Sociological and Demographic Analysis of Features of Poland

History
Poland is a country rich with historical change. In order to understand Poland’s current culture, government and economy, it is important to look at its historical past. During the 18^th century, territories in Poland were divided and controlled by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. In 1918, Poland won independent control of its government. In 1920, Poland came under attack of the Soviet Union but in the end defeated them. In September of 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland setting of the start of World War II. Sixteen days later, Soviet Union soldiers invaded Poland acting a treaty which was developed between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Tese two countries held control of Poland until 1945, the end of World War II. In 1948, the Soviet Union took control of Poland’s government entirely. In 1989, Poland regained independence of their country.
History has played a key role in racial affairs. During World War II, Jewish residents in Poland were forced in concentration camps by Nazi Germany. Poland is home to one of the most famous of these concentration camps, Auschwitz. Auschwitz was liberated in 1945 by Soviet Union Troops at the end of World War II. A museum was made on the grounds of Auschwitz in 1947 honoring those who lost their lives during this terrible time. The museum is widely visited by an array of different cultures, serving as one of Poland's largest tourist attraction. The picture below shows the main entrance of the camp.
Euro 2012
In 2012, Poland hosted the UEFA European Football Championship, often referred to as Euro 2012. This is the first time in history that Poland has hosted this event. Due to this, Poland saw a large increase on the number of travelers they experienced. In order to fit these football fans, Poland made changes to public transportation and an increase in the number of hotels they have. The match was held in four different venues throughout Poland.

Pictured Above: Fans outside a Warsaw stadium for Euro 2012.

Economy
Poland has a growing economy which is projected to the 24th largest economy in the world by 2050. Poland, only gaining independent control of their country in 1989, has had the task of building an economy from scratch. Remarkably, in the 2008-2009 economic crisis which hit Europe, Poland was the only country to experience growth in terms of their economy. Poland has a wide variety of natural resources and growing industries. Poland is the 3rd largest sulfur producer in the world. In Western Poland, in the city of Lubin, cooper is mined and produced. Poland is also home to the world's oldest salt mines, being a leader in the production of sodium chloride (salt) for most of their history. Poland is one of the world's leading producers of rye,potatoes, apples, pork and milk. Poland also has a growing auto industry since the 1990s. Large auto producers, such as GM, have plants located in Poland.

Gender Inequality
The rights of women in Poland have been increasing since the country's independent takeover in 1989.  Rates of schooling for females and males are beginning to even out with a large focus on universal education by the UN. However, they are still not on par with the rest of the developed world. It was reported that there were 18,659 domestic violence offenses against women in 2010. However, it is speculated that many of these cases go unreported by women who fear the social stigma. Abuse of women is historically prominent in Poland and will not change till social opinion changes. Yet, Poland is taking a step in the right direction. Future development of child abuse prevention projects target abuse as a moral issue. This extends to the rights of women.


Religion
Poland is home to a primary Roman-Catholic population with 89.3% of the population claiming it as their religion. However, as with much of the world, a rate in church attendance has been dropping. Some speculate that strong reliance on the Roman-Catholic faith may decrease as time continues. Yet, with the rates as they are it can be assumed that it will take quite some time for anther religion to be predominant in Poland.