Labels:text | font | paper | black and white | document OCR: Poland has Europe's second-oldest written constitu- tion. In 1795, it was partitioned between Austria- Hungary, Germany and Russia. 0 1918 Polish state recreated. Q 1921 Democratic constitution. Q 1926-1935 Pilsudski heads military coup. Nine years of authoritarian rule. Rising ethnic intolerance. 0 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. September: Germany invades and divides Poland with Russians. Q 1941 First concentration camps built on Polish soil. 0 1944 Warsaw Uprising: 200,000 killed in last stand against Nazis. Q 1945 Potsdam and Yalta Conferences set present borders and determine political allegiance to Soviet Union. 0 1947 Communists manipulate elections to gain power. Opposition dissolved and exiled. 0 1949 Communist Party absorbs socialist coalition partners and forms Polish United Workers' Party. 1956 Protests in Poznan erupt into riots. More than 50 killed. Q 1970 Food price increases lead to strikes and riots in the Baltic port cities. Hundreds are killed. 0 1976 Government plans to raise food prices lead to protests. Government forced to back down. 0 1979 Pope John Paul II elected. Makes triumphal visit to Poland the next year. 1980 A series of strikes forces the government to negotiate with Solidarity. Resulting Gdańsk Accords grant the right to strike and to form free trade unions. O 1981 General Wojciech Jaruzelski becomes prime minister. O 1981-1983 Martial law. Solidarity forced into underground existence. Many of its leaders, including Walesa, are interned. O 1983 Walesa awarded Nobel Peace Prize. O 1986 Amnesty for political prisoners, but government refuses to negotiate with Solidarity. 1987 Referendum rejects government austerity program. O 1988 Industrial unrest leads to inconclusive government-Solidarity negotiations. 0 1989 PUWP agrees to hold talks with Solidarity, which is relegalized. Partially free elections are held. Solidarity candidates defeat the PUWP. First post - war non-communist government formed. 0 1990 Swift transition to market economy begins. Walesa elected president. 0 1991 Free elections lead to fragmented parliament. 1992 Last Russian troops leave. O 1993 Reformed communists form coalition government. O 1994 Mass privatization program implemented.
