Poland's Partitions: The Underground State That Survived

The Story of Poland: A Nation That Refused to Disappear — Fexingo History · Sep 7, 2026 · 8m · transcript

After the three partitions of Poland in the late 18th century erased the country from the map, it did not vanish. Instead, a shadow nation emerged within the borders of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This episode explores the strategy of organic work, or praca organiczna, where Poles invested in education, agriculture, and civil society rather than immediate armed rebellion. We follow the story of the Flying University, an underground higher education network that operated in Warsaw during the Russian partition, defying censorship by holding secret lectures in private apartments. You will hear…