Between the sixth and ninth century the area that is now Poland is setteled by West Slavonic tribes. These tribes establish in 966 Poland as the Polish Principality (legends say that this state was already founded in 501). Poland becomes the Polish Kingdom in 1024. The Polish unity states is divided into several principalities since 1138, until 1180 under nominal coordination by one of the princes, styled Senior Polish Prince. In 1320 Poland is reunited into Polish Kingdom. Since 1370 the kingship is elective, but de facto the Diet chooses the kings in hereditary order until 1572. Poland and Lithuania are united in a personal union since 1386. The two countries are united 1569 as the United Commonwealth of the Two Nations. Lithuania is from now on part of Poland. The Commonwealth includes areas from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

Three divisions between Prussia, Austria and Russia in the period between 1772 and 1792 leads to de disapppearance of the Commonwealth. During the Napoleonic Wars France constitutes the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 as a French puppet state. After the Treaty of Vienna in 1815 the Russian parts of Poland become a seperate Poland as the Polish Kingdom in a personal, de facto subordinate, union with Russia. Southern Poland, Galicia, remains part of Austria, although Cracow is an independent republic between 1815 and 1848. The western parts of Poland are part of Prussia and with Prussia of Germany.

During World War I (1914-1918) Germany occupies the Polish Kingdom and after the defeat of Germany and Austria as well as the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1918 representatives of the Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (Polish Socialist Party, PPS) and of the agrarian Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (Polish People's Party, PSL) form a Polish government with Ignacy Daszyński as prime minister. Daszynski's government hands over power over to Józef Piłsudski and the Polish Republic is proclaimed. Jędrzej Moraczewski of the PPS becomes prime minister. The first elections are won by the Stronnictwo Demokratyczno-Narodowe (National Democratic Party, ND). Ignacy Paderewski of the ND becomes prime minister, later that year succeeded by Leopold Skulski. The Treaty of Versailles stipulates that Poland recieves Pomerania, but Danzig or Gdańsk becomes a free city. Plebiscites are held to resolve the future of Eastern Prussia and Upper Silesia. The result is unfavorable to Poland. The easter border is a greater problem. In 1920 Polish troops entered Kiev in alliance with the Ukrainian troops under Petlura's command. During the upcoming war the soviet army reaches the outskirts of Warsaw. Russia is defeated and in the treaty of Riga in 1921 Poland's eastern border becomes the Zbrucz River. Poland forms and later annexes the state of Central Lithuania. Premierships last shortly in Poland: in 1920 Władysław Grabski (PPS) has become prime minister, later that year succeeded by Wincenty Witos of the PSL. In 1921 Antonin Ponikowski (ND) becomes prime minister.

After the 1922 parliamentary elections, Gabriel Narutowicz, the PSL-candidate of the center and left wing, supported by the national minorities, becomes president. Some days after his inauguration he is assassinated. Stanisław Wojciechowski of the PPS is elected President. 1922 brings four prime ministers: Artur Sliwiński (PPS), Wojciech Korfanty (ND), Julian Ignacy Nowak and Władysław Sikorski (PPS). In 1923 Witos becomes prime minister again, but later that year an experts government is formed by Władysław Grabski. The fall of Grabski's government in 1925 and the ensuing difficulties in forming a new government - bringing Aleksander hrabia Skrzynski (1925-1926) and Witos in 1926 to the premiership - lead to an armed coup d'etat by Józef Piłsudski. Józef Piłsudski becomes Polands strongman and he makes Ignacy Mościcki president. The political parties continue their activities with little change. Freedom of the press is maintained. In practice, however, an authoritarian regime is created, curbing the powers of the Sejm and harassing the opposition parties. Józef Piłsudski forms the Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem (Non-Partisan Blok for Co-operation with the Government, BBWR), and finally arresting the opposition leaders and putting them on trial in 1931. After Józef Piłsudski's death in 1935 Edward Rydz-smigly assumes control and under a new constitution parliament becomes a tool of the ruling military. The new dictatorship establishes the Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodwego (Camp of National unification, OZN).

