Polish-Russian+Relations

=Polish and Russian Relations=

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1772- The First Partition of Poland carried out by the powerful Austria, Russia, and Germany, which at the time was also known as the Kingdom of Prussia. The partition ended the existence of the Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth.======

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1794- The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko in Poland, Belarus and Llithuania. It was a failed attempt to liberate Poland and Lithuania from Russian and Prussian domination after the Second Partition of Poland.======

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1920- The Polish-Soviet War was n armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine against the Second Republic of Poland and the Ukrainian People's Republic over the control of what is present day Ukraine and parts of present day Belarus. The conflict resulted in a Polish Victory. ======

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1940- The Soviet secret police massacres 22,000 Polish soldiers and officers in cold blood in the Katyn forest in western Russia and elsewhere, and then outrageously tries to claim that the Nazis carried out the massacre instead.======

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1952-1989- Poland is known as the People’s Republic of Poland. The Soviet Union (now modern Russia) had much influence over internal and foreign affairs of Poland. Additionally, Soviet forces were stationed in Poland. The People's Republic of Poland has been described as a satellite state of the Soviet Union.======

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Late 1980’s - Solidarity, a Polish reform movement, became crucial in causing a peaceful transition from a communist state to a capitalist democracy, which resulted in the creation of the modern Polish state.======

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1990- Mikhail Gorbachev admits that Russian NKVD, Poeple's Commisariat for Internal Affairs is to blame for the Katyn Forest Massacre, after half a century of the Soviets blaming the event upon Nazi troops.======

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2000-2005 – Polish and Russian contacts were extremely active. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski met a total of ten times. There were regular contacts between the prime minister and foreign minister, as well as parliament members. Additionally, The Russia-Poland Public Dialogue held regular forums.======

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2007- A new Polish government led by Donald Tusk was formed in November 2007. It declared interest in normalizing Polish-Russian contacts and readiness for an open dialogue to find solutions to problems stored over the years. (Formally called The Joint Commission on Difficult Issues)======

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April 2010- A Polish aircraft carrying the president of Poland, crashes in thick fog in western Russia, killing all 96 people on-board. A Russian investigation blames the Polish captain, while a Polish investigation pins some of the blame on the Russian air traffic controllers, who did not fulfill their duty.======

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November 2010- Russia’s parliament formally declares that Joseph Stalin ordered his secret police to execute about 22,000 Polish army officers and civilians in 1940 in an event now formally called The Katyn Massacre.======

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December 2010- The former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev paid a visit to Poland. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski received his Russian counterpart at the highest possible level. During his two-day stay in Poland, the two presidents talked and debated. In end results, the two presidents agreed upon the start of the long-awaited construction of the Euro Terminal in Slawkow. This project will link Asia with Europe and give Poland and Russia great prospects for developing communications, infrastructure and become a host of other nation’s industries.======

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2011-Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, a Russian diplomat and politician, accuses Radek Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister and journalist, of terrorist activity while working as a journalist in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.======

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2012- Ms Grybauskaite, the President of Lithuania, while speaking to a gathering of the Lithuanian-American community in Illinois, said that “Polish politicians have decided that … it is better to have Russia as a friend, and all other smaller countries, which are not so important, could become scapegoats. It seems that this is the role we have been given.”======


 * 1) ======Which three countries participated in the Partitions of Poland?======
 * 2) ======Which country did not participate in the Second Partition of Poland?======
 * 3) ======In whose victory did the Polish- Soviet War end?======
 * 4) ======In 1948 Karol Wojtyla was elected pope? What name as pope did he take on?======
 * 5) ======Who was the first president of free Poland?======
 * 6) ======Who ordered his secret police to execute about 22,000 Polish army officers and civilians in 1940 in an event now formally called The Katyn Massacre?======
 * 7) ======In what years were Polish and Russian communications most frequent and active?======
 * 8) ======Dmitry Medvedev visit to Poland resulted in…. (fill in the blank)?======
 * 9) ======The president of what country expressed negative opinion about polish politicians?======
 * 10) ======Describe modern Polish and Russian relations. Predict future relations. What steps can both countries take to improve their unstable relationships?======

Summary Paragraph:
Poland and Russia have a long intertwined history, dating back to the Middle Ages. Over centuries, their have been several Polish-Russian Wars, with the Russians dominating and controlling much of Poland in the 19th and 20th century. After the fall of Soviet controlled Communism in Poland, Poland and Russia have entered a new era. Since then Polish-Russian relations have seen both improvement and deterioration, depending on various factors, circumstances and events. In spite of this, their relationship, in comparison to ancient times, can be considered peaceful, collected and calm. However, recent events have caused tensions and rigid strifes in their unstable and sensitive relationship. Some of these events include: the Polish airplane crash in Smolensk, a verbal Russian attack upon a Polish journalist and foreign minister and lastly, a stimulated nuclear attack upon Poland, carried out by officials in Moscow, Russia (the capital of Russia), Despite this many officials, experts and government holders predict a better future and a sturdy, harmonious relationship, for with the span of time, Poland and Russia is slowly showing that both countries can work together non-violently as mutual and understanding partners. "Despite deep-rooted historical animosity, Poland and Russia have rebuilt relations over the past two decades. The Poles and Russians recognize that the process will take time. Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, initiated the process with the establishment of the “Joint Commission on Difficult Issues” in 2007. Russia’s acknowledgment of Soviet responsibility for the massacre of Polish officers at Katyn during World War II was a significant gesture. Russian sympathy following the tragic plane crash in April 2010 that killed the Polish president was also appreciated by many Poles" (Brzezinski). "Our duty... is to turn the page and start to write a new one," Vladimir Putin, past prime minister and current president, himself states, referring to the strained Polish and Russian relations.