The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-19
---+-----------------~-------
LITTLE STORIES
OF THE NATIONS
Times Astonishing Changes in
4he Groupings OF the
Earth's Peoples.
(By Albert Barrett Sayres.
The Partltloning Of Poland and the Fate
OF Other Nations,


II was in the year 1872 that the first
partition OF Poland occurred. The EN-
press Catherine OF Russia Frederick the
Great OF Prussia and the empress
scarcely be said that she did so eagerly
indeed willingly-joined together to take
from Poland certain provinces each
desired.
But not content with what they then
obtained, Russia and Prussia again de-
scended upon Poland and took other
lands in 1893. Again two years later
these three neighbors descended upon
Poland and its remaining territory was
divided among them. These successive
divisions OF territory reduced the once
powerful Poland until 1t no longer was
an independent state.
Before the three partitions Of Poland.
what was understood as that state was
the old kingdom OF Poland, the duchy OF
Lithuania and several Russian provinces
which were then held by Poland. 81
this territory Russia got back her old
lands, but she also took the greater
part OF Lithuania. Prussia took West
Prussia, the greater part of old Poland
and that part of Lithuania which Russia
did not take for herself. Austria
Hungary took the rest of old Poland
and some territory which had once been
Russian.
While 1t Is perfectly true that in the
Russian provinces which Poland had
ruled there were masses of Russian
people who were prosecuted by Poland
for remaining true to the eastern
church, there has never been in history
so bare-faced reduction OF once
powerful nation as that by which Po-
land met her fate. Russia had some
measure of justification In her acts, but
Prussia and Austria Hungary had no
valid excuse.
II was the partition. of Poland that
brought Russia from the western con-
fines of Europe into the middle of the
continent. and so into the thick of Eu-
ropean affairs
During the years previous to the par
tition of Poland the other northern ma
tions--Sweden. Norway and Denmark
were of much less Importance than they
had been in the fifty years earlier.
Sweden, in particular. was forced to
yield to Russia a district she had held
on the Gulf of Finland. And the inter-
nal history of Sweden was a succession
Of revolutions.
In Denmark. however, the royal pow.
err remained firm. and the navy was
built up to greater force than II had
previously possessed. 1t was during
this period that the ever shifting
duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were
at last united with the Danish crown.
At the time we are considering, the
provinces of the Netherlands, which had
belonged to Spain.l were held by Aus
tria. The seven United Provinces re-
manned Independent. 1t was inevitable
that both these divisions of the old
Netherlands should be mixed up in the
war of the Austrian succession, and
both suffered through that war.
Later there was a short war between
Holland - the United Provinces and
Great Britain. Both the cause and the
peace had to do with territory in this
This was the time when Eng
land secured possession of New Am
sterdam and changed its name to New
York.
Through these successive troubles the
United Provinces had by the end of the
century sunk in. what was
insignifcance. For a time
they were almost wholly under the con-
troll of Prussia