24 October 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria signed the Partition Treaty, which led to the complete division of the territory of the Polish Republic. Previously, Poland had been truncated as a result of two former partition treaties. Consequently, in 1795, it disappeared from world maps for 123 years.
The crisis of Polish statehood, which began at the end of the 16th century, deepened as a result of the continuous wars undertaken by the Polish Republic in the 17th century. In the following century it turned into anarchy. At the same time, Poland’s neighbours Prussia, Austria and Russia began to interfere in the internal affairs of the Polish State. By corrupting part of the Polish nobility and magnates, those powers led to the blocking of attempts at reform, above all by cancelling the Polish Sejm. They used the principle of the liberum veto for this purpose.
After the collapse of the Bar Confederation, Prussia, Russia, and Austria led to the annexation of part of the Polish territories in 1772. Reforms were undertaken in Poland, including the establishment of the Commission of National Education in 1773. In the years 1788-1792, the Great Sejm met and adopted the May 3rd Constitution. Unfortunately, a group of magnates who collaborated with foreign powers led to the signing of the Targowica Confederation. It is rightly regarded in Poland to this day as a symbol of national treason. At the same time, the Russian army entered Poland at the request of the Targowicans. Despite the bravery of the Polish army, the war in defence of the constitution ended with Russian victory and the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, conducted by Russia and Prussia.
In 1794, the Kościuszko Uprising broke out, which, despite initial successes, ended with the defeat of the insurgent army at Maciejowice and the capture of Warsaw. The failure of the insurrection sealed the decision on the final collapse of Poland. The Partition Treaty was signed by Austria, Russia, and Prussia on 24 October 1795. Poland lost its independence for 123 years.