ROCZNIK PPRZEMYSKIRZEMYSKI Vol. 55 HISTORY Issue 3 (23) 2019 “For Your Freedom and Ours”: Polonia and the Struggle for Polish Independence edited by Tomasz Pudłocki and Andrew Kier Wise EDITORIAL BOARD OF ROCZNIK PRZEMYSKI dr Ewa Grin-Piszczek, dr Lucjan Fac, dr Grzegorz Klebowicz, dr hab. Tomasz Pudłocki, prof. UJ (editor in chief), mgr inż. Grzegorz Poznański, dr Tomasz Zając Editorial Board of Rocznik Przemyski. Historia dr Ewa Grin-Piszczek (State Archives in Przemyśl, the Middle Ages), dr hab. Monika Kulesza (The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin – language editor), dr hab. Tomasz Pudłocki. prof. UJ (Jag- iellonian University, history of culture, 19th-20th c. – editor in chief)), dr hab. Maria Stinia, prof. UJ (Jagiellonian University, history of science and education, 19th-20th c. – editor in chief)), dr hab. Wik- tor Szymborski (Jagiellonian University, history of culture, 12th-16th c. – editor in chief), dr Izabela Wodzińska (the Folk Museum in Kolbuszowa, history of culture, 19th-20th c.), dr Mateusz Wyżga (the Pedagogical University of Krakow, historical demography, 16th-18th c. – statistical editor) Editorial Committee of Rocznik Przemyski. Historia prof. dr Damir Agicič (Zagreb University, Croatia), prof. dr hab. Zdzisław Budzyński (Rzeszów Uni- versity, Poland), prof. dr hab. Andrzej Chwalba (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland), dr hab. Józef Dobosz, prof. UAM (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland), em. prof. dr John Hartman (Uni- versity of Michigan, USA), prof. dr hab. Jadwiga Hoff (Rzeszów University, Poland), doc. dr Pavel Krafl (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic), prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Stopka (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland), prof. dr Andrew Wise (Daemen College, Buffalo, USA – chair) Reviewers prof. dr Sean Martin (John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, USA), dr hab. Maria Stin- ia, prof. UJ (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland) Editor of the English-Language edition: Agnieszka Andrzejewska Technical editor: Janusz Maik Cover and title page design: Janusz Polaczek TPN logotype design: Maria Witkiewicz On the cover: Personnel of A.R.C. Mission to Poland on day of their arrival at their home in Warsaw. Courtesy of Library of Congress Co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund ISSN 2449-7347 The printed version of this issue of the Rocznik Przemyski. Historia is the original version The Rocznik Przemyski. Historia is a peer-reviewed journal © Copyright by Wydawnictwo Naukowe Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk w Przemyślu 37–700 Przemyśl, ul. Kościuszki 7, tel. 16 678 56 01 www. tpn.przemysl.pl; e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Printed by: Sanset Przemyśl, tel. 16 671 02 22 Foreword As I pen this entry in October of 2019, we are in the midst of celebrating Polish American Heritage Month in the United States. We remember not only the social contributions of the Polish diaspora, but also those Poles who trained alongside their American comrades to fight for Poland’s independence on all fronts of World War I. Over 20,000 Polish soldiers trained in cities throughout the U.S., such as in Buffalo, New York – where the influence of Polish culture per- meates the city to this day – and many of them gave their lives serving in General Haller’s Blue Army in France in the name of Polish independence. As inheritors of their legacy, we are called to cherish the freedom we enjoy and to continue promoting the feelings of goodwill shared between Poles and Americans. As the first nation to recognize newly-independent Poland in 1919, the United States understood the importance of supporting the Polish state’s efforts to re- claim its sovereignty after 123 years of partitions. Famously noted in his Fourteen Points, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson argued that Poland’s freedom would be vital in maintaining the stability of Central and Eastern Europe, and his guidance was honored in 1922 when Poland conferred upon him its highest state distinc- tion - the Order of the White Eagle. American advocacy for a strong Polish state continued well after we restored our independence, as the first U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Hugh S. Gibson, continued to promote a Polish state that could defend itself from its volatile eastern neighbors. As evidenced by our recent agreements with the United States to increase its military presence in Poland, our nation con- tinues to fortify itself to defend the borders of NATO and our Allies in the region. In particular, I am proud of the academic cooperation spearheaded by the Soci- ety of Friends of Learning in Przemyśl and Daemen College in this project; their contributions to the growing literature on Polish-American relations have helped to bring the heroic sacrifices of our Polish compatriots to the fore. I am confident that as Polish-American ties become increasingly significant, a new generation of scholars will discover our history and build upon its robust narrative. Our commitment to shared democratic ideals and our history of cooperation on countless fronts continues to bring the people of our two countries closer. 