• 1795—Third partition divides Europe between A-H, Russia, and Prussia

• 1920—Poland restored after WW I

• 1939—Poland invaded• 1945—Becomes Soviet satellite

and member of UN• 1980—Solidarity strike in

Gdansk led by Lech Walesa• 1999-Joined NATO

• Solidarity—labor union• Strike Aug. 31, 1980• Signed 21-pt.

Agreement with Commy gov’t

• Had U.S. support, Reagan saw as courageous movement

• By 1990—elections!

Population: 38,500,696 (July 2008 est.) Ethnic groups: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%,

Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census) Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukranian 0.1%,

Unspecified 2.7%Language: 97.8% Polish speaking. 2.2% unspecifiedReligion: 90% Roman Catholic (75% practicing), 8% Protestant Life Expectancy: Male 70.9 / Female 79.2Birth rate: 1.25 children born per woman (child/woman)SEX Ratio: At birth-1.06 male/female

Total- 0.96 male/femaleBirth/Death Rate: Birth rate- 9.85 births/1000

Death rate- 9.89 births/1000

Population Growth Rate: -0.05% (2006 est.) Literacy: 99.8% total population, 99.8% men/99.7% women

• Left Wing<----• Alliance of the

Democratic Left-Labour Union

• Social Democracy of Poland

• Union of the Left • Self-Defense of

the Republic of Poland

----->Right Wing• Law and Justice• Alliance of the

Right • Citizens Platform• Conservative

People's Party • League of Polish

Families• Union for Real

Politic• Catholic-National

Movement

Moderates•Polish Peasant Party •Democratic Party

• chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005)

• head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November 2007)

• PM comes from majority party in Sejm• Famous: Lech Walesa 1990-1995

• cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%

• Kaczynski killed in 2010 plane crash in Russia.

• Aidsdell• Head of State• Calls elections

to the Sejm and the Senate

• Calls national referendum

• Selects his own Prime Minister

Heads Executive authorityRepresents Polish interestsEnsures observance of the ConstitutionHas a veto (can be overruled by 3/5 vote of at least ½ of the members of the Sejm)

Supreme Court judges are appointed by the

president on the recommendation of the

National Council of the Judiciary for an

indefinite period. Judges are chosen by the Sejm for

nine-year terms

The Supreme Court supervises the adjudication in: • General courts - these are district, voivodeship, and appeal courts. They adjudicate in the areas of civil, criminal, family and labour law. • Military courts - that is circuit and garrison courts. They deal with matters relating to crimes committed by soldiers in active service, civilian employees in military units, and prisoners of war. • Administrative courts - a separate court system which deals with adjudication on the legal compliance of decisions taken by administrative bodies. It also settles cases between legal persons (corporations) or private citizens and administrative bodies.

• Called the Sejm• There are 460 deputies in the Sejm.• There is a 5% (8% for registered coalitions)

threshold for election to the Sejm.• Most debates are held here, and bills are

introduced.• There are 100 seats in the polish senate• This is the upper house

and bills can be vetoed

here

• State-owned enterprises were sold to the private sector

• Interest rates were pushed higher than normal, inflation kept as low as possible 3000-->300-->100-->30%

• Opened all borders to foreign investment

• Polish labor is cheap and skilled; Poland was able to capitalize on this

• Inflation returning

• Unemployment > 10%

• Average citizen not better off than a decade ago

• Much more economic inequality

• Rise in support for ex-Communists (Walesa not re-elected in 1995)

Poland is a parliamentary republic.

Poland is relatively well endowed with natural resources.

The engineering, food, textile, chemical, electronic, fuel and power industries are the most developed in Poland.

There are 159 institutions of higher education in Poland, with an enrollment of about 682,000 students.

A lot of foreign tourists visit Poland every year.

Major supporter of the U.S.

• Low-context;

• unlike “high-context” China or Saudi Arabia that protects itself, turns inward when exposed to other influences

• Poles want close economic and cultural ties with Europe

• Trusts the U.S. more than Europe, fears Russian expansion (U.S. gave MFN, special relationship)

• U.S. gave $4.6 B in debt relief 1990-94, largest E. Europe recipient of U.S. aid

• American firms invest in Poland heavily

• European politicians see Poland as a spokesperson for U.S. policy

• Primary goal: European integration

• GDP (purchasing power parity): $624.6 billion (2007 est.)

• GDP (official exchange rate): $413.3 billion (2007 est.)

• GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (2007 est.)

• GDP - per capita (PPP): $16,200 (2007 est.)

• GDP - composition by agriculture: 4.1% industry: 31.9% services: 64% (2007 est.)

• Labor force: 17.01 million (2007 est.)

• Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 16.1% industry: 29% services: 54.9% (2002)

• Unemployment rate: 12.8% (2007 est.)

