Editing Second Polish Republic (section)

==Politics and government==
[[File:Józef Piłsudski (-1930).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Marshal of Poland|Marshal]] [[Józef Piłsudski]], [[Naczelnik Państwa|Chief of State (''Naczelnik Państwa'')]] between November 1918 and December 1922]]

The Second Polish Republic was a [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]] from 1919 (see [[Small Constitution of 1919]]) to 1926, with the [[President of Poland|President]] having limited powers. The [[National Assembly of the Republic of Poland|Parliament]] elected him, and he could appoint the [[Prime Minister of Poland|Prime Minister]] as well as the government with the ''[[Sejm]]'''s (lower house's) approval, but he could only dissolve the ''Sejm'' with the [[Senate of the Republic of Poland|Senate]]'s consent. Moreover, his power to pass decrees was limited by the requirement that the Prime Minister and the appropriate other Minister had to verify his decrees with their signatures. Poland was one of the first countries in the world to recognise [[women's suffrage]]. Women in Poland were granted the right to vote on 28 November 1918 by a decree of [[General]] Józef Piłsudski.<ref>A. Polonsky, ''Politics in Independent Poland, 1921–1939: The Crisis of Constitutional Government'' (1972)</ref><ref name="new sources">
* {{cite book |title=Beyond Empire: Interwar Poland and the Colonial Question, 1918–1939 |last=Puchalski |first=Piotr |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/bfe22980348fd04646924c8349f0eb72 |publisher=The [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] Press |year=2019 |access-date=October 19, 2024}}
* {{cite journal |journal=Studia Iuridica Lublinensia |title=From May to Bereza: A Legal Nihilism in the Political and Legal Practice of the Sanation Camp 1926–1935 |last=Kowalski |first=Wawrzyniec |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=985623 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej |issue=5 |pages=133–147 |year=2020 |doi=10.17951/sil.2020.29.5.133-147 |access-date=October 19, 2024|doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |journal=Zapiski Historyczne |title=The Formation of Authoritarian Rule in Poland between 1926 and 1939 as a Research Problem |last=Olstowski |first=Przemysław |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1256530 |publisher=Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu |issue=2 |pages=27–60 |year=2024 |doi=10.15762/ZH.2024.13 |access-date=October 19, 2024 |quote=The case of authoritarian rule in Poland [...] following the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup of 1926]], is notable for its unique origins [...] Rooted in a period when Poland lacked statehood [...] Polish authoritarianism evolved [...] Central to this phenomenon was Marshal [[Józef Piłsudski]], the ideological leader of Poland's ruling camp after the May Coup of 1926|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The major political parties at this time were the [[Polish Socialist Party]], [[National Democracy (Poland)|National Democrats]], various [[People's Party (Poland)|Peasant Parties]], [[Polish Christian Democratic Party|Christian Democrats]], and political groups of ethnic minorities (German: [[German Social Democratic Party of Poland]], Jewish: [[General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland]], [[United Jewish Socialist Workers Party]], and Ukrainian: [[Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance]]). Frequently changing governments (see [[1919 Polish legislative election]], [[1922 Polish legislative election]]) and other negative publicity the politicians received (such as accusations of corruption or the [[1919 Polish coup attempt]]), made them increasingly unpopular. Major politicians at this time, in addition to General Piłsudski, included peasant activist [[Wincenty Witos]] (Prime Minister three times) and right-wing leader [[Roman Dmowski]]. Ethnic minorities were represented in the ''Sejm''; e.g. in 1928 – 1930 there was the Ukrainian-Belarusian Club, with 26 Ukrainian and 4 Belarusian members.
[[File:Piłsudski May 1926.jpg|thumb|left|[[May Coup (Poland)|The May Coup d'État]] (1926)]]

After the Polish–Soviet War, [[Marshal of Poland|Marshal]] Piłsudski led an intentionally modest life, writing historical books for a living. After he took power through a [[May Coup (Poland)|military coup]] in May 1926, he emphasised that he wanted to heal Polish society and politics of excessive partisan politics. His regime, accordingly, was called ''[[Sanation|Sanacja]]'' in Polish. The [[1928 Polish legislative election|1928 parliamentary elections]] were still considered free and fair, although the pro-Piłsudski [[Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government]] won them. The following three parliamentary elections (in [[1930 Polish legislative election|1930]], [[1935 Polish legislative election|1935]] and [[1938 Polish legislative election|1938]]) were manipulated, with opposition activists sent to [[Bereza Kartuska prison]] (see also [[Brest trials]]). As a result, the pro-government party [[Camp of National Unity]] won huge majorities in them. Piłsudski died just after an [[April Constitution of Poland|authoritarian constitution]] was approved in the spring of 1935. During the last four years of the Second Polish Republic, the major politicians included President [[Ignacy Mościcki]], Foreign Minister [[Józef Beck]] and the Commander-in-Chief of the [[Polish Army]], [[Marshal of Poland|Marshal]] [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły]]. The country was divided into [[Electoral districts of Poland (1935–1939)|104 electoral districts]], and those politicians who were forced to leave Poland founded [[Front Morges]] in 1936. The government that ruled the Second Polish Republic in its final years is frequently referred to as [[Piłsudski's colonels]].<ref>Peter Hetherington, ''Unvanquished: Joseph Piłsudski, Resurrected Poland, and the Struggle for Eastern Europe'' (2012); W.
Jędrzejewicz, ''Piłsudski. A Life for Poland'' (1982)</ref><ref name="new sources" />
{|width="98%"
|
{{hidden |headerstyle=width: 100%; background: #EFEFEF; |header='''Presidents and Prime ministers (November 1918 – September 1939){{space|5}}''' |content=
[[File:Rydz Smigly Bulawa1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Ignacy Mościcki]], [[President of Poland]] (left), Warsaw, 10 November 1936, awarding the [[Marshal of Poland|Marshal]]'s ''[[bulawa|buława]]'' to [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły]] ]]
{{Polish statehood}}

