Second Polish Republic


Second Polish Republic - Definition

**Polish history series**
Polish statehood Missing image Piast_Eagle.png
Kingdom of Poland (Piasts) Kingdom of Poland (Jagiellonian) Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Duchy of Warsaw Congress Poland Free City of Krak�w Kingdom of Poland Second Polish Republic Polish government-in-exile People's Republic of Poland Poland

The Second Polish Republic is an unofficial name applied to the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. When the borders of the state were fixed in 1921, it had an area of 388.6 thousand sq. km. (sixth largest in Europe), and 27.2 million inhabitants according to the census of that year. In 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, it had an estimated 35.1 million inhabitants. A third of these were national minorities (10% Jews, 17% Ukrainians and Belarusians, 5% Germans, and 1% percent Lithuanians, Russians and Czechs).

Contents

1 The Regency Council

1.1 The Push for Polish Independence

1.1.1 A New Government

2 Jozef Pilsudski Enters the Scene

3 Starting Over

4 Related Topics

5 See also

The Regency Council

Occupied by German and Austro-Hungarian armies in the summer of 1915, the formerly Russian-ruled part of Poland was proclaimed an independent kingdom by the occupying powers on November 5, 1916, with a governing Council of State and (from October 15, 1917) a Regency Council (Rada Regencyjna) to administer the country under German auspices pending the election of a king.

The Push for Polish Independence

Shortly before the end of World War I, on October 7, 1918, the Regency Council dissolved the Council of State and announced its intention to restore Polish independence. With the notable exception of the Marxist-oriented Social Democratic Party of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL), most political parties supported this move. On October 23 the Council appointed a new government under J�zef Swierzynski and began conscription into the Polish Army.

A New Government

On November 5, in Lublin, the first Soviet of Delegates was created. On November 6 the Communists announced the creation of a Republic of Tarnobrzeg. The same day, a Provisional People's Government of the Republic of Poland was created under the Socialist, Ignacy Daszynski.

Jozef Pilsudski Enters the Scene

On November 10, J�zef Piłsudski, newly freed from imprisonment by the German authorities at Magdeburg, returned to Warsaw. Next day, due to his popularity and support from most political parties, the Regency Council appointed Piłsudski Commander in Chief of the Polish Armed Forces. On November 14 the Council dissolved itself and transferred all its authority to Piłsudski as Chief of State (Naczelnik Państwa).

Starting Over

Centers of government that were created in Galicia (formerly Austrian-ruled southern Poland) included a National Council of the Principality of Cieszyn (created on November 19) and a Polish Liquidation Committee (created on October 28). Soon afterward, conflict broke out in Lviv (Polish Lw�w) between forces of the Military Committee of Ukrainians and the Polish "Eagles" of Lw�w.

After consultation with Pilsudski, Daszynski's government dissolved itself and a new government was created under Jedrzej Moraczewski.