History of Poland (1989-present)

Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Mazurek Dąbrowskiego Poland Is Not Yet Lost
Location of History of Poland (1989–present) (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green) – [Legend]

Capital and largest city	Warsaw 52°13′N 21°02′E / 52.217°N 21.033°E / 52.217; 21.033
Official languages	Polish
Regional languages	Kashubian
Minority languages	Belarusian, Czech, Lithuanian, German, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, Yiddish
Ethnic groups (2011)	95%+ Polish <1% German 4.78% other
Demonym	Polish Pole
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Andrzej Duda
• Prime Minister	Beata Szydło
Legislature	National Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Sejm
Formation
• Christianization	14 April 966
• Kingdom of Poland	18 April 1025
• Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	1 July 1569
• Partition of Poland	24 October 1795
• Duchy of Warsaw	22 July 1807
• Congress Poland	9 June 1815
• Second Polish Republic	11 November 1918
• Invasion of Poland, World War II	1 September 1939
• Communist Poland	8 April 1945
• Third Polish Republic	13 September 1989
• Accession to the European Union	1 May 2004
Area
• Total	312,679 km² (120,726 sq mi) (69th)
• Water (%)	3.07
Population
• 2016 estimate	38,454,576 (34th)
• Density	123/km² (318.6/sq mi) (83rd)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$1.051 trillion (21st)
• Per capita	$27,654
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	$508.857 billion (23rd)
• Per capita	$13,390
Gini (2013)	32.73 medium
HDI (2014)	0.843 very high · 36th
Currency	Złoty (PLN)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+48
ISO 3166 code	PL
Internet TLD	.pl
Website www.poland.pl
^a The area of Poland, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is 312,679 km² (120,726 sq mi), of which 311,888 km² (120,421 sq mi) is land and 791 km² (305 sq mi) is internal water surface area. ^b The adoption of Christianity in Poland is seen by many Poles, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, as one of the most significant events in their country's history, as it was used to unify the tribes in the region.

– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green) – [Legend]

In 1989–1991, Poland engaged in a democratic transition which put an end to the People's Republic of Poland and led to the foundation of a democratic government, known as the Third Polish Republic (following the First and Second Polish Republics). After ten years of democratic consolidation, Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Tension grew between the people of Poland and its communist government, as with the rest of the Eastern bloc as the influence of the Soviet Union faded. With the advent of perestroika in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev, the opportunity arose to finally change the system of government, after the harsh period of martial law (1981-83) imposed by General Jaruzelski.

Fears that a shift of power from a centralized one-party system to a multi-party democracy might turn into a bloody revolution proved unfounded, owing to the presence on both sides — the Communist Party, and the democratic opposition — of peace-minded reformists committed to a peaceful solution.

The government's inability to forestall Poland's economic decline led to waves of strikes across the country in April, May and August 1988. In an attempt to take control of the situation, the government gave de facto recognition to the Solidarity union, and Interior Minister Czesław Kiszczak began talks with its leader Lech Wałęsa on August 31. These talks broke down in October, but a new series of negotiations, the "round-table" talks, began in February 1989. These talks produced an agreement in April for partly open parliamentary elections. The June election produced a Sejm (lower house), in which one-third of the seats went to communists and one-third went to the two parties which had hitherto been their coalition partners. The remaining one-third of the seats in the Sejm and all those in the Senate were freely contested; the majority of these were by candidates supported by Solidarity. The failure of the communists at the polls produced a political crisis. The round-table agreement called for a communist president, and on July 19, the National Assembly, with the support of a number of Solidarity deputies, elected General Wojciech Jaruzelski to that office. However, two attempts by the communists to form governments failed.

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