Germanization of Poles during Partitions
When a long time ago, there was a country called Poland. But some other countries wanted to take parts of it for themselves - Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This is called "partitioning" Poland.
When Poland was divided up, the people who lived in each of the different parts were from different cultures and spoke different languages. In the Prussian part of Poland, the leaders wanted the Polish people to become more like Germans, so they made them go to German schools and use German language.
This process of making the Polish people more like Germans is called "Germanization". The Prussian leaders thought that Germanizing the Polish people would make them more loyal to Prussia and make it easier to control them.
However, many Polish people did not want to become more like Germans. They wanted to preserve their own Polish culture, language, and traditions. So they resisted the Germanization process and tried to keep their heritage alive.
When Poland was divided up, the people who lived in each of the different parts were from different cultures and spoke different languages. In the Prussian part of Poland, the leaders wanted the Polish people to become more like Germans, so they made them go to German schools and use German language.
This process of making the Polish people more like Germans is called "Germanization". The Prussian leaders thought that Germanizing the Polish people would make them more loyal to Prussia and make it easier to control them.
However, many Polish people did not want to become more like Germans. They wanted to preserve their own Polish culture, language, and traditions. So they resisted the Germanization process and tried to keep their heritage alive.