Poland

27/01/2011 07:22:00

Sense of a maintenance of Polish culture and nationalism even though they found themselves caught between a number of empires reasonably well treated in the habsburg monarchy Russia initially offers Poland an independent country at the start of the war Germans also offer Polish lands but under German authority o became clear to the West and Polish that it would be heavily under German control o West had to make an offer to the Poles as well In the 1918 Paris Conference only the Western border is laid out shows relative unimportance of the peace conferences Following his refusal to operate with the Germans Pilsudski is arrested but shipped back into Poland before the end of the war pilsudski wants to create a multi ethnic, multi national Poland o he had converted to Calvinism after being born a Catholic o looked for a Poland for the poles with a homogenous nation state he thought Poland was weak because it had too many religions and ethnics in it o he saw being Polish as being Catholic but was unconcerned about doctrine Dmowski is concerned with Jews due his anti semitic roots stemming from the capitialist tendencies of Jews. Poland had the largest Jewish minority in Europe first manifestations of anti-Semitism are in universities o Jewish students tended to have higher literacy rates than typical member of the population Poland was given Danzig technically but it was a League principality the constitution allowed proportional representation 92 political parties by 1925, 32 in the Sejm Pilsudski has very few presidential powers retires but comes back in a coup due to the factional elements of the Polish Witoz administration. in 1926 the Locarno pact acknowledges the Western borders of Germany but the Eastern borders of Poland are not recognised the Coup is quite close, the only reason he wins is that the Railway works go on strike in support of Pilsudski The Sanacja is concerned with Moral cleansing

contains the parliament but reduces their power

sets up an organisation that manipulates the political process in the governments favour arrests politicians occasionally interwar Poland was a state governed by police truncheons and the army Emphasis on building polish industry to its pre war grandeur the cult of Pilsudski shows he was a genuinely popular leader, strong emphasis on military o his key advisors were called colonels. Following his death there was more emphasis on anti-semitism Dmowskis ideas are incorporated into the colonels regime o bring in the young more radical nationals into the government

1/27/2011 7:22:00 AM

1/27/2011 7:22:00 AM