Polish Economies
A look at the economic history of Poland.
Since the Middle Ages, Poland’s economy has been a blend of local farming, urban industry, and foreign trade. Its earlier cultures, the West Slavic tribes, possessed few metals or advanced crafts. Their economy, besides its ties to Prague, looked eastward toward Kiev, the Byzantine Empire, and the Arab world. When they united and converted to Christianity in 966, they gained access to Western Europe instead. Early leaders like Mieszko I shrewdly conquered regions known for their trade networks and resources. Early Poland traded in goods such as furs, salt, honey, amber, and slaves. Its major imports were metals and other items that could not be produced locally. Medieval Poland operated under a feudal system. Peasants worked two plots of land: one for their lord and his manor, and the other for their own survival.
As Poland’s land and political systems developed, its nobles and merchants maintained a complex relationship. While the noble classes grew rich off the labor of peasants, urban merchants acted as middlemen to the rest of the world. They bought exports from the nobles and imported luxury items. They also worked closely with craftsmen in the cities to produce artisanal goods. These roles were not held by nobles. Most merchants were of foreign descent. Many were Jewish, part of a thriving community in medieval Poland. Other merchants arrived from states like Germany, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. They formed the burgher class, who often owned estates rivalling those of the nobility.
From the 16th century on, Poland became a major supplier of grains for the rest of Europe. Because of this, it retained serfdom longer than most of its neighbors. Despite periodic reforms, a ‘second serfdom’ arose by the 17th century. This early modern form of serfdom actually decreased the rights of the peasants. Their labor obligations increased, and they were tied by law to their estates. The system formally ended with the constitution of 1791, but it continued in practice even as Poland was carved up by surrounding kingdoms.
For over a century, Poland as a political entity did not exist. Its people continued to live, work, and raise children, but they did so as citizens of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. The Second Polish Republic, established in 1918, modernized its cities and renewed its status as a major trading hub of Europe. Its prosperity was short-lived, however. Under Nazi occupation between 1939 and 1945, the nation lost millions of people, including the vast majority of its Jewish communities. Its next government, influenced by Soviet Russia, implemented a centrally planned economy. The state emphasized industrial development, a radical departure from the older agrarian system. Heavy borrowing kept Poland buoyant for several decades, but a credit crisis formed by the 1970s. Its people began to experience severe shortages.
By 1989, the weakening Soviet Union lost its grip on the nation. Poland adopted a free-market economy and joined the European Union. Since then, its economy has expanded rapidly. It is now the sixth-largest member of the EU. Its major industries are in manufacturing, mining, energy, and industrial processes.
References
Biskupski, Mieczysław B. The History of Poland. Greenwood Press. 2000.
Dyczewski, Leon, ed. Values in the Polish Cultural Tradition. The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. 2002.
Hertz, Aleksander. The Jews in Polish Culture. Northwestern University Press. 1988.
Lukowski, Jerzy and Hubert Zawadzki. A Concise History of Poland. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press. 2006.
Malowist, Marian. “Polish-Flemish Trade in the Middle Ages.” Medievalists, Medievalists, www.medievalists.net/files/07071403.PDF.
“The World Factbook: Poland.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 June 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html.
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