oms "). ▁The ▁peculiar ▁parliament ary ▁institution ▁of ▁the ▁liber um ▁v eto ▁(" free ▁v eto ") ▁since ▁ 1 6 5 2 ▁had ▁in ▁principle ▁permitted ▁any ▁Se jm ▁deput y ▁to ▁null ify ▁all ▁the ▁legisl ation ▁that ▁had ▁been ▁adopted ▁by ▁that ▁Se jm . ▁Thanks ▁to ▁this ▁device , ▁deput ies ▁b rib ed ▁by ▁magn ates ▁or ▁foreign ▁powers , ▁or ▁simply ▁content ▁to ▁believe ▁they ▁were ▁living ▁in ▁some ▁kind ▁of ▁" G old en ▁Age ", ▁for ▁over ▁a ▁century ▁par al yz ed ▁the ▁Commonwealth ' s ▁government . ▁The ▁government ▁was ▁near ▁collapse , ▁giving ▁rise ▁to ▁the ▁term ▁" Pol ish ▁an archy ". ▁ ▁A ▁major ▁opportunity ▁for ▁reform ▁seemed ▁to ▁present ▁itself ▁during ▁the ▁" Gre at " ▁or ▁" F our - Year ▁Se jm " ▁of ▁ 1 7 8 8 – 9 2 , ▁which ▁opened ▁on ▁October ▁ 6 , ▁ 1 7 8 8 . ▁Events ▁in ▁the ▁world ▁now ▁played ▁into ▁the ▁reform ers ' ▁hands . ▁Poland ' s ▁neighb ors ▁were ▁too ▁occupied ▁with ▁wars ▁— ▁Pr uss ia ▁with ▁France , ▁Russia ▁and ▁Austria ▁with ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire ▁— ▁and ▁with ▁their ▁own ▁internal ▁troubles ▁to ▁interven e ▁for ci b ly ▁in ▁Poland . ▁The ▁Russian ▁Empire ▁had , ▁since ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁century , ▁been ▁increasing ly ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁Commonwealth ▁politics , ▁and ▁the ▁current ▁situation ▁meant ▁it ▁was ▁pay ing ▁significantly ▁less ▁attention ▁to ▁the