istoryworld
Events relating to poland
Part of Poland is recovered from Prussia to become the grand duchy of Warsaw, a small state dependent upon Napoleon
Poland becomes a kingdom of very limited independence, since the Russian tsar Alexander I is to be its king
Polish composer Frédéric Chopin completes his Preludes under difficult conditions in Majorca
Marie Curie and her husband Pierre isolate a new element which they name polonium in honour of her native Poland
Karol Szymanowski and other Polish composers form a group that soon becomes known as Young Poland
A German army encircles and almost annihilates a larger Russian force at Tannenberg
Germans make an experimental but ineffective use of chlorine gas against the Russians in Poland
German armies make sufficient advances to drive the Russians out of Poland
Composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski becomes prime minister of the newly independent Poland
The prime minister of Poland, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, resigns his post so as to concentrate on his concert career
The Versailles Treaty makes Danzig (or Gdansk) a free city (from 10 January 1920), under the protection of the League of Nations
The Versailles Treaty provides a corridor of land to give Poland access to Danzig and the Baltic, thereby dividing two parts of Germany
Karel Szymanowski's opera King Roger has its first performance in Warsaw
Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater is performed in Warsaw and brings him international fame
Polish cryptographers succeed in breaking some of the Enigma code used by the German military
Poland insists that the industrial area of Teschen Silesia, largely inhabited by Poles, be ceded by Czechoslovakia
Adolf Hitler makes unacceptable demands upon Poland, including the transfer of the free port of Danzig to Germany
Adolf Hitler demands a strip of territory through the Polish corridor to reunite Germany with East Prussia
A Russian army invades Poland from the east, fulfilling the secret protocol of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
The new German technique of blitzkrieg ('lightning war') is demonstrated with devastating effect against Poland
The recent fate of Czechoslovakia prompts France and Britain to guarantee the security of Poland
A Franco-British military mission arrives in Moscow to persuade Stalin to join a pact in defence of Poland
A secret protocol, attached to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, divides Poland and the Baltic states between Germany and Russia
Adolf Hitler launches a massive attack on Poland, with tanks crossing the border and air raids on Warsaw
Britain and France, receiving no answer from Hitler to their ultimatum over his attack on Poland, declare war on Germany
