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I.POLANDSFOREIGNPOLICYBEFORE1989
Poland,srebirthasanindependentstatefollowinga123-yearabsencefromthe
mapofEuropewasrstandforemostaconsequenceofWorldWarI,andmost
especiallythewayinwhichthatwarnallylaidthepost-Napoleonicinternational
ordertorest.LetusatthesametimerecallthatthatpredecessorFirstRepublic
whichultimatelyfounditselfpartitionedoutofexistencehadcometosuchasticky
endprimarilythroughitsowninternalweaknesses.Theseincludedastatesystem
differentfromanyotherinEurope(involvingfreeelectionsplusaliberumveto),the
cultivationofspecicpoliticalhabitsbytherulingclass(involvingclientelismand
servilitytowardsforeigners)andpersistenteconomicbackwardness.Sincethefull
processofcollapseinfacttookaslongasacentury,itisclearthatthethenPolish
stateandpoliticalclasswerelackingintheinstinctforself-preservationtoadegree
unparalleledanywhereinEurope.Poland,sneighbours,whosepowerincreasedat
itscost,soughttoinuencethecourseofboththeRepublic,sinternalaffairsand
itsforeignpolicy(totheextentthatthecountrycanhardlybesaidtohavehadthe
latteratallduringthe18thcentury),butinnowaycantheybesaidtohavebeen
gunningforitsnaldismembermentanddisappearance.Letuslikewiseemphasise
thatthePolishcaseistheonlyoneofitskind,wherebyastatethatcouldclaimto
havebeenoneofEurope,smajorpowerstwocenturiespreviously1descendedto
thepointoffullandnalcollapse.Hopesthatindependencemightberegained
bywayoftheNapoleonicWarscametonought,notwithstandingthedeathsof
largenumbersofPolishsoldiersservingthehegemonicinterestsofFranceonbat-
tleeldsinSpainandevenHaiti.NordidstatehoodresumewitheithertheFrench
Emperor,sgifttothePolishpeopleintheformofthe1807DuchyofWarsaw,orthe
KingdomofPoland,subordinatedtotheTsar,thattheCongressofViennacalled
intobeingtoreplacethesaidDuchy(thelatterinanycasesuccumbingoncethe
JanuaryUprisingof1862–1864hadbeensuppressed).Indeed,withtime,thevery
absenceofPolandbecameanecessarycondition,ifthebalanceofpowerandthe
stabilityoftheinternationalorderestablishedbytheCongressandsupervisedby
"theConcertofPowers”weretobemaintained.Itwasthereforeonlyadeni-
tivechangeinthecongurationofthosepowers(andtheincreasinglyconicting
intereststheypursued)thatcouldunleashthekindofdevelopmentaldynamiccapa-
1AlongsideFrance,England,theNetherlands,Spain,Portugal,HabsburgAustria,Swedenandthe
OttomanEmpire.(WemightnotethatthelistincludesneitherPrussianorRussia,forwhomroomwould
onlybefoundoncePolandfell).