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Main articles: History of Poland (1918-1939)

The 'Second Polish Republic' is the name applied to the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. The Republic had borders with Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Soviet Union, Latvia and Lithuania.
When the borders of the state were fixed in 1922, it had an area of 388.6 thousand km² (sixth largest in Europe), and 27.2 million inhabitants according to the census of that year. In 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, it had an estimated 35.1 million inhabitants. A third of these were national minorities (17% Ukrainians and Belarusians, 10% Jews, 5% Germans, and 1% percent Lithuanians, Russians and Czechs).
The Second Republic is often associated with times of great adversity, of troubles and of triumph. Having to deal with the economic difficulties and destruction of World War I, followed by the Soviet invasion during the Polish Soviet War, and then increasingly hostile neighbors such as Nazi Germany, the Republic managed to endure. Lacking an overseas empire, Poland nevertheless maintained a level of economic development and prosperity comparable to that of the West. The cultural hubs of Warsaw, Kraków and Lwów raised themselves to the level of major European cities. They were also the sites of internationally renowned universities and places of higher learning. By 1939 the Republic was becoming a major world player in politics and economics.

Contents

History

Timeline (1918-1939)

The beginnings

World War II

Politics and government

Chief of State

Presidents

Prime ministers

Economy

Demographics

Population

Administrative division and geography

References

History

Timeline (1918-1939)

★ Independence; Warsaw was free: November 11, 1918.

★ Elections to the Sejm: January 26, 1919.

★ Treaty of Versailles

★ War against the Ukrainians: Polish-Ukrainian War.

★ War against the Soviets: Polish-Soviet War. Miracle of the Vistula. Treaty of Riga.

★ War against the Lithuanians: Polish-Lithuanian War.

★ Border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia.

★ Uprisings in Wielkopolska and Silesia. Great Poland Uprising, Silesian Uprisings.

★ July 15, 1920 - Agrarian Reform.

★ March 17, 1921 - March Constitution.

★ 1921 - alliances with France, Romania.

★ Elections to the Sejm (1922-11-05)and to the Senat - 1922-11-12.

★ President Gabriel Narutowicz, and his assassination (December 16, 1922).

★ 1924 - Wladyslaw Grabski Government. Bank Polski. Monetary reform 1924 in Poland.

★ President Stanisław Wojciechowski - December 20, 1922, to Zamach majowy.

★ Coup of May - ''Zamach majowy'', 1926, May, Józef Piłsudski coup d'etat (May Coup). beginning of Sanacja government.

★ Roman Dmowski, Obóz Wielkiej Polski (4 December 1926), Endecja.

★ 1928 - Piłsudski's Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem.

★ 16 November 1930 - wybory brzeskie (elections).

★ 25 July 1932 - non-aggression pact with Soviet Union

★ 26 January 1934 - non-aggression pact with Germany

★ 23 April 1935 - April Constitution

★ 12 May 1935 - death of Józef Piłsudski

★ Gdynia, Centralny Okreg Przemyslowy (1936), Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski

★ 2 February 1937 - Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego

★ October 1938 - annexation of Zaolzie, Górna Orawa, Jaworzyna from Czechoslovakia

★ 2 January 1939 - death of Roman Dmowski

★ 31 March 1939 - military guarantees from United Kingdom and France

★ 23 August 1939 - non-aggression pact between Soviet Union and Germany: Ribbentrop-Molotow Pact with a secret military alliance protocol targeting Poland (among several other countries)

★ 25 August 1939 - alliance between Poland and United Kingdom

The beginnings

Occupied by German and Austro-Hungarian armies in the summer of 1915, the formerly Russian-ruled part of what was considered Poland was proclaimed an independent kingdom by the occupying powers on November 5, 1916, with a governing Council of State and (from October 15, 1917) a Regency Council (''Rada Regencyjna Królestwa Polskiego'') to administer the country under German auspices pending the election of a king.
Shortly before the end of World War I, on October 7, 1918, the Regency Council dissolved the Council of State and announced its intention to restore Polish independence. With the notable exception of the Marxist-oriented Social Democratic Party of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL), most political parties supported this move. On October 23 the Council appointed a new government under Józef Swierzynski and began conscription into the Polish Army.
On November 5, in Lublin, the first Soviet of Delegates was created. On November 6 the Communists announced the creation of a Republic of Tarnobrzeg. The same day, a Provisional People's Government of the Republic of Poland was created under the Socialist, Ignacy Daszynski.
On November 10, Józef Piłsudski, newly freed from imprisonment by the German authorities at Magdeburg, returned to Warsaw. Next day, due to his popularity and support from most political parties, the Regency Council appointed Piłsudski Commander in Chief of the Polish Armed Forces. On November 14 the Council dissolved itself and transferred all its authority to Piłsudski as Chief of State (''Naczelnik Państwa'').
Centers of government that were created in Galicia (formerly Austrian-ruled southern Poland) included a National Council of the Principality of Cieszyn (created on November 19??) and a Polish Liquidation Committee (created on October 28). Soon afterward, conflict broke out in Lviv (Polish ''Lwów'') between forces of the Military Committee of Ukrainians and the Polish "Eagles" of Lwów.
After consultation with Pilsudski, Daszynski's government dissolved itself and a new government was created under Jedrzej Moraczewski.

World War II

The beginning of the Second World War put an end to the Second Polish Republic. The "Invasion of Poland" campaign began 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the secret Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and ended 6 October 1939, with Germany and the Soviet Union occupying the entirety of Poland. Poland did not surrender, but continued as Polish Government in Exile and the Polish Secret State.

