Second Polish Republic

The Second Polish Republic, also known as the Sec- 1 History

ond Commonwealth of Poland or the interwar Poland,
refers to the country of Poland between the First and
Second World Wars (19181939). Ocially known
as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of
Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska), the Polish state
was recreated in 1918, in the aftermath of World War
I. When, after several regional conicts, the borders
of the state were xed in 1922, Polands neighbours
were Czechoslovakia, Germany, the Free City of Danzig,
Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and the Soviet Union. It had
access to the Baltic Sea via a short strip of coastline either side of the city of Gdynia. Between March and August 1939, Poland also shared a border with the thenHungarian province of Carpathian Ruthenia. Despite internal and external pressures, it continued to exist until
1939, when Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany, the
Soviet Union and the Slovak Republic, marking the beginning of World War II in Europe. The Second Republic
was signicantly dierent in territory to the current Polish state. It used to include substantially more territory in
Second Polish Republic between 1921 and 1939 (light
the east and less in the west.
beige)
The Second Republics land area was 388,634 km2 , making it, in October 1938, the sixth largest country in Europe. After the annexation of Zaolzie, this grew to
389,720 km2 . According to the 1921 census, the number
of inhabitants was 27.2 million. By 1939, just before the
outbreak of World War II, this had grown to an estimated
35.1 million. Almost a third of population came from
minority groups: 13.9% Ukrainians; 10% Jews; 3.1%
Belarusians; 2.3% Germans and 3.4% percent Czechs,
Lithuanians and Russians. At the same time, a signicant
number of ethnic Poles lived outside the country borders,
many in the Soviet Union. The Republic endured and
expanded despite a variety of diculties: the aftermath
of World War I, including conicts with Ukraine, with
Czechoslovakia, with Lithuania and with Soviet Russia
and Ukraine; the Greater Poland and Silesian uprisings; Physical map of the Second Polish Republic (1939)
Main article: History of Poland (191839)
and increasing hostility from Nazi Germany.
Poland maintained a slow (see: trade embargo) but steady
level of economic development. The cultural hubs of interwar Poland Warsaw, Krakw, Pozna, Wilno and
Lww became major European cities and the sites of in- 1.1 Beginnings
ternationally acclaimed universities and other institutions
of higher education. By 1939, the Republic had become Germany gained dominance on the Eastern Front of
World War I as the Russians fell back. German and
one of Europes major powers.[1]
Austro-Hungarian armies seized the Russian-ruled part
of what became Poland. Berlin set up a German puppet state on 5 November 1916, with a governing Council
of State and (from 15 October 1917) a Regency Council
1

2
(Rada Regencyjna Krlestwa Polskiego). The Council administered the country under German auspices (see also
Mitteleuropa) pending the election of a king. A month
before Germany gave up and ended the war on 7 October 1918, the Regency Council dissolved the Council of
State and announced its intention to restore Polish independence. With the notable exception of the Marxistoriented Social Democratic Party of the Kingdom of
Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL), most political parties
supported this move. On 23 October the Council appointed a new government under Jzef wieyski and
began conscription into the Polish Army.[2]
In years 1918-1919 over 100 workers councils sprung up
on Polish territories;[3] on 5 November 1918, in Lublin,
the rst Soviet of Delegates was created. On 6 November
the Communists announced the creation of a Republic
of Tarnobrzeg. The same day, a Provisional Peoples
Government of the Republic of Poland was created in
Lublin under the Socialist, Ignacy Daszyski. On Sunday, 10 November at 7 a.m., Jzef Pisudski, newly freed
from 16-month imprisonment by the German authorities
at Magdeburg, returned by train to Warsaw. Pisudski, together with Colonel Kazimierz Sosnkowski, was greeted
at Warsaws rail station by Regent Zdzisaw Lubomirski
and Colonel Adam Koc. Next day, due to his popularity and support from most political parties, the Regency
Council appointed Pisudski Commander in Chief of the
Polish Armed Forces. On 14 November, the Council dissolved itself and transferred all its authority to Pisudski as Chief of State (Naczelnik Pastwa). After consultation with Pisudski, Daszyskis government dissolved
itself and a new government was created under Jdrzej
Moraczewski. In 1918, Italy was the rst country in Europe to recognise Polands sovereignty.[4]
Centers of government that were at that time created
in Galicia (formerly Austrian-ruled southern Poland) included National Council of the Principality of Cieszyn
(created in November 1918), Republic of Zakopane and
Polish Liquidation Committee (created on 28 October).
Soon afterward, a conict broke out in Lww between
forces of the Military Committee of Ukrainians, and
the Polish irregular units made up of students known as
the Lww Eaglets, who were later supported by the Polish Army (see Battle of Lww (1918), Battle of Przemyl (1918)). Meanwhile, in western Poland, another
war of national liberation began under the banner of the
Greater Poland Uprising (191819). In January 1919,
Czechoslovakian forces attacked Polish units in the area
of Zaolzie (see PolishCzechoslovak War). Soon afterwards, the PolishLithuanian War began, and in August
1919, Polish-speaking residents of Upper Silesia initiated
a series of three Silesian Uprisings. The most important
military conict of that period however was the Polish
Soviet War, which ended in a decisive Polish victory.[5] In
1919, the Republic of Tarnobrzeg and the workers councils were suppressed by the government.

