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I am writing this post partially because Poland didn't get to the main set. I am writing this post because Poland's outlooks to get to the second set look unpromising. But I'm writing this post mostly because in the last ranking of civs to be included in the expansion was behind the Eskimos. And the Mayas. And the Sioux.
Now, wait, I take that back. I am writing this post mostly to dispel a myth quite popular among posters here. And this myth is:
Poland is some puny country in Eastern Europe, which was never powerful and who's only inventions are kielbasa and pierogies
I'll start by a simple comparison: the date universally acknowledged as the one that marks the creation of the Polish country is 966 (the christening of Poland), while the United States' Declaration of Independence dates 1776. Now here's a question: if a country with so favorable "starting conditions" as the US needed about 150 years to achieve domination, wouldn't it be likely for a country with a not as very, but also a quite nice topographical etc. situation, to achieve domination in its region?
The answer of course is yes. And indeed, Poland had been a superpower for quite a period of time. Well, in the start of course, the country was small. However, subsequently with gaining more victories in conflicts with neighbors, it grew. The most important historical occurrence, as far as territorial issues are concerned, was the unification of Lithuania with Poland. After that, the country started to enter what was its golden age. Firstly, the Republic beat the crap out of the Teutonic Knights (which were ironically invited into the region by a Polish duke, to beat the crap out of the Prussians). Not so late after country spread into an empire that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It was quite a formidable opponent for anyone in that time. And, although its power started to fade from the 17th century, Poland still managed to accomplish some challenging feats, such as taking over Moscow and even controlling Russia for a short period of time. However, such achievements did not prevent the eventual downfall of Poland, which happened at 1795, when the three states, Russia, Prussia, and Austria signed the 3rd partitioning agreement, effectively evaporating Poland from the map of Europe for 123 years. But it failed to evaporate the Polish nation.
Enough with the historical introduction, here are my main arguments why Poles should be recognized as a nation that contributed largely to the world’s legacy. And so:
-the battle of Vienna in 1683. If not for the Polish army, the Turks would have the attack routes to Europe open before them. But they were defeated.
-the battle of Warsaw in 1920. This time the Polish forces stopped the Bolshevik approach, another menace, which, if uncontained, would engulf all Western Europe.
-as stated before, in the late XVth-XVIth-early XVIIth century period, Poland was practically a superpower – the largest country in Europe, with one of the best armies, and a prospering economy.
Finally, Polish scientists had a huge contribution in most fields of human progress. Probably the most famous one is a guy that revolutionized a lot of areas of life with his brave but simple theory. Can you guess who?
LoD
Appendix 0: These are not all arguments that I have. I’ll roll in all my cannons in due time
.
Appendix 1: I have one more myth to dispel – pierogies are not actually Polish. They are Eastern Slavic.
Appendix 2: But vodka was undoubtedly made first in Poland
!
Now, wait, I take that back. I am writing this post mostly to dispel a myth quite popular among posters here. And this myth is:
Poland is some puny country in Eastern Europe, which was never powerful and who's only inventions are kielbasa and pierogies
I'll start by a simple comparison: the date universally acknowledged as the one that marks the creation of the Polish country is 966 (the christening of Poland), while the United States' Declaration of Independence dates 1776. Now here's a question: if a country with so favorable "starting conditions" as the US needed about 150 years to achieve domination, wouldn't it be likely for a country with a not as very, but also a quite nice topographical etc. situation, to achieve domination in its region?
The answer of course is yes. And indeed, Poland had been a superpower for quite a period of time. Well, in the start of course, the country was small. However, subsequently with gaining more victories in conflicts with neighbors, it grew. The most important historical occurrence, as far as territorial issues are concerned, was the unification of Lithuania with Poland. After that, the country started to enter what was its golden age. Firstly, the Republic beat the crap out of the Teutonic Knights (which were ironically invited into the region by a Polish duke, to beat the crap out of the Prussians). Not so late after country spread into an empire that stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. It was quite a formidable opponent for anyone in that time. And, although its power started to fade from the 17th century, Poland still managed to accomplish some challenging feats, such as taking over Moscow and even controlling Russia for a short period of time. However, such achievements did not prevent the eventual downfall of Poland, which happened at 1795, when the three states, Russia, Prussia, and Austria signed the 3rd partitioning agreement, effectively evaporating Poland from the map of Europe for 123 years. But it failed to evaporate the Polish nation.
Enough with the historical introduction, here are my main arguments why Poles should be recognized as a nation that contributed largely to the world’s legacy. And so:
-the battle of Vienna in 1683. If not for the Polish army, the Turks would have the attack routes to Europe open before them. But they were defeated.
-the battle of Warsaw in 1920. This time the Polish forces stopped the Bolshevik approach, another menace, which, if uncontained, would engulf all Western Europe.
-as stated before, in the late XVth-XVIth-early XVIIth century period, Poland was practically a superpower – the largest country in Europe, with one of the best armies, and a prospering economy.
Finally, Polish scientists had a huge contribution in most fields of human progress. Probably the most famous one is a guy that revolutionized a lot of areas of life with his brave but simple theory. Can you guess who?
LoD
Appendix 0: These are not all arguments that I have. I’ll roll in all my cannons in due time
.Appendix 1: I have one more myth to dispel – pierogies are not actually Polish. They are Eastern Slavic.
Appendix 2: But vodka was undoubtedly made first in Poland
!
.
so I can't really ask them about Poland.
Germany is smaller than France and Spain so if it was bigger than them to was bigger than HRE.
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