The Partition of Poland

The Partition of Poland was a series of three secret agreements between Russia, Prussia, and Austria from 1772 to 1795, in which these powers divided and annexed parts of Poland-Lithuania. This was done to eliminate Poland as an independent state and expand their own territories. Despite Poland's attempts to reform and resist, the neighboring powers gradually eroded its sovereignty, culminating in its complete disappearance from the map in 1795. The partitions signified the decline of Polish independence for over a century, until Poland was restored as a sovereign nation after World War I.