Politics and government

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 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

Economy

After regaining her independence Poland was faced with major economic difficulties. Within the borders of the Republic were the remnants of three different economic systems, with three different currencies and with little or no direct infrastructural links. The situation was so bad that neighboring industrial centers lacked direct railroad links because they had been parts of different occupying nations. On top of this was the massive destruction left after both World War I and the Polish Soviet War. There was also a great economic disparity between the eastern and western parts of the country, with the western half being much more developed and prosperous. Frequent border closures and tariff wars (especially with Nazi Germany) also had negative economic impacts on Poland.
Despite these problems Poland managed in the interwar period to achieve a state of economic prosperity on par with Western Europe. In 1924 economic minister Władysław Grabski introduced the złoty as a single common currency for Poland, which remained one of the most stable currencies of Central Europe. The currency helped Poland to bring under control the massive hyperinflation, the only country in Europe which was able to do this without foreign loans or aid.
The basis of Poland's relative prosperity were the economic development plans which oversaw the building of two key infrastructural elements. The first was the establishment of the Gdynia seaport, which allowed Poland to completely bypass Gdańsk (which was under heavy Nazi pressure to boycott Polish coal exports). The second was the creation of a central industrial district, named the 'COP' (Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy). Unfortunately these developments were interrupted and largely destroyed by the German invasion and the start of World War II.^[1]

Demographics

Poland has traditionally been a nation of many nations, with large Jewish and Ukrainian minorities. This was especially true after she regained her independence in the wake of World War I, in 1918. The census of that year allocates 30.8% of the population in the minority.^[2] This was further exacerbated with the Polish victory in the Polish Soviet War, and the large territorial gains made by Poland as a consequence. In 1931 the census showed that 66% of the population was Polish, 15% were Ukrainians, 9% Jews, 5% Belarusians, and 2,5% Germans.^[3]
Poland was also a nation of many religions. In 1921 16,057,229 Poles (approx. 62.5%) were Roman Catholic, 3,031,057 Poles(approx. 11.8%) were Eastern Catholics, 2,815,817 (approx. 10.95%) were Greek Orthodox, 2,771,949 (approx. 10.8%) were Jewish, and 940,232 (approx. 3.7%) were Protestants.^[3] By 1931 Poland had the second largest Jewish population in the world, with one-fifth of all the world's Jews residing within Poland's borders (approx. 3,136,000). Norman Davies gives the results of Polish 1931 national census as follows^[5]
:

★ Poles, 68.9% of the population

★ Ukrainians, 13.9%

★ Jews, 8.7%

★ Belarusians, 3.1%

★ Germans, 2.3%

Population

'Ludność'

Census date	Population	Percentage of rural population	Population density (per km²)
30 September 1921	27,177,000	75,4%	69,9
9 December 1931	32,107,000	72,6%	82,6
31 December 1938	34,849,000	70%	89,7

:Largest cities in early 1939:
#Warszawa – 1,289,000
#Łódź – 672,000
#Lwów – 318,000
#Poznań – 272,000
#Kraków – 259,000
#Wilno – 209,000
#Bydgoszcz – 141,000
#Częstochowa – 138,000
#Katowice – 134,000
#Sosnowiec – 130,000
#Lublin – 122,000
#Gdynia – 120,000
#Chorzow – 110,000
#Białystok – 107,000

Administrative division and geography

The administrative division of the Second Republic was based on the three tier system. On the lowest rung were the ''gminy'', which were little more than local town and village governments. These were then grouped together into ''powiaty'' which were then arranged into ''wojewodstwa''.

Popadia in Gorgany. Polish-Czechoslovak border (before II World War)

'Polish voivodeships in the interbellum (data as per April 1, 1937)'
car plates (since 1937)	Voivodeship Separate city	Capital	Area in 1000 km² (1930)	Population in 1000 (1931)
00-19	City of Warsaw	Warsaw	0,14	1179,5
85-89	warszawskie	Warsaw	31,7	2460,9
20-24	białostockie	Białystok	26,0	1263,3
25-29	kieleckie	Kielce	22,2	2671,0
30-34	krakowskie	Kraków	17,6	2300,1
35-39	lubelskie	Lublin	26,6	2116,2
40-44	lwowskie	Lwów	28,4	3126,3
45-49	łódzkie	Łódź	20,4	2650,1
50-54	nowogródzkie	Nowogródek	23,0	1057,2
55-59	poleskie	Brześć nad Bugiem	36,7	1132,2
60-64	pomorskie	Toruń	25,7	1884,4
65-69	poznańskie	Poznań	28,1	2339,6
70-74	stanisławowskie	Stanisławów	16,9	1480,3
75-79 ?	śląskie	Katowice	5,1	1533,5
80-84	tarnopolskie	Tarnopol	16,5	1600,4
90-94	wileńskie	Wilno	29,0	1276,0
95-99	wołyńskie	Łuck	35,7	2085,6

On April 1, 1938, borders of several western Voivodeships changed considerably. For more information, see Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938.

References

1. , ''Atlas Historii Polski'', Demart Sp, 2004, ISBN 83-89239-89-2
2. Joseph Marcus, ''Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland, 1919-1939'', Mouton Publishing, 1983, ISBN 90-279-3239-5, Google Books, p. 17
3. , ''Powszechny Spis Ludnosci r. 1921''
4. , ''Powszechny Spis Ludnosci r. 1921''
5. Norman Davies, God's Playground, Columbia University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12819-3, Google Print, p.299