Readers ask: When Did Poland Fall Under Soviet Control?

The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of communist rule imposed over Poland after the end of World War II.

When did the Soviet Union take control of Poland?

On September 17, 1939, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov declares that the Polish government has ceased to exist, as the U.S.S.R. exercises the “fine print” of the Hitler-Stalin Non-aggression pact—the invasion and occupation of eastern Poland.

When did Poland fall to communism?

On 4 June 1989, the trade union Solidarity won an overwhelming victory in a partially free election in Poland, leading to the peaceful fall of Communism in that country in the summer of 1989.

How did Poland fall into communism?

In 1939, World War II began and Poland was conquered by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. In 1942, Polish communists backed by the Soviet Union in German-occupied Poland established a new Polish communist party, the Polish Workers’ Party (Polska Partia Robotnicza, PPR). Władysław Gomułka soon became its leader.

Was Poland part of the Soviet bloc?

In Western Europe, the term Eastern Bloc generally referred to the USSR and its satellite states in the Comecon (East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania).

How did the Soviets lose control of Poland?

Following the Polish victory upon the Battle of Warsaw, the Soviets sued for peace and the war ended with an armistice in October 1920. The parties signed a formal peace treaty, the Peace of Riga, on 18 March 1921, dividing the disputed territories between Poland and Soviet Russia.

When did Poland leave the Warsaw Pact?

In September 1990, East Germany left the Pact in preparation for reunification with West Germany. By October, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland had withdrawn from all Warsaw Pact military exercises. The Warsaw Pact officially disbanded in March and July of 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

What was Poland called before Poland?

The lands originally inhabited by the Polans became known as Staropolska, or “Old Poland”, and later as Wielkopolska, or “Greater Poland”, while the lands conquered towards the end of the 10th century, home of the Vistulans (Wiślanie) and the Lendians, became known as Małopolska, or “Lesser Poland.”

Who liberated Poland?

Virtually all of Poland in its prewar boundaries had been liberated by Soviet forces by the end of January 1945. After Germany’s surrender, Soviet troops occupied most of eastern Europe, including Poland.

Was Poland ever a part of Russia?

Russian Poland, the westernmost part of the Russian Empire, was a thick tongue of land enclosed to the north by East Prussia, to the west by German Poland (Poznania) and by Silesia, and to the south by Austrian Poland (Galicia).

When was Poland not a country?

From 1795 until 1918, no truly independent Polish state existed, although strong Polish resistance movements operated. The opportunity to regain sovereignty only materialized after World War I, when the three partitioning imperial powers were fatally weakened in the wake of war and revolution.

Was Yugoslavia part of USSR?

Yugoslavia was not a “Soviet nation.” It was a communist state, but was never part of the Soviet Union.

When did Poland become independent?

Polish independence was the 13th of United States President Woodrow Wilson’s famous 14 points. In 1918 Poland officially became an independent country. During World War II, Poland was occupied by Germany.

What was the first country to leave the Soviet Union?

Lithuania was the first republic to officially break away from the USSR and restore independence in the Act of March 11, 1990 (not counting the autonomy of Nakhchivan, which had declared independence from both the USSR and the Azerbaijan SSR a few weeks earlier, later rejoining Azerbaijan).