This was interestingly also the same time the Irish jokes started and both had the same origin: conquering powers wanting to put down the conquered.
In the Poles case -- the history dates back to the partitions of Poland by the Russians, Austrians and Prussians in 1772-1793: and the downfall of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth has strong lessons for us today
In the 1600s the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth encompassing much of what is now Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine was the largest state in Europe and uniquely not one dominated forcefully by one nationality -- the reasons are that it started as a union between Poles and Lithuanians (and the Lithuanians were themselves united with the Ruthenians (Ukrainians/Belarussians)) -- anyone, so this was a pretty potent state which even conquered Moscow in that time, thrashed the Muscowites soundly and did the same to the Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683 -- so they were feted by all of Europe for doing this
But, they were a republic -- yes, they elected their kings, so when one died, the next could be anyone chosen by the nobility (a republic, flawed yes) -- and the elite preferred to choose people who were NOT living amongst them, as otherwise they'd get too powerful (like Jan Sobieski), so they invited in Saxon monarchs, who bought the throne by bribing with money from the Russians (hints of Obama)
This started 70 years in which Poland was supposedly independent but where the kings were Manchurian candidates in the pocket of Moscow
And Poland waned in power before Moscow and Prussia
Then, just 90 years after saving Europe, Frederick the Great of Prussia instigated a plan along with Catherine the Great of Russia to tear apart this state
They bit off parts of the P-L commonwealth in pieces until 1792 and the Poles wrote their constitution -- the first constitution in Europe and promising people the same rights as we had in the US. The Prussian, Russian and Austrian autocrats couldn't have this -- imagine a state like that on their borders. So they cut up Poland completely and even agreed that the very name Poland was to be removed from all official and public communication -- and that's the origin of the Polish jokes as a way to disparage a nation and eliminate it
The Poles had 5 uprisings in the 1800s but these were defeated for one reason or another and they got their chance for freedom in 1917
This is an important part of Western history and most people don’t even know about it.
Thank you for this post.
interesting.
thanks.
And even the number 44 is significant in Polish history!
I had a coin from around 1910 that was in 2 denominations and alphabets/languages; a Polish friend said it was from the “Russian part” of Poland. Another coin, from 1917 with one denomination (”fenigow”), he said was from the “German part” of Poland.
Fascinating history there; thanks!
Do you perchance know the term equivalent to “Polack” for Germans? I have been casting around for it, but keep failing.