Difference between revisions 22620065 and 39753195 on enwiki

{{NPOV}}
{{cleanup-date|July 2005}}
This article details the '''Polish-German relations'''. 


==Early history (until 16th century)==

Western [[Poland|Polish lands]] had some [[Germanic tribes|Germanic]] residents since medieval times, for the first several centuries by invitation. Polish landowners had unproductive land and needed more workers. Germans from the [[Protestant]] [[Low Countries]] were recruited to reclaim wetlands of northern Poland. Additionally, groups of oppressed Protestants from areas that [[Catholics]] had won in southern [[Germany]] (e.g. [[Württemberg]]) migrated in significant numbers. As time progressed the settler came more from neighboring German lands. For quite some time, the western settlers were given complete freedom of religion, which was a major inducement to move, as Western [[Europe]] was engulfed in a series of protracted and violent religious wars, which did not extend to Poland. Poland was the unique example of tolerance, thanks to [[Warsaw Confederation]], that guaranteed the [[religious freedom]] and internal peace.

==Counter-reformation (1572-1795)==

Starting with the reign of [[Sigismund I of Poland]], the [[Sweden|Swedish]] king, himself a fervent Catholic, the religious conflict emerged in the form of the [[Counter-Reformation]]. While the king swayed back and forth, he found himself between the [[Roman Catholic Church]], which brought its influence to bear, and his own misgivings and those of many of the nobles. At one point, the bishop called a congress to enact strict rules, but so many nobles opposed the issue, that the(contracted; show full)ence, settlers were encouraged, German communities were assisted with gifts that built churches, provided bells and various other infrastructure improvements. Most notable was the creation of the canal between [[Bydgoszcz]] (German: ''Bromberg'') near the [[Vistula]] (German: ''Weichsel'') and [[Naklo]] (German: ''Nakel'') on the [[Notec]] (German: ''Netze''). The Prussian bureaucracy developed into a powerful force that attemp
ted with mixed success to bring about broad social changes.

===Napoleon and Duchy of Warsaw===

[[Napoleon I]] temporarily turned the tables for about eight years, then the situation reversed again. [[Duchy of Warsaw]]. (Add info about Polish involvement, French relations, Germans preventing French shipments on river barges, etc.)

===Prussian times===

(contracted; show full)meetings and dramas. "Ausrotten!" ("Exterminate!") became a slogan. Over ten billion marks were spent for the purpose. Polish merchants, manufacturers and workmen were systematically and openly boycotted and German trade in Poland was heavily subsidized. The Polish village communities were deprived of their right of supervision over the village schools and, in Russian fashion, private instruction outside of the school buildings was made punishable by heavy penalties. In schools, childre
n were flogged for speaking or praying in Polish. When, in 1901, the parents of the children of the little town of Wrzesnia, rose against this barbarous practice on the part of the teachers, they suffered heavy penalties. 
[[Image:DrzymalaWagon.jpg|right]]
Following the Russian policy in Lithuania and Ruthenia, which forbade the acquisition of real estate by Poles, and poor results of the Settlement Commission, the Prussian government forbade in 1904 the building of houses on newly acquired properties without special permission, which seldom, if ever, was given to Poles. This new limitation did not stop the efforts of the Poles to get hold of as much real property as possible. To overcome the restriction, some peasants followed the example of [[Drzymala]] and lived in houses built on wheels, in  this manner circumventing the spirit of the restriction. The 1905 census had a category that included wagons, huts, boats and tents as domiciles. The oppression naturally created an organized reaction. The Peasant Bank of Posen and its large number of local branches competed with the Colonization Bank. The German system of compulsory education, though resented by the Poles because of its policy of Germanization, increased the level of education of the Polish peasantry. The number of daily Polish newspapers and the consumption of Polish literature in German Poland increased.

==World War I and aftermath (1914-1939)==

During [[World War I]], many Poles fought in the German forces, for the foreign case. Others prepared themselves for the defeat of Germany. With the defeat of Germany, it lost most of its territory in this area. While many Germans migrated west, especially military and administration staff, a relatively large amount of Germans remained, preferring to live and work their farms and businesses as Polish citizens. In general, Poland guaranteed German minority national rights. However, many German-owned estates were parceled out and sold to Polish farmers.

==World War II and atrocities (1939-1945)==

[[World War II]] brought the brutal repressions of [[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] German state against Poles. Unspeakable [[atrocities]] touched every family in the Eastern provinces (see [[World War II atrocities in Poland]]).

==Post-WWII history==

[[Category:History of Germany]]
[[Category:History of Poland]]