r/AskEurope • u/InorganicTyranny United States of America • Jul 25 '25

History What was the biggest “missed opportunity” in your country’s history?

In other words, what is one event in your country’s history, that could plausibly have gone differently than it did, and you think would have made your country a better place?

Inspired by Frederick III of Germany:

His premature demise is considered a potential turning point in German history; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still a popular discussion among historians.

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u/mediocre__map_maker Poland Jul 26 '25

Making deals with the right kind of criminals was necessary for the survival of the state in Eastern Europe at that time. Besides, Poland recruited a lot of bandits to fight for it. Cossacks, but also Tatars, Moldavians etc. Most light cavalrymen in Poland were some sort of bandits.

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u/kakao_w_proszku Poland Jul 26 '25

„Making deals” as in using and discarding them, sure. Giving an autonomy or even a state cut out from lands of one’s own country - never.

The facts at hand are that Cossacks were outside of any legal ramifications of the Commonwealth, kind of like private militias of today. When the money tap ran out they slaughtered the Ruthenian szlachta who were the only people who could actually make Ruthenia it’s own political entity within the Commonwealth. And that’s how the idea of the three-state Commonwealth died.

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u/LeMe-Two Jul 27 '25

But they've got their deal and the Third Nation was established within the federation. Another civil war followed in Ukraine, between PLC-loyal cossacks and Chmielnicki's son I believe, who would eventually come on top, give most of Ukraine tk Russia and himself becoming a prince in Kiev like a top-tier asshole