229 ROCZNICA UCHWALENIA KONSTYTUCJI 3 MAJA
229 Anniversary of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791
The 3rd of May is a very special day in Polish history. It was on this day in 1791 that the first written Constitution in Europe and only the second in the world was proclaimed in Warsaw, Poland. Since then, the Constitution of May 3rd has served the Polish nation as a symbol of progress, independence and the rule of law, values of great significance for all nations in the contemporary world. It also provided a source of inspiration during Poland’s struggles for freedom and sovereignty in the centuries that followed, with May 3rd becoming the first national holiday to be officially introduced in the Second Polish Republic (1919).
Among the many significant reforms introduced by the Constitution of May 3rd, 1791 were the establishment of a constitutional monarchy and the separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. Most importantly, however, the Constitution of May 3rd introduced political equality between townspeople and nobility and placed the downtrodden peasant class under the protection of the government. In so doing the Constitution guaranteed freedom and equality for all Poles regardless of their social … Czytaj więcej