Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic (, ) was a state in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989, and the predecessor of the modern democratic Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million inhabitants near the end of its existence, it was the most populous state of the Eastern Bloc after the Soviet Union. Having a unitary Marxist–Leninist communist government, it was also one of the main signatories of the Warsaw Pact. The official capital since 1947 and largest city was Warsaw, followed by industrial Łódź and cultural Kraków.
Polish National Committee (1917–19)
During World War I, many Polish people were determined to regain national independence after 123 years of occupation by Austria, Russia and Prussia, following the partitions of Poland. Towards the end of the war, a number of Polish organizations were established both within the partitioned state, and across the world. This caused concern for the Kaiser of Germany and the King-Emperor of Austria Hungary. On November 5, 1916, they passed an act proposing the creation of a Kingdom of Poland which was meant as a puppet state of the German Empire under control of the Central Powers. This act is known as the Act of 5th November. After its proclamation, different Polish political groups and organizations began to seek the support of Entente states in the hope rebuilding the Polish state. In August of the following year the Polish National Committee was established and continued its activities until 1919.