A proud country with a history that dates back at least 1,100 years, Poland has outlived many of the powers that sought to absorb it. As both a nation rich in history and a former socialist state, today's Poland is a place where modernity and tradition exist side by side.
One of the largest of the countries of Eastern Europe, Poland was the first of these countries to liberate its government from the Communist domination it endured for 45 years. It was the relegalization of the trade union Solidarity and the agreement to hold partially free parliamentary elections that appeared to have opened the floodgates of radical reforms that spilled over into other countries of the Soviet bloc. In 1989, a year of drama unmatched in modern history, government after government collapsed in Eastern Europe and politically transformed not only Poland but also East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Today, Poland's economy is one of the most robust in Central Europe, with much foreign investment and a healthy GDP, boosting hopes for acceptance to the European Union (EU). In 1999, Poland joined NATO, the ultimate step in ensuring Poland's protection from any Russian plans to reestablish domination over the area.
