Here are a few documentaries about Polish history
Playlist link.
The early 17th century was a tumultuous time for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It expanded to its greatest territorial extent but faced constant warfare. Conflicts with Sweden (the Polish-Swedish Wars), the Ottoman Empire, and Muscovite Russia drained resources. Internally, the nobility's power grew, weakening the monarchy. Despite victories like the Battle of Kircholm (1605), this period marked a decline, laying the groundwork for the devastating "Deluge" that would soon engulf the Commonwealth.
The Deluge (Polish: Potop Szwedzki) was a series of devastating wars in the mid-17th century that ravaged the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1655, Sweden, sensing weakness, invaded and quickly overran much of the country. This triggered further conflicts with Russia, Transylvania, and Brandenburg-Prussia, all vying for territory. The Commonwealth faced near collapse, with cities sacked, treasures looted, and its social fabric torn apart. This dark period weakened the once-mighty state, paving the way for its eventual decline and partition.
Despite the destruction of the Deluge, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth rallied. Years of determined warfare pushed back the invaders. Treaties, such as the Treaty of Oliva (1660) with Sweden, gradually restored some territories. However, much land was permanently lost, marking a turning point in the Commonwealth's decline.
The 18th century was a period of continued decline for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Internal political paralysis and growing influence from neighbors like Russia, Prussia, and Austria weakened the state. Despite Enlightenment-era reforms, the Commonwealth became a pawn in power struggles, suffering partitions in 1772, 1793, and 1795. By the end of the century, Poland-Lithuania had vanished from the map, divided among its powerful neighbors
The Duchy of Warsaw, established in 1807 by Napoleon, was a brief but significant episode in Polish history. Carved from Prussian-held territories, it functioned as a French client state ruled by Frederick Augustus I of Saxony. Though its existence depended on Napoleonic success, the Duchy saw liberal reforms like the abolition of serfdom and the Napoleonic Code. It played a crucial role in Napoleon's campaigns, but crumbled in the wake of his disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia. Dissolved in 1815, the Duchy nonetheless became a symbol of Polish aspirations for independence, leaving an enduring impact on their national consciousness.
From 1800 to 1918, Poland endured a period of non-existence, divided between Russia, Prussia, and the Austrian Empire following the devastating partitions of the late 18th century. Despite being erased from the map, Polish national identity remained intensely resilient. Repression of Polish language and culture fueled several major uprisings, such as those in 1830 and 1863, which were met with brutal force by the partitioning powers. Yet, Polish culture thrived in intellectual and artistic circles, fueling the preservation of national consciousness. Economic development occurred unevenly, with Prussian Poland experiencing a greater degree of industrialization. World War I dramatically shifted the tide as the partitioning empires clashed. Polish independence became a bargaining chip in the conflict, even leading to the short-lived Kingdom of Poland established by Germany and Austria-Hungary. The war's end in 1918, coupled with the collapse of the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and German empires, finally paved the way for the resurrection of the Polish state, marking a monumental transformation in Eastern Europe.
After World War I, the region of Eastern Europe, where much of modern-day Ukraine exists, was in turmoil. The collapse of empires like the Russian and Austro-Hungarian led to the creation of new nation-states. Ukraine itself briefly experienced independence before being forcibly absorbed into the newly formed Soviet Union. This period saw ongoing border disputes, conflicts like the Polish-Soviet War, and the beginnings of the repressive Soviet regime that would shape the region for decades to come.
THE FOREIGN POLICY OF JÓZEF PIŁSUDSKI AND JÓZEF BECK, 1926-1939: MISCONCEPTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS. Poland had to carefully navigate its precarious position between the hostile powers of Germany and the Soviet Union through a policy of "equilibrium," pursuing non-aggression pacts with both neighbors in an attempt to stabilize its security yet avoid complete reliance on either. However, Polish foreign policy faced significant constraints, as its borders and territorial gains drew criticism, France wavered in its alliance commitments over time, and the international situation continued shifting. Within this unstable context, Józef Piłsudski and Józef Beck pursued independent initiatives like the 1934 Polish-German declaration of non-aggression to further Poland's aims amid growing threats, though prevailing historical interpretations have often condemned Polish diplomacy while failing to consider Poland's difficult long-term situation balancing between more powerful states with conflicting demands. As a result, Polish foreign policy during this interwar period deserves a more balanced reevaluation that considers the nuanced geopolitical constraints and regional security priorities Poland navigated between its powerful and untrustworthy neighbors during a time of European instability and conflict.
Józef Piłsudski and the 'Jewish question', 1892-1905 Jozef Pilsudski assumed a leadership position in the Polish Socialist Party in 1893 after returning from exile in Siberia. He made attracting Jewish socialists a priority, seeing it as important both for the party's goals as well as his territorial ambitions which included incorporating Lithuania. However, he strongly opposed the Russian-oriented Jewish socialist group in Vilna led by Arkady Kremer and Zemach Kopelson. From 1893-1896, through articles in PRZEDŚWIT and later Robotnik after becoming editor, Pilsudski criticized this group for furthering Russification through their use of the Russian language and culture in socialist agitation. He urged them to join the PPS and use Yiddish instead. Pilsudski also organized the smuggling of Yiddish literature from Galicia and contact with Jewish socialists in New York to produce pro-PPS Yiddish materials. While interested in winning over Jewish workers, his private letters reveal exasperation with the Vilna group and used occasionally anti-Semitic coded language, showing nationalist Poles' negative attitudes lingered. Nonetheless, his public campaign documented an early shift away from assimilationism towards supporting national and linguistic rights.
From 1922 onwards, the region that would become Ukraine existed as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the newly formed USSR. The early Soviet period saw a brief Ukrainian cultural revival followed by harsh realities: forced collectivization of agriculture led to the Holodomor, a devastating 1932-33 famine claiming millions of Ukrainian lives. This was coupled with Stalin's Great Purge, where intellectuals, political figures, and countless ordinary citizens were executed or exiled under suspicions of anti-Soviet sentiment. Meanwhile, Western Ukraine fell under Polish rule, with Ukrainians facing forced assimilation and growing nationalist resistance. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 ominously foreshadowed the outbreak of World War II. This pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union divided Eastern Europe, further fragmenting Ukrainian lands and setting the stage for the extreme violence and upheaval the region would soon endure.
World War II raged across the region, bringing unimaginable devastation to Ukraine. After expelling Nazi forces, the Soviets reoccupied Ukraine, but the war left lasting scars. Cities lay in ruins, millions had perished, and forced population transfers further uprooted communities. While the end of war brought the promise of rebuilding, it also cemented Soviet control, ushering in an era of repression and ideological conformity.
The postwar decades saw Ukraine forcibly integrated deeper into the Soviet system. Despite reconstruction and industrialization, tight control from Moscow stifled Ukrainian identity and freedoms. Periods of relative liberalization were often followed by crackdowns on dissent. Economic stagnation plagued the Soviet Union as a whole, contributing to growing disillusionment. The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 tragically underscored the mismanagement and risks inherent in the Soviet system.
In the late 1980s, Gorbachev's reforms of glasnost and perestroika inadvertently spurred political awakening across the USSR. In Ukraine, a growing nationalist movement advocated for sovereignty and demanded acknowledgment of past traumas like the Holodomor. Popular aspirations for a free Ukraine were galvanizing
On August 24th, 1991, Ukraine finally declared independence from the crumbling Soviet Union. Yet, the path ahead was riddled with challenges. Building democratic institutions, transitioning to a market economy, and navigating complex geopolitical relationships with Russia and the West marked the early years of independent Ukraine.