4 Having witnessed the excitement surrounding recent military and trade agree- ments between Poland and the U.S., and having interacted with many proud Pol- ish Americans, I am optimistic that the first 100 years of our bilateral relations are only the beginning of our efforts to promote the ties of friendship that bind our two countries together. Our relationship is enduring not because of any political climate or geopo- litical interest, but because the people of our two nations have forged a bond through decades of strife and success - we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the battlefields of Europe and the Middle East, and have worked hand-in-hand to develop each other’s economies. I wish Poland and the United States another fruitful 100 years, and may our bilateral relations grow into a model for other nations to follow. Congratulations on the publication of your inspiring work, and I hope that other academics will honor our shared history just as respectably as you have. Piotr Wilczek Ambassador of Poland to the United States I. ARTICLES ROCZNIK PRZEMYSKI vol. 55 HISTORY issue 3 (23) 2019 TOMASZ PUDŁOCKI (Kraków – Przemyśl) ANDREW KIER WISE (Amherst, NY) INTRODUCTION The years 1914-1921 represent a crucial period in shaping Poland’s interna- tional status. When in April 1917 the United States of America entered the war, Poland did not have a unified legal identity, since it was still partitioned among the Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires. As it turned out, the hard- won independence that was attained in November 1918 was not so easy to main- tain. Poland’s international position was not strong, since it was weakened by many months of fighting its neighbors over borders. This led to destruction of the infrastructure, displacement of populations, economic destabilization, and polit- ical fragmentation that posed challenges to the new state. Diplomatic support from the United States (President Woodrow Wilson and his adviser Col. Edward House) and economic aid (through the American Relief Administration, or ARA, led by Herbert Hoover) was vitally important to the emerging Polish state. Poland was one of the most important issues raised in Washington salons, and also dur- ing the peace conference in Paris. This was due in large part to the efforts of the enormously popular pianist and composer, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who became Prime Minister of the new Polish government in 1919. In addition, the extraordi- nary efforts of Poles living in America made the Polish question a major issue in international affairs during the war years. Indeed, the contributions of Haller’s Army (consisting of thousands of well- equipped volunteers from the Polish diaspora), along with the tons of food, medicine, and clothing sent by the ARA and Polish organizations abroad were vital to the survival of the new Polish state. The United States also set the inter- national example by recognizing the establishment of the Polish state on 30 Jan- uary 1919, and recognition by France, Great Britain, and Italy soon followed. Clearly, the Polish-American and broader American communities played a key role in the formation of the Polish state at the end of World War I. The fate of 6 TOMASZ PUDŁOCKI, ANDREW KIER WISE the war itself, of course, was transformed by the entry of the United States into the war on the side of the Allies in April 1917. For those Polish-Americans who joined the military effort, the war presented an opportunity for them to get to know their ancestral country and define their Polish identity within the complex multicultural society in their new homeland in America. For Poles living in Poland, the presence of so many Polish Americans and others from the United States energized their aspirations for independence and confirmed their belief that the new Second Republic would represent a turning point in world history and international relations. The story of Polish-American friendship from this period has been discussed in many Polish- and English-language studies. Our purpose in this volume is to present some new perspectives and new research on the role of Polonia1 – espe- cially American Polonia – in the struggle for Polish independence during World War I. The 100th anniversary of the rebirth of an independent Polish state pre- sented an opportunity for scholars around the world to take a fresh look at this transformative period in history. This volume includes several papers that were first presented at the symposium„For Your Freedom and Ours”: Polonia and the Struggle for Polish Independence, which was held at Daemen College (Amherst, NY) on 21-22 September 2018. The conference was sponsored by the Center for Polish Studies and the History & Political Science Department at Daemen Col- lege, the Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius College, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk w Przemyślu (Society of Friends of Learning in Przemyśl, or TPN), the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and the Polish Arts Club of Buffa- lo.