Second Polish Republic
Poland, 1918–1945. Draft, not yet reviewed
After being established in the final stage of World War I, the Second Polish Republic existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The Second Republic was taken over in 1939 on the eve of its twenty-first anniversary, after it was invaded by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic, marking the beginning of the European theatre of the Second World War. The Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris and later London after the fall of France in 1940.
Seat of power: Warsaw
Rulers
Stanisław Wojciechowski
President of the Republic of Poland, 1922–1926
He was elected president in 1922, following the assassination of his predecessor Gabriel Narutowicz. During his presidency, Wojciechowski and his erstwhile friend Józef Piłsudski disagreed on the political direction of the nation.
Portrait of Stanisław Wojciechowski: nieznany. Koncern Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny - Archiwum Ilustracji. Autor cyfrowej koloryzacji: Piotr Margas, Public domain, file
Gabriel Narutowicz
President of the Republic of Poland, 1922–1922
He served as the first president of Poland until his assassination five days after assuming office. A non-partisan and an engineer by profession, Narutowicz was the first elected head of state following Poland's regained sovereignty from partitioning powers.
Portrait of Gabriel Narutowicz: Unknown (From ETH Zurich), Public domain, file
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Maciej Rataj
President of the Republic of Poland, 1922–1922
In December 1922 he served as Acting President of the Republic of Poland for one week, after the assassination of president Gabriel Narutowicz.
Portrait of Maciej Rataj: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Ignacy Mościcki
President of the Republic of Poland, 1926–1939
He was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, Mościcki was the president.
Portrait of Ignacy Mościcki: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Maciej Rataj
President of the Republic of Poland, 1926–1926
He served as president again in May 1926, following Józef Piłsudski's May Coup and the resignation of president Stanisław Wojciechowski.
Portrait of Maciej Rataj: Unknown author, Public domain, file
Władysław Raczkiewicz
President of the Republic of Poland, 1939–1947
Until 1945, he was the internationally recognized Polish head of state, and the Polish government-in-exile was recognized as the continuation of the Polish government of 1939.
Portrait of Władysław Raczkiewicz: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Bolesław Bierut
President of the Republic of Poland, 1944–1952
As communist leader, he implemented aspects of the Stalinist system in Poland. Unlike any of his communist successors, Bierut led Poland until his death.
Portrait of Bolesław Bierut: Burzyński Roman, Public domain, file
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Culture
- The Second Republic maintained moderate economic development.
- The cultural hubs of interwar Poland – Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wilno, and Lwów – became major European cities and the sites of internationally acclaimed universities and other institutions of higher education.
- Almost a third of the population came from minority groups: 13.9% Ukrainians; 10% Ashkenazi Jews; 3.1% Belarusians; 2.3% Germans and 3.4% Czechs and Lithuanians.
- The Battle of Warsaw was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory and complete disintegration of the Red Army in August 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War.
Picture
On August 16, Polish forces commanded by Józef Piłsudski counterattacked from the south, disrupting the enemy's offensive, forcing the Russian forces into a disorganized withdrawal eastward and behind the Neman River.
Image: patrickgom0, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.