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Polish
Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society
BRANTFORD
POLISH HALL, 154 Pearl St.
519-753-0414
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LEARN
ABOUT POLAND
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| The Coat of
Arms of Poland
consists of a White Eagle on a red shield. The Eagle is wearing a
crown.
In Poland, the Coat of Arms is usually called simply White Eagle
(Orzeł
Biały), and it is always capitalized. MORE... |
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History
Of Poland
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| The Polish
nation started
to form itself into a recognizable unitary territorial entity around
the
middle of the 10th century. Poland's golden age occurred in the 16th
century
during its union with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth. The citizens of Poland took pride in their
ancient
freedoms and parliamentary system, though the Szlachta (see "Nobles'
Democracy" article) monopolized the benefits thereof. Since
that
time Poles have regarded freedom as their most important value. Poles
often
call themselves the Nation of the free people. |
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| In
mid-17th century a rebellion
of cossacks led by Bohdan Chmielnicki ushered in the turbulent time of
The Deluge. Numerous wars against Turkey, Russia, Sweden, Transylvania
and Brandenburg-Prussia ultimately came to an end in 1699. During the
following
80 years, the waning of the central government and deadlock of the
institutions
weakened the nation, leading to dependency on Russia. The Enlightenment
in Poland fostered a growing national movement to repair the state,
resulting
in the first written constitution in Europe. The process of reforms
ceased
with the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria in
1772,
1793 and 1795; these ultimately completely dissolved Poland. Poles
resented
their shrinking freedoms and several times rebelled against their
oppressors
(see List
of Polish Uprisings). |
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| After the
Napoleonic wars
a reconstituted Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, ruled by the Russian
tsar as a Congress Kingdom, possessed a liberal constitution. However,
the Russian tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually de
facto annexed the country. Later in the 19th century, Austrian-ruled
Galicia
became the oasis of Polish freedom. During World War I all the Allies
agreed
on the restitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow
Wilson
proclaimed in point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the
surrender
of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the
Second
Polish Republic. A new threat, Soviet aggression, arose in the 1919 (Polish-Soviet
War), but Poland succeeded in defending its independence. |
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| The Second
Polish Republic
lasted until the start of World War II when Germany and the Soviet
Union
split the Polish territory between them (September 27 1939). Poland
suffered
greatly in this period (see General
Government). Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland
lost
the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished, half
of
them Polish Jews. Poland's borders shifted westwards; pushing the
eastern
border to the Curzon
line and the western border to the Oder-Neisse
line. After the shift Poland emerged smaller by 76 000 km sq.
or
by 20% of its pre-war size. The shifting of borders also involved the
migration
of millions of people of different nationalities. Eventually, Poland
became,
for the first time in history, an ethnically unified country.
The victory
of the Soviet
Union brought a new communist government to Poland, analogously to much
of the rest of Central Europe. In 1948 a turn towards Stalinism brought
in the beginning of the next period of totalitarian rule. In 1956 the
regime
became more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some
personal freedoms.
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| Labor
turmoil in 1980 led
to the formation of the independent trade union, "Solidarity",
which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of
the
Communist Party; by 1989 it had triumphed in parliamentary elections,
and
a Solidarity candidate eventually won the presidency.
A shock
therapy program during
the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one
of
the most robust in Central Europe. Despite the regression in levels of
social and economic human rights standards, numerous improvements in
other
human rights standards occurred (free speech, functioning democracy and
the like). Poland as the first among post-communist countries regained
pre-1989 GDP level. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999.
Following a
massive advertising
campaign by the government in favor of joining the European Union,
Polish
voters voted yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined
the European Union on 1 May 2004.
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History Of The Polish
Community In Brantford
Brantford as a
major centre
of farm-implement manufacture, lured many Polish immigrants. Outside of
isolated cases of families settling in Brantford before 1900, the first
great wave of immigrants from the "cradle of Slavdom" to Brantford came
at the turn of our century, and continued until the start of World War
I. From 1902 we find in the Brantford Directory names of families,
which
are well known today. To list a few of these pioneering families, there
were, the Neziols, Kempas, Bulanda, Rosieckis, Konefals, Dostals,
Guminiaks,
Sekulas, Ciochs, Rejdychs, Wiaceks, Floreks, Murzyns, Mrozs,
Stachurskis,
Porembas, Dudlinskis, and Bialkowskis. Others, as the Tatkos,
Cempuras,
Losinskis, Gancarszyks, Majdas, Golanskis, Szrameks and Wisniewskis,
have
disappeared from the Brantford scene. CLICK
HERE to find out more... |
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More
About Polish History In Canada - Read Online Books For Free
 Poles
In Ontario by Harney, Robert F., Heydenkorn, Benedykt
The
Polish Presence In Canada And America by Renkiewicz, Frank
For
Bread And A Better Future: Emigration From Poland To Canada, 1918-1939
by Reczynska Anna
Women
And The Polish Alliance Of Canada by Apolonja Kojder
Marynia,
Don't Cry: Memoirs of Two Polish-Canadian Families by Kojder
Apolonja
Maria, Glogowska Barbara |
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| Browse
Related Links: |
 Polonia
Today - A Brief History of Poland |
| History
Of Poland From Wikipedia |
| Brief
Outline of Poland's History |
| History
of Poland In Paintings |
| History
of Jews in Poland |
| History
of the Polish Community in Brantford Vol.1 |
| History
of the Polish Community in Brantford Vol.2 |
| History
of the Polish Community in Brantford Vol.3 |
| History
of the Polish Community in Brantford Vol.4 |
| History
of the Polish Community in Brantford Vol.5 |
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| CLICK
HERE to
view
list with names of all Past Presidents since establishment of the
Brantford
Polish Mutual Benefit and Friendly Society, from 1927 until now. |
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Get
on a team NOW!
Become part of
dart or pool leagues,
organize your own game or league, rent game room for social, family or
corporate games or just come out and have a good time. We feature great
food, friendly atmosphere and fully stocked bar when you need to relax.
Click on the images for bigger picture and/or more info. |
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| Learn Polish
Proverbs, they are available in Polish and English language. |
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We have just
the right place
for your next Super Bowl Party, Soccer Party or any other Theme Night.
Affordable rental for your entertainment needs. Please
CLICK
HERE for more info. |
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