2 POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

1.2 Nazi-Soviet invasion of 1939

The beginning of the Second World War put an end to
the sovereign Second Polish Republic. The Invasion of
Poland began 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the secret MolotovRibbentrop Pact. On that day,
Poland was attacked by Nazi Germany and Slovakia, and
on 17 September, the Soviets attacked eastern Poland.
Organized Polish resistance ended on 6 October 1939
after the Battle of Kock, with Germany and the Soviet
Union occupying most of the country. The area of Wilno
was annexed by Lithuania, and areas along southern
border were seized by Slovakia including Grna Orawa
and Tatransk Javorina which Poland had annexed from
Czechoslovakia in October 1938. Poland did not surrender, but continued ghting as the Polish government-inexile and the Polish Underground State. After signing the
GermanSoviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and
Demarcation, Polish areas occupied by Nazi Germany
were either directly annexed to the Third Reich, or became part of the so-called General Government. Soviet
Union, after rigged Elections to the Peoples Assemblies
of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, annexed eastern Poland either to Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, or Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
The Polish government-in-exile operated in Paris and
later London, between 1939 and 1990, maintaining that
it was the only legal and legitimate representative of the
Polish nation. In 1990, the last president in exile, Ryszard
Kaczorowski handed the insignia to Lech Wasa, signifying continuity between the Second and Third republics.

2 Politics and government

The Second Polish Republic was a parliamentary democracy from 1919 (see Small Constitution of 1919) to 1926,
with the President having limited powers. The Parliament
elected him, and he could appoint the Prime Minister as
well as the government with the Sejm's (lower houses)
approval, but he could only dissolve the Sejm with the
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 rst
countries in the world to recognize Womens surage.
Women in Poland were granted the right to vote on 28
November 1918, with a decree of Jzef Pisudski.[7]
The major political parties at this time were the Polish
Socialist Party, National Democrats, various Peasant Parties, 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 Polish legislative election,
1919, Polish legislative election, 1922) and other negative

Edward Rydz-migy receiving a Marshal's buawa from thenPresident of Poland Ignacy Mocicki, Warsaw, 10 November
1936
Jzef Pisudski, Chief of State (Naczelnik Pastwa) between
November 1918 and December 1922

the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army, Edward

Rydz-migy. The country was divided into 104 electoral
districts, and those politicians who were forced to leave
publicity which the politicians received (such as accusaPoland, founded Front Morges in 1936. The government
tions of corruption or 1919 Polish coup attempt), made
that ruled Second Polish Republic in its nal years is frethem increasingly unpopular. Major politicians at this
quently referred to as Pisudskis colonels.[8]
time, in addition to Pisudski, included peasant activist
Wincenty Witos (Prime Minister three times) and rightwing leader Roman Dmowski. Ethnic minorities were
represented in the Sejm; e.g. in 1928 1930 there was 3 Military
the Ukrainian-Belarusian Club, with 26 Ukrainian and 4
Belarusian members.
Main articles: Polish armaments 193945 Polish army orAfter the Polish Soviet war, Marshal Pisudski led an der of battle in 1939
intentionally modest life, writing historical books for a
living. After he took power by a military coup in May Prior to the 1939 invasion, Poland had a considerably
1926, he emphasized that he wanted to heal the Polish large army of 283,000 soldiers on active duty: in 37 insociety and politics of excessive partisan politics. His fantry divisions, 11 cavalry brigades, and two armored
regime, accordingly, was called Sanacja in Polish. The brigades, plus artillery units. Another 700,000 men
1928 parliamentary elections were still considered free served in the reserves. At the outbreak of the war, Poland fair, although the pro-Pisudski Nonpartisan Bloc for ish army was able to put in the eld almost one[9]million
Cooperation with the Government won them. The fol- soldiers, 2,800 guns, 500 tanks and 400 aircraft.
lowing three parliamentary elections (in 1930, 1935 and The training of the Polish army was thorough. The
1938) were manipulated, with opposition activists be- N.C.O.s were a competent body of men with expert
ing sent to Bereza Kartuska prison (see also Brest tri- knowledge and high ideals. The ocers, both senior and
als). As a result, pro-government party Camp of National junior, constantly refreshed their training in the eld and
Unity won huge majorities in them. Pisudski died just in the lecture-hall, where modern technical achievement
after an authoritarian constitution was approved in the and the lessons of contemporary wars were demonstrated
spring of 1935. During the last four years of the Sec- and discussed. The equipment of the Polish army was
ond Polish Republic, the major politicians included Pres- less developed technically than that of the enemy and its
ident Ignacy Mocicki, Foreign Minister Jzef Beck and rearmament was slowed down as a result of a recrudes-

