Was it Just Quarrels and Assassinaons? The Polical Problems of the Second Polish Republic Was it Just Quarrels and Assassinaons? The Polical Problems of the Second Polish Republic Lesson plan (Polish) Lesson plan (English) Bibliografia: Józef Piłsudski, Pisma zbiorowe t. IX, red. , wybór , Warszawa 1937, s. 218–224. Was it Just Quarrels and Assassinaons? The Polical Problems of the Second Polish Republic Marshal Józef Piłsudski, before his meeng with President Stanisław Wojciechowski on the Poniatowski Bridge. Source: Marian Fuks, 1926, Wikimedia Commons, licencja: CC 0. Link to the lesson You will learn to characterize the circumstances in which Poland regained its independence and the challenges it faced; to characterize the views represented by Józef Piłsudski and Roman Dmowski; to characterize political life in the Second Polish Republic; to characterize the most important politicians of the Second Polish Republic; to explain the problems of reborn Poland. Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie abstraktu The reborn Polish state suffered due to an internal crisis. It would barely overcome its economic difficulties. On top of the post‐war crisis, Poland was ravaged by the Partitions and the war itself. The Second Polish Republic was a multinational state inhabited by followers of multiple religions, contributing to the tensions. The Ukrainians demanded their own state, and antisemitism was on the rise. After Poland regained independence, Józef Piłsudski (since 1920, Marshal of Poland) became the temporary Chief of State. After the general elections, the sejm was fragmented – there were so many parties that it was difficult to form a government. Cabinets kept collapsing, one after another. After the end of the border wars, the first President of Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz, was elected. However, shortly afterwards, in 1922, he was assassinated. Piłsudski, dissatisfied with the situation in the country, rebelled against the legal authorities together with the parts of military loyal to him, and subsequently abolished them in the so‐called May Coup d’État in 1926. He ruled as a dictator, though formally he was merely the Commander‐in‐Chief of the military. The rule of Piłsudski and his followers are known as the “Sanation” (from the Latin word “sanatio”, meaning “healing”). Exercise 1 Recall the disputes between Józef Piłsudski and Roman Dmowski pertaining to Poland and her future. Match the views with the policians that expressed them. The voters should vote for the Naonal Democrats., The Poles should find common ground with the naons from the Polish-Russian borderlands., Poland’s main enemy is Germany., Poland should be inhabited mainly by Poles., Poland’s main enemy is Russia., The Polish cause should be, above all, fought for with armed force., The Polish Socialist Party is a good opon for the voters., It is beer to fight for the Polish cause through diplomacy. Józef Piłsudski Roman Dmowski Exercise 2 Match the presented regulaons introduced by the March Constuon with their effects. The Presidenal office was not very powerful. Józef Piłsudski refused to take part in the elecons, as he wished to be able to influence the state’s affairs. Nobody else enjoyed as much authority as him, which further weakened the office., The Sejm elecons did not have any mechanics that would prevent the entry of large numbers of pares. As a result, the Sejm was fragmented, and there were pares who had less than ten Members of the Parliament. In this situaon, it was hard for it to make decisions, as there were many differing views over every single maer., The rights of the cizens were oenmes used to cricize the authories (e.g.) in the press, undermining the state’s authority., With a fragmented Sejm, the government did not have an easy me maintaining support (since every now and then a party would withdraw it, making the government lose majority support). Governments would change very oen and could not implement coherent, long-term plans. The President was elected not by the general populaon, but by the Sejm and the Senate. He wielded lile authority; his principal role was to represent the state in internaonal affairs. The Prime Minister was appointed by the Sejm, in agreement with the President. The government was responsible before the Sejm. The cizens enjoyed many rights and liberes (e.g. the freedom of speech, print, gatherings, religion, etc.). General elecon law was introduced. The Sejm and the Senate would be appointed in general elecons (every cizen could vote); the elecons were also equal (meaning that every vote had equal value), direct (one had to vote personally), and anonymous. Exercise 3 Task 1 Read the interview with Piłsudski from 1930 and ponder what did the Marshal think about the Polish Sejm and its members. Józef Piłsudski “ Pisma zbiorowe t. IX Panowie posłowie już zatracili wszelką przyzwoitość, tak, jak gdyby chcieli powiedzieć, że poseł do sejmu chociażby był kryminalistą, łotrem i chociaż nie robi nic, a tylko dokucza każdemu, to jednak wszyscy muszą stać przed nim na śmietniku i kłaniać mu się nisko. Ja, proszę pana, na taką