In 1918, after 123 years of captivity, Poland was reborn as an independent state. Its largest neighbours – Germany and the Soviet Union – were adverse to it. Both of these countries made it their goal to reclaim part of the territories they had lost as a result of the war. German efforts to bring… Continue reading Speech made by Józef Beck, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the Sejm
11 November 1918 is considered the symbolic date on which Poland regained its independence. However, the process of laying down the legal foundations of the reborn state continued for a number of years. One of the main things was to draw up a constitution. As early as February 1919, the single-chamber Legislative Sejm (parliament) elected… Continue reading March Constitution
Poland’s first parliamentary elections following the restoration of independence were to the Constitutional Sejm. They were carried out on the basis of the Decree of November 28, 1918 on elections to the Sejm, drafted and adopted by the Provisional People’s Government of the Polish Republic headed by Jędrzej Moraczewski, and approved by Józef Piłsudski, the… Continue reading Decree on the electoral system for the Constitutional Sejm (excerpt)
The Interim People’s Government of the Polish Republic run by Jędrzej Moraczewski, was established by Józef Piłsudski on 18th November 1918. In political terms, it partly continued the policies of the Lublin-based government led by the Prime Minister Ignacy Daszyński. Moraczewski’s Government declared the establishment of a Legislative Sejm, to be elected through a secret,… Continue reading Statement from the Polish government
Headed by Ignacy Daszyński as Premier, the Provisional People’s Government of the Polish Republic was established on November 7, 1918 in Lublin by a group of independence-oriented Leftist activists (PPS, PSL Wyzwolenie). This Government did not however attain a nation-wide reach, and functioned alongside other power centres, among them the Polish Liquidation Commission in Galicia.… Continue reading Manifesto of the People’s Government of the Republic of Poland
The Republic of Poland lost its independence in the 18th century as a result of 3 partitions of its territory conducted by its neighbors —Russia, Prussia, and Austria —in 1772, 1792 (only Russia and Prussia), and 1795. The 3rd partition whiped Poland off the map. Throughout the 19th century Poles made numerous attempts to reinstate… Continue reading Józef Piłsudski’s address to troops of the Riflemen’s Association and the Polish Rifle Squads
The leftist Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) and the nationalistic National Democracy (Narodowa Demokracja) were the two most powerful Polish pro-independence groups established towards the end of the 19th century which continued their political activity in the 20th century. Among the most prominent figures in the first one was Józef Piłsudski (pseudonym “Ziuk”),… Continue reading Józef Piłsudski’s letter to Feliks Perl
The Polish Republic disappeared from the map of Europe in 1795 as a result of its territory being annexed by its three neighbours: Russia, Prussia and Austria. Many generations of Poles have tried to resurrect the state since then on, their aspirations being of different nature, including political, diplomatic and military activities (along with uprisings). But… Continue reading Note of the creation of an independent Polish State
