Rzeczpospolita
Encyclopedia
Rzeczpospolita is a traditional name of the Polish State, usually referred to as Rzeczpospolita Polska (Polish Rzeczpospolita). It comes from the words: "rzecz" (thing) and "pospolita" (common), literally, a "common thing". It comes from latin word "respublica", meaning simply "republic" ("res" - thing, "publica" - public, common). In terms of etymology and meaning, the closest English term is "commonwealth" (i.e. "common wealth", "common good"), but a more modern translation is republic
(a form of governance).
since beginning of the 16th century. Originally it was a generic term to denote a state or a commonness. The famous quote by Jan Zamoyski
, the Lord Chancellor of the Crown, on the importance of education, is a great example of its use:
The meaning of Polish term "Rzeczpospolita" is well described by the term "Commonwealth". As a result the literal meaning of "Rzeczpospolita Polska" is "Polish Commonwealth", or "Republic of Poland". However, the connotation with the term "republic" may be somewhat misleading in a context of Polish State within period from 16th to 18th century, because Poland in that time was an elective monarchy
and the "Rzeczpospolita" was reflected in the official name, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
:
Nowadays, the terms "Rzeczpospolita" and "Rzeczpospolita Polska" are used interchangeably, so far as they relate to the Polish State by default.
"Rzeczpospolita" is sometimes abbreviated to "Rzplita" in older, written documents.
"RP" is a common abbreviation for "Rzeczpospolita Polska".
The word "rzeczpospolita" was borrowed from the Polish language
by other languages of the nearby region: Lithuanian
Žečpospolita, Belarusian
Рэч Паспалітая (Rech Paspalitaya) and Ukrainian
Річ Посполита (Rich Pospolyta). All of them refer to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
(a form of governance).
Origins
The term "Rzeczpospolita" has been used in PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
since beginning of the 16th century. Originally it was a generic term to denote a state or a commonness. The famous quote by Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski , was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, magnate, 1st duke/ordynat of Zamość. Royal Secretary since 1566, Lesser Kanclerz ) of the Crown since 1576, Lord Grand-Chancellor of the Crown since 1578, and Grand Hetman of the Crown since 1581...
, the Lord Chancellor of the Crown, on the importance of education, is a great example of its use:
The meaning of Polish term "Rzeczpospolita" is well described by the term "Commonwealth". As a result the literal meaning of "Rzeczpospolita Polska" is "Polish Commonwealth", or "Republic of Poland". However, the connotation with the term "republic" may be somewhat misleading in a context of Polish State within period from 16th to 18th century, because Poland in that time was an elective monarchy
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
and the "Rzeczpospolita" was reflected in the official name, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Three Rzeczpospolitas
"Rzeczpospolita" is used also as a symbolic name referring to three periods in History of PolandHistory of Poland
The History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
:
- I Rzeczpospolita , as referring to History of Poland (1569–1795)History of Poland (1569–1795)The Nihil novi act adopted by the Polish Diet in 1505 transferred all legislative power from the king to the Diet. This event marked the beginning of the period known as "Nobles' Democracy" or "Nobles' Commonwealth" when the state was ruled by the "free and equal" Polish nobility...
. This is a period when Poland was ruled by privileged class, called szlachtaSzlachtaThe szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
, who had rights to elect the Polish king and the Polish parliament, called SejmSejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
. It began with the Nihil noviNihil noviNihil novi nisi commune consensu is the original Latin title of a 1505 act adopted by the Polish Sejm , meeting in the royal castle at Radom.-History:...
in 1505 and ended in 1795 after the third and last one from the Partitions of PolandPartitions of PolandThe Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
; - II Rzeczpospolita , as referring to the Second Polish RepublicSecond Polish RepublicThe Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. Used to refer to the interwar period, since gaining independence in 1918 until the Invasion of Poland (1939)Invasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
by the Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Renascent Polish State was initially called Republic of Poland . The name Rzeczpospolita was introduced by the March Constitution of PolandMarch Constitution of PolandThe Second Polish Republic adopted the March Constitution on 17 March 1921, after ousting the occupation of the German/Prussian forces in the 1918 Greater Poland Uprising, and avoiding conquest by the Soviets in the 1920 Polish-Soviet War. The Constitution, based on the French one, was regarded as...
, whose the first article assured: , which means "The Polish State is the Commonwealth"; - III Rzeczpospolita , as referring to History of Poland (1989–present)History of Poland (1989–present)In 1989-1991, Poland engaged in a democratic transition which put an end to the Polish People's Republic and led to a democratic regime, called Polish Third Republic...
. This is the present duration of the Polish State, after the collapse of the communist regime in 1989.
Other usage
Expressions that make use the concept of "Rzeczpospolita" include:- Rzeczpospolita szlachecka – Republic of Nobles (szlachtaSzlachtaThe szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
), another name for the "I Rzeczpospolita"; - Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów – The Commonwealth of the Two Nations, another name for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth;
- Rzeczpospolita Babińska – Babin RepublicBabin RepublicThe Babin Republic , was a satirical, literary and carnival society founded in 1568 in Babin, Lublin county, Poland. Its Latin motto was: omnis homo mendax...
, a satirical, literary society, founded by a group of nobles during the second half of the 16th century; - Rzeczpospolita Krakowska – Free City of KrakówFree City of KrakówThe Free, Independent, and Strictly Neutral City of Kraków with its Territory , more commonly known as either the Free City of Kraków or Republic of Kraków , was a city-state created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and controlled by its three neighbours until 1846, when in the aftermath of the...
or Republic of Kraków (1815–1846); - Rzeczpospolita Zakopiańska – Republic of ZakopaneRepublic of ZakopaneThe Republic of Zakopane or Commonwealth of Zakopane refers to the area of the city of Zakopane and a few nearby villages that created its own "parliament" on October 13, 1918, whose main goal was to join the forming independent state of Poland...
, a short-lasting form of an independent state, established for about a month at October 1918; - Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa – People's Republic of PolandPeople's Republic of PolandThe People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
, a name used formally since 1952 to 1990. Sometimes referenced (wrongly) to the post-warPost-warA post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
period 1944-1952; - Czwarta Rzeczpospolita – Fourth Polish RepublicFourth Polish RepublicFourth Polish Republic , a plan for moral revolution and political change put forth in 1997 by the Polish conservative philosopher Rafał Matyja in the magazine "Nowe Państwo"...
, a sloganSloganA slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
used by the political party Law and JusticeLaw and JusticeLaw and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
.
Nowadays, the terms "Rzeczpospolita" and "Rzeczpospolita Polska" are used interchangeably, so far as they relate to the Polish State by default.
"Rzeczpospolita" is sometimes abbreviated to "Rzplita" in older, written documents.
"RP" is a common abbreviation for "Rzeczpospolita Polska".
The word "rzeczpospolita" was borrowed from the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
by other languages of the nearby region: Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
Žečpospolita, Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
Рэч Паспалітая (Rech Paspalitaya) and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
Річ Посполита (Rich Pospolyta). All of them refer to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
See also
- History of PolandHistory of PolandThe History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
- Name of PolandName of PolandThe ethnonyms for the Poles and Poland include endonyms and exonyms...
- Outline of PolandOutline of PolandThe Republic of Poland is a sovereign country located in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...