One of the most powerful states in Europe in the middle of the second millennium - Poland - by the 18th century turned into a country torn by internal contradictions, into an arena of disputes between neighboring states - Russia, Prussia, Austria. The sections of the Commonwealth became a natural process of development of this country.
The main reason for the crisis in which the Polish state was living was the enmity of the largest Polish magnates, each of whom, on the one hand, strove for political leadership by any means , and on the other, sought support in neighboring states, thereby opening up his country to foreign influence.
It is worth noting that, despite the fact that Poland was a monarchy, royal power was rather weak. Firstly, the king of Poland was elected at the Sejm, in which Russia, France, and Prussia with Austria intervened throughout the eighteenth century. Secondly, one of the main principles of the work of the same Sejm was the “Libero Veto”, when a decision must be made by absolutely everyone present. One “against” vote was enough for the discussion to flare up with renewed vigor.
For Russia, the Polish question has long been one of the most important in its foreign policy. Its essence was not only to strengthen its influence in this European country, but also to protect the rights of the Orthodox population, who lived in the territories of modern Ukraine and the Baltic states.
It was the question of the situation of the Orthodox population that became the occasion that caused the first partition of Poland. The government of Catherine II agreed with King Stanislav Ponyatovsky to equalize the rights of the Orthodox and Catholic populations, but part of the large gentry opposed this and raised a rebellion. Russia, Prussia and Austria were forced to send troops into the territory of the Commonwealth, which ultimately gave the Prussian king Frederick II the opportunity to talk about the division of part of the Polish lands. Sections of the Commonwealth became an inevitable reality.
As a result of the first partition of Poland in 1772, the territories of eastern Belarus and parts of modern Latvia went to Russia, Prussia received the Polish coast of the North Sea, and Austria - Galicia.
However, the sections of the Commonwealth did not end there. Part of the Polish gentry was well aware that in order to save their state, political reforms were needed. It was for this purpose that the Constitution of Poland was adopted in 1791, according to which the royal power ceased to be elected, and the principle of “liberum veto” was abolished. Such transformations were met with suspicion in Europe, where the French Revolution reached its peak. Russia and Prussia again brought troops into Polish borders and initiated a new division of the once powerful state.
In accordance with the second section of the Commonwealth of 1793, Russia regained the right-bank Ukraine and Central Belarus, and Prussia received Gdansk, so coveted by it, which it immediately renamed Danzig.
Such actions of European states led to the start of the national liberation movement in Poland, led by T. Kosciuszko. However, this uprising was brutally crushed by Russian troops led by A. Suvorov himself. The third section of the Commonwealth of 1795 led to the fact that this state ceased to exist: its central part, together with Warsaw, went to Prussia, Courland, Lithuania and Western Belarus - to Russia, and southern Poland and Krakow - to Austria.
The sections of the Commonwealth in relation to Russia completed the reunification of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples and gave impetus to their further cultural development.