[2] Established in 1920, Rzeczpospolita was originally founded as a daily newspaper of the conservative Christian National Party during interwar Poland.

The paper's title is a translation of the Latin phrase res publica (meaning "republic", or "commonwealth"), and is part of the traditional and official name of the Polish state, "Rzeczpospolita Polska."

Following the 1989 political revolutions across Europe, the new democratically-elected government relinquished its editorial oversight and ownership of Rzeczpospolita, contributing to the end of media censorship in communist Poland and ushering in a new era of independent press.

[3] Generally considered to be center-right of the political spectrum, the paper's editorial board represents conservative-liberal views.

[5] The editor-in-chief Stanisław Stroński sought to maintain the quality of the content by cooperating with a group of authors, including Adolf Nowaczyński, Kornel Makuszyński, and Władysław Witwicki.

On 23 July 1944, when the war had not yet ended, the first issue of Rzeczpospolita, a newspaper of the Polish Committee of National Liberation, was published in Chełm.

The editor-in-chief was Jerzy Borejsza,[6] a communist activist and journalist during the interwar years, who collaborated with Russians, and later presented opinions in line with the Kremlin.

The Home Army commanders and their decision to commence the Warsaw Uprising were criticised, while nationalisation and land reform were supported.

[7] Rzeczpospolita had been issued by another two years, until 1951 when it was discontinued because the coexistence of several party newspapers was considered unfavorable for a consolidated one-party state.

In the spring of 1981, thus during the rise of Solidarity, Edmund Osmańczyk, member of parliament of the Polish People's Republic, proposed to revive Rzeczpospolita as a "governmental medium presenting the position of the state on a daily basis".

Józef Barecki, former editor of Trybuna Ludu, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and of the parliament, as well as a government spokesman for a year, was appointed as the editor-in-chief.

Thus, from 1982 onwards, Rzeczpospolita and Trybuna Ludu resumed their parallel existence as the official bulletins of the government and the party apparatus respectively.

After, the partially free elections of 4 June 1989, and after Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Prime Minister, the management of the newspaper changed as well.

The basic edition of Rzeczpospolita is divided into four sections: the main one, dedicated to general news; the economic one (Ekonomia i rynek), the legal one (Prawo co dnia); and the regional one (Życie Regionów).

They are dedicated to important investments, business and education in the regions, as well as matters related to local politics, sports, and culture.

Życie Regionów is the organiser of public debates that are crucial for local communities, as well as the media partner of major regional events.

On Saturdays, Plus Minus, the weekend edition of Rzeczpospolita, appears, containing articles related to civilisation, literature, lifestyle and metapolitics.

The Friday supplement is Rzecz o Historii ("The thing about History"), offering informative articles and historical analysis.

Regular publications of Rzeczpospolita include lists and rankings of companies, brands and institutions operating on the Polish market.

[9] Rzeczpospolita received the Grand Front award also in 2013, for the best cover (dedicated to the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI).

The hosts are well-known Rzeczpospolita contributors, such as Bogusław Chrabota, Michał Szułdrzyński, Marcin Piasecki, Jacek Nizinkiewicz, Ewa Usowicz, Tomasz Pietryga, or Anna Wojda.

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