===Chief of State===
* [[Józef Piłsudski]] (22 November 1918 – 9 December 1922)

===Presidents===
* [[Gabriel Narutowicz]] (9 December 1922 – 16 December 1922)
* [[Stanisław Wojciechowski]]: 20 December 1922 – 14 May 1926)
* [[Ignacy Mościcki]] – 1 June 1926 – 30 September 1939)
* [[Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski]] – 1 October 1939)

===Prime ministers===
* [[Jędrzej Moraczewski]] (18 November 1918 – 16 January 1919)
* [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski|Ignacy Paderewski]] (18 January 1919 – 27 November 1919)
* [[Leopold Skulski]] (13 December 1919 – 9 June 1920)
* [[Władysław Grabski]] (27 June 1920 – 24 July 1920)
* [[Wincenty Witos]] (24 July 1920 – 13 September 1921)
* [[Antoni Ponikowski]] (19 September 1921 – 5 March 1922)
* Antoni Ponikowski (10 March 1922 – 6 June 1922)
* [[Artur Śliwiński]] (28 June 1922 – 7 July 1922)
* [[Wojciech Korfanty]] (14 July 1922 – 31 July 1922)
* [[Julian Nowak]] (31 July 1922 – 14 December 1922)
* [[Władysław Sikorski]] (16 December 1922 – 26 May 1923)
* [[Wincenty Witos]] (28 May 1923 – 14 December 1923)
* [[Władysław Grabski]] (19 December 1923 – 14 November 1925)
* [[Aleksander Skrzyński]] (20 November 1925 – 5 May 1926)
* [[Wincenty Witos]] (10 May 1926 – 14 May 1926)
* [[Kazimierz Bartel]] (15 May 1926 – 4 June 1926)
* Kazimierz Bartel (8 June 1926 – 24 September 1926)
* Kazimierz Bartel (27 September 1926 – 30 September 1926)
* [[Józef Piłsudski]] (2 October 1926 – 27 June 1928)
* Kazimierz Bartel (27 June 1928 – 13 April 1929)
* [[Kazimierz Świtalski]] (14 April 1929 – 7 December 1929)
* Kazimierz Bartel (29 December 1929 – 15 March 1930)
* [[Walery Sławek]] (29 March 1930 – 23 August 1930)
* [[Józef Piłsudski]] (25 August 1930 – 4 December 1930)
* [[Walery Sławek]] (4 December 1930 – 26 May 1931)
* [[Aleksander Prystor]] (27 May 1931 – 9 May 1933)
* [[Janusz Jędrzejewicz]] (10 May 1933 – 13 May 1934)
* [[Leon Kozłowski]] (15 May 1934 – 28 March 1935)
* [[Walery Sławek]] (28 March 1935 – 12 October 1935)
* [[Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski]] (13 October 1935 – 15 May 1936)
* [[Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski]] (15 May 1936 – 30 September 1939)
}}
|}

===Military===
[[File:PZL-37 Los.jpg|thumb|right|The [[PZL.37 Łoś]] was a Polish twin-engine [[medium bomber]].]]

Interwar Poland had a large army of 270,000 soldiers on active duty: in 37 infantry divisions, 11 cavalry brigades, and two armored brigades, plus artillery units. Another 700,000 men served in the reserves. At the outbreak of the war, the Polish Army was able to put in the field almost one million soldiers, 4,300 guns, around 1,000 armored vehicles including in between 200 and 300 tanks (the majority of the armored vehicles were outclassed [[tankette]]s) and 745 aircraft (however, only around 450 of them were bombers and fighters available to fight as of 1 September 1939).<ref name="Williamson2011">{{cite book |author=David G. Williamson |title=Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtg8a-0ggkEC&pg=PA21 |year=2011 |publisher=Stackpole Books |page=21 |isbn=978-0-8117-0828-9 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501200550/https://books.google.com/books?id=wtg8a-0ggkEC&pg=PA21 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The training of the [[History of the Polish Army|Polish Army]] was thorough. The [[non-commissioned officer]]s were a competent body of men with expert knowledge and high ideals. The officers, both senior and junior, constantly refreshed their training in the field and in the lecture hall, where modern technical achievement and the lessons of contemporary wars were demonstrated and discussed. The equipment of the Polish Army was less developed technically than that of [[Nazi Germany]] and its rearmament was slowed by confidence in Western European military support and by budget difficulties.<ref>Walter M. Drzewieniecki, "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/25777834 The Polish Army on the Eve of World War II]", ''Polish Review'' (1981) 26#3 pp 54–64. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204113132/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25777834 |date=4 February 2017 }}.</ref> The Polish command system at the level of the entire Polish military and the armies was obsolete. The generals in command of armies had to ask permission from the high command. The Polish military attempted to organize fronts made of [[army group]]s only when it was already too late during the Polish Defensive War in 1939.