It is easier to wipe a country off the map than to destroy its soul. In the 19th century, that truth was discovered by Russia, Prussia and Austria as the loss of independence had a mobilising effect on the Poles. It became an impulse for spreading patriotic attitudes as well as an unprecedented flourishing of…
The central place in the Polish vision of regaining independence in 1918 is occupied by Józef Piłsudski. However, many other politicians, military officers, and social activists made noteworthy contributions to this cause, including the ‘Commander’s’ loyal chief of staff and one of his most important successors: Lieutenant General Kazimierz Sosnkowski. by Tomasz Leszkowicz Born…
A soldier, strategist, and statesman, he enjoyed immense authority among his compatriots. As Marshal of Poland, he became a symbol of the fight for freedom. Józef Piłsudski is still considered a national hero, and his influence extended far beyond the country’s borders, influencing the fate of Europe as well. by Grzegorz Barański The road…
When exactly 106 years ago, on 11 November 1918, the military operations ceased and the armistice ended the Great War the world was waiting for the accords of the peace conference which was to be held soon to determine the future of the world. A question remains: what did the main victorious powers offer Poland?…
It was a breakthrough for the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. On 10 November 1980, Polish Supreme Court approved the legalization of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union ‘Solidarity’. It was the first truly independent labor union in a Soviet bloc country. by Tomasz Kozłowski In the summer of 1980, the greatest wave of…
Headed by Ignacy Daszyński as Premier, the Provisional People’s Government of the Polish Republic was established on November 7, 1918 in Lublin by a group of independence-oriented Leftist activists (PPS, PSL Wyzwolenie). This Government did not however attain a nation-wide reach, and functioned alongside other power centres, among them the Polish Liquidation Commission in Galicia….
