History of Poland during World War I

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Occupation of Poland during World War I

Part of World War I
Duration	1914–1918
Motive	The expansionary policy of the occupying powers.
Participants	Russian Empire, German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Outcome	1,400,000 Poles conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army 1,200,000 Poles conscripted into the Russian army 700,000 Poles conscripted into the German army Collapse of all three occupying Empires Establishment of the Second Polish Republic.
Deaths	450,000–600,000 military deaths 1,128,000 deaths overall
Property damage	Destruction of over 1,800,000 buildings and half of the bridges Production output fell to 20% of its level before the war Polish industry suffered the loss of an estimated 73 billion French francs.
Displaced	800,000 deported by Russians to the east Hundreds of thousands taken to labor camps in Germany

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While Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War I, its geographical position between the fighting powers meant that much fighting and horrific human and material losses occurred on the Polish lands between 1914 and 1918.

At the start of World War I, Polish territory was divided between the Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian empires, and became the scene of many operations of the Eastern Front of World War I.

In the aftermath of the war, following the collapse of the Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires, Poland became an independent republic.