Poland — History and Geography Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

Poland

Poland is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad to the northeast. To the north, Poland has a coastline on the Baltic Sea. Poland covers about 120,700 square miles — roughly the size of New Mexico — and has a population of approximately 38 million people. Warsaw is the capital and largest city. Poland is the sixth-largest country in Europe by area, and its central location has made it a crossroads of European history.

Poland has a rich and turbulent history. The Polish state emerged in the 10th century under the Piast dynasty, and Poland became a major European power in the 14th–16th centuries. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, formed in 1569, was one of the largest countries in Europe and was notable for its relatively tolerant policies toward different religions and its parliamentary system. However, Poland’s large size and relatively weak central government made it vulnerable to powerful neighbors. In the late 18th century, Poland was partitioned — divided up — three times (1772, 1793, 1795) by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and disappeared as an independent state for over a century.

Poland regained independence after World War I in 1918, but it was short-lived. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, launching World War II. The Soviet Union invaded from the east 16 days later. Poland suffered terribly during the war: an estimated six million Polish citizens died — about 17% of the prewar population — including approximately three million Polish Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The Nazi regime operated some of its most notorious extermination camps on Polish territory, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed. Warsaw was almost completely destroyed after a failed uprising against the Germans in 1944.

After World War II, Poland came under Soviet control and became a communist state. Despite communist rule, Polish society maintained strong Catholic traditions and a distinct national identity. In 1980, workers at the Gdańsk shipyard went on strike and formed Solidarity, the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc, led by electrician Lech Wałęsa. Solidarity grew into a broad social movement with over 10 million members, challenging communist authority. After years of struggle, roundtable negotiations in 1989 led to partially free elections — the first in decades — which Solidarity won overwhelmingly. Poland became the first Eastern Bloc country to peacefully transition away from communism.

Since 1989, Poland has undergone a remarkable transformation. It joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004, firmly anchoring itself in the Western political and economic community. The Polish economy grew strongly in the 1990s and 2000s — Poland was the only EU country to avoid recession during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. Today Poland is a vibrant democracy with a dynamic economy. Polish culture is celebrated for its literature (including Nobel laureate Wisława Szymborska), music (Frédéric Chopin was Polish), food (pierogi, bigos, żurek), and strong folk traditions. Poland’s history of suffering, resilience, and renewal makes it one of Europe’s most compelling national stories.

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