.

2020: Poland's Arms Export

According to SIPRI, in 2020, Poland exported €487 million worth of arms and armaments to foreign countries.

2020: Average annual air temperature

In 2020 the average annual air temperature between 2011 and 2020 was 9.33 °C (48.8 °F), around 1.11 °C higher than in the 2001–2010 period.

2020: Poles residing in dwellings and apartments

In 2020, 50.2% of Poles resided in detached dwellings and 44.3% in apartments.

2020: Andrzej Duda Reelected as President

In 2020, President Andrzej Duda, supported by the Law and Justice party, was re-elected in the presidential election.

2020: Value of Tourism Industry

In 2020, the total value of the tourism industry in Poland was 104.3 billion PLN, equivalent to 4.5% of the Polish GDP.

2021: Religious Adherence in Poland

According to the 2021 census, 71.3% of all Polish citizens adhere to the Catholic Church.

2021: Ethnic Poles in Poland

According to the 2021 census, ethnic Poles comprise 98.84% of the population.

2021: Poland's Population

As of 2021, Poland has a population of approximately 38.2 million.

2021: Work permits approved for foreigners

In 2021, Poland approved 504,172 work permits for foreigners.

2022: Subdivisions of Poland

As of 2022, the voivodeships are subdivided into 380 counties (powiats), which are further fragmented into 2,477 municipalities (gminas).

2022: Poland Initiates Armed Forces Modernization

From 2022, Poland initiated a programme of mass modernisation of its armed forces, in close cooperation with American, South Korean and local Polish defence manufacturers concentrated in the Polish Armaments Group.

2022: Railway Track Length in Poland

In 2022, the nation had 19,393 kilometers of railway track, the third longest in the European Union after Germany and France.

August 2023: Poland's highway network

As of August 2023, Poland has the world's 21st-largest road network, maintaining over 5,000 km of highways in use.

October 2023: Law and Justice Party Wins Election

In October 2023, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won the largest share of the vote in the election, but lost its majority in parliament.

November 2023: Ukrainian Refugees in Poland

As of November 2023, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had led to millions of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border to Poland, with a significant number staying in Poland.

December 2023: Donald Tusk Becomes Prime Minister

In December 2023, Donald Tusk became the new Prime Minister leading a coalition made up of Civic Coalition, Third Way, and The Left. Law and Justice became the leading opposition party.

2023: Poland's Export Value

As of 2023, exports of goods and services are valued at approximately 58% of GDP.

2023: Silver Production in Poland

In 2023, the country produced 1300 tonnes of silver and was the 5th largest silver producer globally.

July 2024: Polish Armed Forces Strength

In July 2024, the Polish Armed Forces had a combined strength of 216,100 active soldiers, making it the largest standing army in the European Union and the third largest in NATO.

2024: Mandatory firearms training in schools

From 2024, Poland also provides mandatory firearms training for pupils in primary and secondary schools.

2024: Poland's Military Expenditure

In 2024, Poland allocated 4.12% of its total GDP on military spending, equivalent to approximately US$35 billion, ranking 14th in the world in terms of military expenditures.