sytuację nie mogę pozwolić; państwo wtedy bowiem idzie na anarchię — wpada w anarchiczny chaos. Jeżeli pan zechce spojrzeć, jak ta nieprzyzwoitość wygląda w konstytucji, to pan znajdzie, że od prezydenta wymagana jest przysięga, od każdego z ministrów wymagana jest przysięga konstytucja obstawia pracę prezydenta i pracę ministra tak zwanymi Trybunałami Stanu, które mają równie niechlujne urządzenie prawne, jak niechlujnie jest pisana konstytucja. Natomiast pan poseł nie przysięga, bo do żadnych obowiązków względem państwa się nie poczuwa. Panowie posłowie tylko „ślabują”; chyba dlatego, żeby nie być pociągniętymi o krzywoprzysięstwo. Proszę pana, ja otwierałem wszystkie sejmy Rzeczypospolitej i nigdy nie zapomnę swego obrzydzenia przy akcie „ślabowania”. […] Taki pan z rozpiętymi spodniami nie raczy nawet przyzwoicie wstać i odpowiedzieć swoje: „ślabuję”. Takie brudne ślabowane portki, od których państwo ma zależeć! To jest rzecz niemożliwa do zniesienia. Niechlujna praca, nicpoństwo, wprowadzenie anarchii — temu raz koniec trzeba postawić! […] Bo „ślabowane” portki nie pracują — ich nawet zebrać trudno — a pieniądze za to biorą! […] Lecz pan poseł chce być wolnym od praw, które karzą sądownie, od praw honoru i od praw przyzwoitości i w ten sposób zwalnia i innych od tychże praw przyzwoitości. Muszę wyrazić swoje głębokie zadowolenie, że jednak najliczniejszy klub wyłączył się z tego chlewu […]. Source: Józef Piłsudski, Pisma zbiorowe t. IX, Warszawa 1937, s. 218–224. Exercise 4 Read the various opinions on the changes introduced aer the May Coup d’État presented below. Assess their character. Match the opinions with the ways they were intended by the speakers. It is abhorrent to treat polical opponents in such a way., Finally, the quarrels in the Sejm have been curtailed., It is a good thing that the schools put so much emphasis on raising the children to serve the state. Owing to this, the young generaon will be a generaon of patriots. And, perhaps, will not repeat the errors of their elders., It is abhorrent to treat one’s polical opponents in such a way., Now, if they took beer care of the peasants as well..., Do we really need to sway from one extreme to another?, The new constuon gave the President more power. It was him, for example, who appointed the government., Many well-known policians decided to emigrate to different countries, such as Switzerland., Placing the opposion policians in isolaon camps with no court sentences needs to be acknowledged as a scandal, unworthy of the principles of democracy., This country is unlivable! It’s a prison! I’m leaving and coming back only when there are different people in power! Cricism Praise Expressing emoon Maer-of-fact descripon of the situaon Proposing new soluons Exercise 5 Match the keyword with the definion. The polical alliance in power between 1926-1939. It called for a moral renewal and the healing of public life; it was authoritarian in character., An illegal aempt, most commonly employing the use of military, to take over the authority in the state., A view claiming the superiority of one’s own naon above the others., In other words, the fundamental law – a state’s most important legal act., A right-wing polical movement born in the late nineteenth century. Its founder and leader was Roman Dmowski; it followed a naonalist ideology., The highest authority organ in the state; in Poland, it is made up of two Houses, the Sejm and the Senat. Sanaon Naonal Democrats Constuon Coup d’état Parliament Naonalism Task 2 Study the meline of the Interbellum. Source: Marian Fuks, licencja: CC 0. Keywords Second Republic of Poland, Józef Piłsudski, Roman Dmowski Glossary President Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie słówka: President Prezydent – głowa państwa, najwyższy urząd w państwie. W zależności od panującego systemu politycznego jego pozycja może być tylko reprezentacyjna lub wiązać się z pełnieniem funkcji szefa rządu. Sejm Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie słówka: Sejm Sejm – niższa izba parlamentu w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, w której zasiadają wybierani w wyborach powszechnych posłowie – dzisiaj jest ich 460. Jest on najwyższym organem władzy ustawodawczej w naszym kraju. Za datę powstania uważa się rok 1493. Senate Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie słówka: Senate Senat – druga izba, tradycyjnie określana jako izba wyższa parlamentu w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, w której zasiadają senatorowie, w liczbie 100. Parliament Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie słówka: Parliament Parlament – najwyższy organ władzy w kraju, będący jednocześnie organem władzy ustawodawczej. W Polsce tworzy go połączony razem sejm i senat. Naonal Democrats Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl Nagranie słówka: National Democrats Endecja – Narodowa Demokracja, polski ruch polityczny, a następnie partia polityczna, powstała pod koniec XIX wieku, którego założycielem był Roman Dmowski. Główne hasła były oparte na ideologii nacjonalizmu i zostały wyrażone w publikacji Dmowskiego Myśli nowoczesnego Polaka.