In 1939 Germany and the USSR sign the Ribbentrop-Molotov nonaggression pact, which secretly provides for the dismemberment of Poland into German and Soviet-controlled zones. In 1939 Germany invases Poland, followed by the invasion oby Soviet troops. After the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, Poland is completely occupied by Germany. The Poles form an underground resistance movement and a government in exile, first in Paris and later in London, which is recognized by the USSR. During World War II, 400,000 Poles fight under Soviet command, and 200,000 go into combat on Western fronts in units loyal to the Polish government in exile. In 1943 the USSR breaks relations with the Polish government in exile after the German military announced that they had discovered mass graves of murdered Polish army officers at Katyn, in the USSR. In 1944, the Soviet Red Army enters Poland and establishes a communist-controlled "Polish Committee of National Liberation" at Lublin. During the war, about 6 million Poles are killed, and 2.5 million are deported to Germany for forced labor. More than 3 million Jews (all but about 100,000 of the Jewish population) are killed in death camps like those at Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Treblinka, and Majdanek.

In 1944-45 Poland is liberated by the USSR army and regains independence. Following the Yalta Conference in 1945, a Polish Provisional Government of National Unity is formed. The eastern parts of the country are incorporated into the USSR and Poland annexes large parts of Germany. >a href=former.htm#danzig target-_top>Gdańnsk or Danzig becomes part of Poland. Poland is geographically shifted to the west. Although the Yalta agreement called for free elections, those held in 1947 are controlled by the communist Polska Partija Robotnicza (Polish Workers' Party, PPR) of Bolesław Bierut and Wladysław Gomułka. The communists then establish a dictatorship entirely under their domination. Gomułka resigns in 1948 and Bierut becomes party leader. He unites the party that year with the PPS into the Polska Zjedonoczona Partia Robotnicza (Polish United Workers' Party, PZPR). Poland is renamed Polish People's Republic in 1952. In 1956 Gomułka is rehabilitated and leads the country until 1970. After disturbances and strikes he is succeeded by Edward Gierek in that year.

An important event is the election of the bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla, in 1979 to become Pope John Paul II, head of the roman catholic church. In 1980 strikes start in Poland, centered in Gdańsk. The country is entering into an extended crisis that would change the course of its future development. The strikes end in the formation of an independent trade union, Solidarity. In 1981 Gierek is replaced by Stanisław Kania as party leader. A year later, general Wojciech Jaruzelski takes over with the support of a Military Council for National Salvation. This council tries to prevent an intervention by the USSR because of the strong position of the new trade union Solidarność (Solidarity) of Lech Wałęsa. The regime declares martial law, under which the army and special riot police were used to crush the union. Virtually all Solidarność leaders and many affiliated intellectuals are arrested or detained. It lasts until 1985 until nearly all political prisoners are released. Solidarity remained proscribed.

In 1988 the government recognizes Solidarność and in 1989 "roundtable" talks begin. A new parliament is elected, in which one third of the seats is open to free contest. The Solidarność candidates won virtually all of these seats. Jaruzelski, at that moment president, appoints Solidarność activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki of the Unia Demokratyczne (Democratic Union, UD) to form a government. For the first time in more than 40 years, Poland has a government led by noncommunists. Poland is renamed Republic of Poland. In 1990 Lech Wałęsa becomes the first popularly elected president of Poland. Poland's first free parliamentary elections are held in 1991. More than 100 parties participate, representing a full spectrum of political views. No single party receives more than 13% of the total vote. New elections are held in 1993, making the post-communist Sojusz Lewicy Demokratyczne (Democratic Left Alliance, SLD) the largest party. Waldemar Pawlak, leader of the agrarian Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (Polish People's Party, PSL), becomes prime minister in a coalition of the SLD with the PSL. Pawlak resigns in 1995 and is replaced by Jozef Oleksy of the SLD.

In 1995 SLD leader Aleksander Kwasniewski defeats Wałęsa by a narrow margin. Olkesy is replaced inside the coalition by Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. The 1997 elections give way to a coalition of the Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność (Electoral Action Solidarity, AWS) and the liberal Unia Wolności (Freedom Union, UW) under prime minister Jerzy Buzek (AWS). The 2001 elections are won by the SLD and a coalition of the SLD, the PSL and the Unia Pracy (Labour Union, UP) under Leszek Miller (SLD) is formed. In 2003 the PSL leaves the coalition. Miller resigns in 2004 at the moment that Poland joins the European Union in 2004.