In mid-January, it seemed that Polish communist authorities had decided to "legalize" the banned Solidarity union, after it was at first recognized by them on August 31, 1980, and then effectively suppressed by martial law on December 13, 1981.
Whether such a "legalization" is approved by the Solidarity leadership, or what its meaning will be in practice, is not yet certain. The terms set by the regime are harsh, and, if accepted, they can effectively split Solidarity, undermine its credibility, or even do away with it completely. Acceptance of Poland's "socialist system," imposed by the USSR and never freely endorsed by the Polish people, would be like accepting Soviet domination in Poland and would deprive Solidarity of the image it had at the time of its birth.
Therefore, enthusiasm about Poland's being on the path to reconciliation, raised in connection with the lifting of the ban on Solidarity, should be restrained. Nevertheless, this may be the beginning of some new developments whose course and end can be only speculated about.
Discussing Poland's path to reconciliation is impossible, however, without a brief reference to history and the country's geopolitical situation. The largest country in Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe, and one of the major nations of Europe--with a population of 38 million and a territory of 120,000 square miles--Poland is a country to be watched.
Historical Relationship
Officially born 966, the year the country was baptized in the Latin rite, Poland went through times of greatness and decline. The University of Krakow was founded in 1364, a year before the University of Vienna and 21 years before the University of Heidelberg, the first universities in German lands, and 391 years before the University of Moscow. In 1386, as a consequence of the marriage between Poland's queen and the grand duke of Lithuania, the two countries gradually merged into a single monarchical republic. In territorial terms, the republic was twice as big as France and equal to Muscovy, which later became Russia.
From its early days, Poland had a strong sense of tolerance for other faiths and ethnic groups, developed an effective parliamentary system, and was the champion of what today are called civil rights. Europe's "heretics" and oppressed, including the Jews (80 percent of whom lived in Poland in those times), considered the republic a haven.
Economically and militarily strong, enlightened and tolerant, Poland played a weighty role in Central and Eastern Europe. When Moscow fell into Polish hands, in 1610-1612, the Muscovy boyars (noblemen) even wanted to join the republic, to which the Polish king would not consent. But a series of events soon befell Poland, leading over time to its demise. From the mid-seventeenth century onward, with a brief period of recovery (when the Polish King Jan Sobieski rushed to Vienna and defeated the Turks laying siege to it), the country was plunged into chaos. In the end, despite popular resistance and the adoption of the May 3, 1791, constitution (the world's second most democratic, after the American one), the country suffered three partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria and, in 1795, totally disappeared from the world's map for 123 years. This even upset the balance of
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