Poland, Democratization

Only 4 years after the Constitution of the United States of America had been ratified in 1787, Poland established its own supreme law—the Constitution—on May 3, 1791. The Polish Constitution, the second in the world, was actually the first act of this type established in Europe. Poland, a pioneer in establishing democratic rules, did not have much time to practice democracy. For more than one hundred years the country was removed from the world map. The democracy renaissance took place on November 11, 1918, when Poland regained its independence. Again the period of democracy was short. As a result of the Second World War, Poland ceased to be an independent state and became one of the satellites of Soviet Russia. The nation, however, did not ...