During Catherine II’s later years one of the most difficult European problems, that of Poland, was settled. The first partition of Poland had been carried out in 1772 by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, but in 1793 only Russia and Prussia were involved. The 1795 partition, again by all three countries, was the last as there was now nothing left of Poland; it disappeared from the map of Europe until the twentieth century.
After the 1793 partition, loyal Poles began to organize to protect what was left of their country. A constitution, based on that adopted by the United States in 1787, was written and submitted to public scrutiny. The government of Catherine II was particularly unhappy with any document that gave the people rights in their government. She soon organized opposition to the new document within Poland.
One of the chief players in the Polish drama of 1793–1795 was Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who had been a hero of the American Revolution. He had kept in touch with prominent Americans, including George Washington, and knew the details of the 1787 Constitution within a few months of it being published in America.
Russian meddling in internal Polish affairs led to outbreaks of violence in 1795 by Polish patriots and the surrounding powers – Russia, Prussia, and
