Editing Poland (section)

=== Second Polish Republic ===
{{Main|History of Poland (1918–1939)|Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Second Polish Republic}}
[[File:Józef Piłsudski (-1930).jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Naczelnik państwa|Chief of State]] Marshal [[Józef Piłsudski]] was a hero of the Polish independence campaign and the nation's premiere statesman from 1918 until his death on 12 May 1935.]]
In the aftermath of [[World War I]], the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] agreed on the reconstitution of Poland, confirmed through the [[Treaty of Versailles]] of June 1919.<ref>According to [[Margaret MacMillan]], "The rebirth of Poland was one of the great stories of the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]]." Margaret MacMillan, ''Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World'' (2001), p. 208.</ref> A total of 2 million Polish troops fought with the armies of the three occupying powers, and over 450,000 died.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glenn E. Curtis |title=Poland: A Country Study |date=1994 |publisher=Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress |isbn=978-0-8444-0827-9 |edition=3 |volume=550 |page=29 |issue=162–994}}</ref> Following the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|armistice with Germany]] in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the [[Second Polish Republic]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Piotr S. Wandycz |date=2009 |title=The Second Republic, 1921–1939 |journal=The Polish Review |publisher=University of Illinois Press |volume=54 |pages=159–171 |jstor=25779809 |number=2}}</ref>

The Second Polish Republic reaffirmed its sovereignty after [[List of wars involving Poland|a series of military conflicts]], most notably the [[Polish–Soviet War]], when Poland inflicted a crushing defeat on the [[Red Army]] at the [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Battle of Warsaw]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marjan Kukiel |year=1929 |title=The Polish-Soviet Campaign of 1920 |journal=The Slavonic and East European Review |publisher=Modern Humanities Research Association |volume=8 |pages=48–65 |jstor=4202361 |number=22}}</ref>

The inter-war period heralded a new era of Polish politics. Whilst Polish political activists had faced heavy censorship in the decades up until [[World War I]], a new political tradition was established in the country. Many exiled Polish activists, such as [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski]], who would later become prime minister, returned home. A significant number of them then went on to take key positions in the newly formed political and governmental structures. Tragedy struck in 1922 when [[Gabriel Narutowicz]], inaugural holder of the presidency, was assassinated at the [[Zachęta]] Gallery in Warsaw by a painter and right-wing nationalist [[Eligiusz Niewiadomski]].<ref name="Bitter glory" />

In 1926, the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup]], led by the hero of the Polish independence campaign Marshal [[Józef Piłsudski]], turned rule of the Second Polish Republic over to the nonpartisan [[Sanacja]] (''Healing'') movement to prevent radical political organisations on both the left and the right from destabilising the country.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Robert Machray |date=November 1930 |title=Pilsudski, the Strong Man of Poland |journal=Current History |publisher=University of California Press |volume=33 |pages=195–199 |doi=10.1525/curh.1930.33.2.195 |jstor=45333442 |number=2}}</ref> By the late 1930s, due to increased threats posed by political extremism inside the country, the Polish government became increasingly heavy-handed, banning a number of radical organisations, including communist and ultra-nationalist political parties, which threatened the stability of the country.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brian Porter-Szücs |title=Poland in the Modern World: Beyond Martyrdom |date=6 January 2014 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-59808-5}}</ref>