Wikipedia: History of Poland

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History of Poland

The early history of Poland might be thought to begin in the 6th and 8th centuries A.D. During 6th and 8th centuries lands between the Vistula and Oder Rivers were inhabited by several West Slav? tribes. Over time in the long process of struggle for power the most prominent one turned out to be Polanians (Polans or in Polish Polanie). Other tribes included the Vistulanians, Goplans, Opolans, Silesians, Obodritians and Pomeranians.
(How should we link those tribal groups? A question for the historians!)

There were several strong tribes but after some time of fight for power the tribe called Polanians (or Polans or in Polish Polanie) came into prominence. In the middle of the 9th century they started massive expansion to the neigbouring territories and consequently pushed away Popielid dynasty. From that period emerges one single ruler Mieszko I of [Piast dynasty]? (born ca 930 AD). Lands under Duke Mieszko's rule encompassed the following regions: Greater Poland, probably Lesser Poland, surely Silesia, Eastern Pomerania and Western Pomerania, it was something like 250,000 km², with population of about 1 million people. The real Poland's sovereign state history begins with the duke. Soon he married a Czech princess Dobrava and was baptized into the Roman branch of Christianity in 966 AD. It started widespread conversion to Christianity of his kingdom and was also a fact of political significance. It marked the incorporation of Poland into the Christian western world. Moreover he allied with the Czech to make his kingdom independent from the Germans - in fact he was christianed by Czech clergy and married to a Czech princess. Poland became a Christian state and the date 966 AD it widely regarded a stepping stone for the future of the whole following Polish history.

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This huge gap awaits completion.
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In the 1970's and 1980's the whole system in Poland was deeper and deeper in the crisis and was beginning to crumble as was the whole Eastern block with the USSR as the fading superpower. With the advent of "perestroika" in Soviet Union that was started by [Mikhail Gorbachev]? the change of the political system that had been unimaginable was becoming reality.
There were fears that the shift of power from centralized one-party system system led by the ommnipotent Politburo to democracy might turn into bloody revolution.
Luckily it wasn't the case. There were on both sides, the Communist Party and the democratic opposition, peacefully-minded reformer groups that prevailed. Solidarity that was from the outset no-violence organisation believed in negotiations and was backed by the Catholic Church that clearly managed to cool down some militant opposition fractions.
In 1989, in so-called "roundtable talks", an agreement was worked out between the Communist leaders and Solidarity delegates. The roundtable agreement established the basis for a new political system based on a division of power between president and parliament and embodied in a provisional constitution adopted in 1992. At first, the presidency was entrusted to the head of the previous Communist regime, General [Wojciech Jaruzelski]?. Then in December 1990, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa was elected president with nearly 75 percent of the vote.