• Population below poverty line: 17% (2003 est.)

• sector:

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (December 2007 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.8% of GDP (2007 est.) Budget: revenues: $80.53 billion expenditures: $88.7 billion (2007 est.) Public debt: 44.5% of GDP (2007 est.) Agriculture - products: potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Polish Flag!

Polish Coat of Arms!

Map of Poland!

turd

POLAND

•POPULATION: 38,536,869 (July 2006 est.)

•Ethnicity: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukranian 0.1%, Unspecified 2.7%

•Languages: 97.8% Polish speaking. 2.2% unspecified

•Religion: 90% Roman Catholic (75% practicing), 8% Protestant

•Life Expectancy: Male 70.9 / Female 79.2

•Birth rate: 1.25 children born per woman (child/woman)

•SEX Ratio: At birth-1.06 male/female

Total- 0.96 male/female

•Birth/Death Rate: Birth rate- 9.85 births/1000

Death rate- 9.89 births/1000

•Population Growth Rate: -0.05% (2006 est.)

•Literacy: 99.8% total population, 99.8% men/99.7% women

Executive

• President

Lech Kaczyński

• Prime Minister

Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz

President of the Republic of Poland

Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

• Plays a very important role

• 5-year terms• Aidsdell• Head of State• Calls elections to the

Sejm and the Senate• Calls national referendum• Selects his own Prime

Minister

• Heads Executive authority

• Represents Polish interests

• Ensures observance of the Constitution

• Has a veto (can be overruled by 3/5 vote of at least ½ of the members of the Sejm)

Other Presidential Duties

• Ratifies and revokes international agreements

• Nominates and recalls ambassadors

• Accepts accreditations of representatives of other states

• Right of clemency

• Can dismiss final court verdicts

Supreme Commander of Armed Forces

• Appoints Chief General of Staff

• Appoints Commanders of all Armed Forces

• During wartime, he nominates Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

• Orders Mobilization

Political Parties

Left Wing<----• Alliance of the

Democratic Left-Labour Union

• Social Democracy of Poland

• Union of the Left • Self-Defense of the

Republic of Poland

----->Right Wing

• Law and Justice

• Alliance of the Right

• Citizens Platform

• Conservative People's Party

• League of Polish Families

• Union for Real Politic

• Catholic-National Movement

Line Riders•Polish Peasant Party •Democratic Party

Polish ParliamentPolish Parliament•Bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house

•the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two

houses meet jointly

Senate

•upper house

•100 seats

•elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis

•serve four-year terms

Sejm

•lower house

•460 seats

•members are elected under proportional representation

•serve four-year terms

The SenateThe Senate

• The Senate may reject or amend the bills passed by the Sejm, but any rejection or amendment may still be overruled by an absolute majority vote in the Sejm.

• A joint session of the Senate and the Sejm is known as a National Assembly.

• Traditionally, the Senate takes particular care of Polonia, Polish communities outside Poland.

The Sejm

• Before the 20th century, the term "Sejm" referred to the entire three-chamber Polish parliament, comprising the lower house (Chamber of Deputies; Polish: Izba Poselska), the upper house (Senate; Polish: Senat) and the King. It was commonly termed a three-estate parliament. Since the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939), the term "Sejm" has referred only to the lower house of the parliament; the upper house is called the “Senat”.

History:

JudiciarySupreme Court judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period. Judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms

Courts

The Supreme Court supervises the adjudication in: • General courts - these are district, voivodeship, and appeal courts. They adjudicate in the areas of civil, criminal, family and labour law. • Military courts - that is circuit and garrison courts. They deal with matters relating to crimes committed by soldiers in active service, civilian employees in military units, and prisoners of war. • Administrative courts - a separate court system which deals with adjudication on the legal compliance of decisions taken by administrative bodies. It also settles cases between legal persons (corporations) or private citizens and administrative bodies.

Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court is the court of last resort of appeal against judgements in the lower courts. It also passes resolutions to clarify specific legal provisions and resolve disputable questions in specific cases.

Economy• GDP - per capita (PPP):

$13,300 (2005 est.) • Labor force:

17.1 million (2005 est.)• Unemployment rate:

18.3% (2005 est.) • Inflation rate (consumer

prices):2.1% (2005 est.)

• Public debt:47.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

• Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies.

Much remains to be done• bringing down the

unemployment rate (the highest in the EU)

• The privatization of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies

• Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment.

Economy• GDP - per capita (PPP):

$13,300 (2005 est.) • Labor force:

17.1 million (2005 est.)• Unemployment rate:

18.3% (2005 est.) • Inflation rate (consumer

prices):2.1% (2005 est.)

• Public debt:47.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

• Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies.

Much remains to be done• bringing down the

unemployment rate (the highest in the EU)

• The privatization of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies

• Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment.