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Full NationStates Name: Okazale krolestwaFull Political Name: The Confederation of the Kingdom of Poland (Polish: Konfederacja Królestwa Polskiego; Lithuanian: Lenkijos Karalystės Konfederacija; German: Konföderation von das Königreich Polen; French: Confédération du Royaume de Pologne)
This would further be sub-divided into, respectively
- - Korona (The 'Crown,' referring to the Kingdom of Poland, comprising Poland & Western Ukraine)
- The Grand Duchy Lithuania (comprising Lithuania & Belarus)
- Livonia (Latvia and Estonia)
In colloquial use, the name of the entire Confederation (i.e. Korona, Lithuania, and Livonia) is usually just 'The Confederation,' or even just 'Poland-Lithuania,' whereas the lands of Poland (inhabited by Poles) are often just referred to as 'Korona,' or, the Crown.
WA Nation: Okazale krolestwa
Claim: Final Claim including Poland minus parts of Prussia, expansion further into the Ukraine, all of Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarus, as well as Kaliningrad.
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: 'Królowa' Natalia Poniatowska ('Królowa' implying status as Queen Regnant, as opposed to Queen Consort)
Head of Government: The Marshal of the General Council of Confederation, Adrian Ostrowski
Capital City: Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa)
Estimated Population: 103,269,000 | Breakdown: 44,689,000 (Poland); 3,867,000 (Lithuania); 9,485,000 (Belarus); 1,920,000 (Latvia); 1,328,000 (Estonia); 41,980,000 (Western Ukraine)
History:
- The Duchy of Warsaw was officially formed with the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit. These borders were further expanded during the Austro-Polish War, with the restoration of West Galicia. Finally, with the invasion of Russia, Napoleon would organize further captured territories under the General Confederation, restoring Poland to its Polish-Lithuanian extent, 'liberating' many regions from the Russian Empire and bringing them under Napoleon's indirect control (as he commanded de facto control over the Polish government at the time). At this time, Poland was a French satellite state.
This new Confederation was reorganized to resemble the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth - split between 'Polish' and 'Lithuanian' regions (with the latter being heavily settled by non-Lithuanian Belorussians). It would, however, ultimately be heavily Polish dominated, with disproportionate Polish representation in the Sejm, as well as in administration and the military. Ukrainian nobility would be Polonized, with traditional Eastern Slavic culture seen as of peasant ilk, and disgraceful.
On May 5, 1836, the then King of Poland, Anton of Saxony died with no legitimate heir. Though Anthony - and the prior Frederick Augustus II - had been sympathetic and capable rulers, tensions had flared somewhat during the latter monarch's reign as the Anton had been forced to split his resources and attention between Saxony and the distant Poland - often in favor of Saxony. To make matters worse, Anton's only legal successor, his nephew Frederick Augustus II, was both known as being timid, and as a German nationalist. Fears of preferential treatment & rumors that the new King of Saxony would attempt to bring Poland into a new German nation (where they would once again be oppressed by Germans) sparked widespread opposition. Frederick Augustus mishandled the situation by refusing to deny such claims.
Demonstrations to Frederick were followed by mass mutinies in the army, culminating in an emergency convening of the Sejm where it was agree that Poland needed a new king. Józef Poniatowski (who survived the battle of Leipzig in this time-line) was the natural choice, being a war hero (displaying superb leadership in the Austro Polish War and the Kościuszko Uprising) as well as a descendant of the last king of Poland Stanisław August Poniatowski. He was elected king of Poland and led the rebels in victory against various expeditionary forces from France & its satellites. This was accompanied by a revision of the constitution to expand suffrage to all Poles, remove French diplomatic / political influence, and assert Poland's independence as a rising European power.
Throughout the 19th century, Poland's vast size and wealth of natural resources allowed it to industrialize substantially, though sustained resistance to land reform and a largely illiterate rural population hindered its ability to industrialize in the earlier part of the 19th century. In 1865, a series of land reforms, irrigation projects, and the introduction of compulsory schooling for all urban Polish / Lithuanian children led to a sharp rise in literacy and increases in agricultural productivity. Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław all began major centers of industry and learning, while Gdańsk became the largest port in central Europe.
Furthermore, throughout the latter half of the 19th century, Poland embarked on an official policy of Polonization - particularly regarding the 'Ruthenians. Elements of Ruthenian culture were suppresed, Catholicism was heavily promoted, and Ruthenians were forcibly displaced to make room for Polish resettlement in West Galicia. On one hand, the number of ethnic Poles - as well as the territories the historically inhabited - grew substantially. On the other hand, many Ruthenian nobles accepted the policies of assimilation - having previously done so under Russia. Germans were initially subject to considerable political & vigilante persecution - especially during the 1836 revolution - but eventually were accepted as productive members of society, especially as the government focused its attentions against Ruthenian culture.
In the late 19th century, Poland sought rapprochement with France - if not earlier - due to shared strategic interests (particularly regarding the peer threat that was Germany). Furthermore, Napoleon was still regarded as something of a hero, and Poles looked upon French culture favorably. Rapprochement led to the Poles joining into the Great War on the side of the French, losing millions of young men in the brutal conflict.
Economy:
- GDP (nominal): $1.64 trillion; GDP (nominal) per capita: $23,000
GDP (PPP): $2.4 trillion; GDP (PPP) per capita: $34,000
Major Exports: machinery & transport equipment, coal, steel, manufactured goods, grains / foodstuffs, live animals