Poland
 Poland, the country of brave history, country of long tradition of freedom and human rights, the first country in Europe and second in the world (after the USA), that approved a democratic Constitution. The country joined with Lithuania since 1384 in the first European Union and for many ages has been the melting pot for various cultures. Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Latvians, Jews and other peoples like Estonians and Tatars used to live together in the friendly relationships for ages without religions conflict, contrary to common practice in Europe. Appreciating the standards for democracy, tolerance, peacefulness and ecumenism. Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote about Poland in his letters: Polonium mea est - Poland is my [country].
It was also Poland that was the first and only country to say 'no' to the cruel regimes of both communism of the Soviet Union and Fascism of Nazi Germany in 1939.Abandoned and betrayed by her western allies, France and the UK, Poland lost more than 6 million lives ( out of which around 3 million Jews) during the War. As a consequence of the Yalta Conference in 1945 between the Soviet Union, USA and UK, Poland lost sovereignty for 44 years. This sovereignty was regained in a peaceful way in 1989 thanks to the massive and brave social movement on Solidarnosc (Solidarity) of 1980 and the soft approach of the depressed last communists' governments. Thanks to the Solidarity movement uprising and consequent democratic changes in Poland in June 1989, the march of freedom across all of Central Europe started and the Berlin Wall fell. |
