The Rebirth of Poland, World War, and Communist Domination

In 1918 Poland regained her independence and Warsaw became the capital of the Second Republic of Poland. When World War II broke out in 1939 the capital heroically defended itself until the 27th of September, 1939. During the five years of German occupation that followed the city's population lived in terror. The Jewish citizens were forced to live in a walled-in ghetto. From there they were sent to the gas chambers of Auschwitz and other death camps. When the Germans decided to clear the Warsaw ghetto in the spring of 1943 the Jews resisted the Germans in an armed battle rather than to give up without a fight. In an unequal battle than ensued thousands of Jewish fighters and civilians were brutally wiped out.

On the 1st of August, 1944 the Warsaw Uprising broke out. From the beginning the fighters of the Home Army were doomed, because of lack of help from the outside. After 63 days of heroic resistance the Warsaw uprising was brutally suppressed. This was the largest act of rebellion in Nazi occupied Europe and contributed to a quicker end of the war. Over 200,000 Poles, soldiers and civilians alike perished. After the suppression of the uprising all inhabitants were expelled from the city and the Nazis systematically burned and blew up the remaining buildings of the capital. In August, 1944 Warsaw was no more.

Warsaw was finally liberated on the 17th of January, 1945; altogether 800,000 of its inhabitants had perished during the war. The survivors came back to their city almost immediately and started to rebuild it. Warsaw again became the capital of Poland. But once more its fate was really determined by Moscow, which made Poland a subject nation under Communism. In 1981 the communist rulers had to rely on the army to defend their power against the Solidarity movement of Lech Walesa, announcing martial law on 13th of December. With the crumbling economy and the transformations going on in the Soviet Union, the communists finally had to allow free elections in 1989. These ended in a complete defeat for the Communist Party.

Warsaw Today

The new government right away began extensive democratic and economic reforms, and for Warsaw a great economic boom began. Today, with 1.6 million inhabitants, Warsaw is trying to catch up with the western capitals. Despite many problems, the city is growing. Every year the face of the city changes in a dramatic and surprising way. The city has also opened up to tourists whom it hopes to attract in large numbers.