4 ECONOMY

cence of optimism in western Europe and the usual bud- ically unifying desparate economic regions, which had
get diculties.[10]
previously been part of dierent countries.[11] Within
Sadly war plans (Plan West and Plan East) failed as soon the borders of the Republic were the remnants of three
as Germany invaded in 1939, Polish losses in combat dierent economic systems, with ve dierent currenthe Austrian
against Germans (killed and missing in action) amounted cies (the German mark, the Russian ruble, [11]
crown,
the
Polish
marka
and
the
Ostrubel)
and with
to ca. 70,000. 420,000 were taken prisoners. Losses
little
or
no
direct
infrastructural
links.
The
situation
was
against the Red Army (which invaded Poland on 17
so
bad
that
neighboring
industrial
centers
as
well
as
maSeptember) added up to 6,000 to 7,000 of casualties and
jor cities lacked direct railroad links, because they had
MIA, 250,000 were taken prisoners. Although the Polish
army considering the inactivity of the Allies was in an been parts of dierent nations. For example, there was no
direct railroad connection between Warsaw and Krakw
unfavorable position it managed to inict serious losses
to the enemies: 14,000 German soldiers were killed or until 1934. This situation was described by Melchior
Wakowicz in his book Sztafeta.
MIA, 674 tanks and 319 armored vehicles destroyed or
badly damaged, 230 aircraft shot down; the Red Army On top of this was the massive destruction left after both
lost (killed and MIA) about 2,500 soldiers, 150 combat World War I and the PolishSoviet War. There was also a
vehicles and 20 aircraft. The Soviet invasion of Poland great economic disparity between the eastern (commonly
and lack of promised aid from the Western Allies, con- called Poland B) and western (called Poland A) parts of
tributed to the Polish forces defeat by 6 October 1939.
the country, with the western half, especially areas that
had belonged to the German Empire being much more
developed and prosperous. Frequent border closures and
a customs war with Germany also had negative economic
4 Economy
impacts on Poland. In 1924 prime minister and economic
minister Wadysaw Grabski introduced the zoty as a single common currency for Poland (it replaced the Polish
marka), which remained a stable currency. The currency
helped Poland to bring under control the massive hyperination, the only country in Europe which was able to
do this without foreign loans or aid.[12] Average annual
growth rate (GDP per capita) was 5.24% in 192029 and
0.34% in 192938.[13]
Hostile relations with neighbours were a major problem for the economy of interbellum Poland. In the year
1937, foreign trade with all neighbours amounted to only
21% of Polands total. Trade with Lithuania (0% of total) and the Soviet Union (0,8%) was virtually nonexistent. Czechoslovakia accounted for 3,9% of Polish foreign trade, Latvia for 0,3%, Romania for 0,8%, and Germany, Polands most important neighbour, for 14,3%. By
mid-1938, after the Anschluss, Greater Germany was responsible for as much as 23% of Polish foreign trade.

Polish pavilion at expo in Paris 1937.

After regaining its independence, Poland was faced with

major economic diculties. In addition to the devastation wrought by World War I, the exploitation of the
Polish economy by the German and Russian occupying
powers, and the sabotage performed by retreating armies,
the new republic was faced with the task of econom-

The basis of Polands gradual recovery after the Great

Depression were mass economic development plans (see
Four Year Plan), which oversaw the building of three
key infrastructural elements. The rst was the establishment of the Gdynia seaport, which allowed Poland
to completely bypass Gdask (which was under heavy
German pressure to boycott Polish coal exports). The
second was construction of the 500-kilometer rail connection between Upper Silesia and Gdynia, called Polish
Coal Trunk-Line, which served freight trains with coal.
The third was the creation of a central industrial district, named COP Central Industrial Region (Centralny
Okrg Przemysowy). Unfortunately, these developments were interrupted and largely destroyed by the German and Soviet invasion and the start of World War II.[15]
Among other achievements of interbellum Poland there
are Stalowa Wola (a brand new city, built in a forest

4.2

Transport

around a steel mill), Mocice (now a district of Tarnw,

with a large nitrate factory), and creation of a central
bank. There were several trade fairs, with the most
popular being Pozna International Fair, Lwws Targi
Wschodnie, and Wilnos Targi Pnocne. Polish Radio
had ten stations (see Radio stations in interwar Poland),
with the eleventh one planned to be opened in the autumn
of 1939. Furthermore, in 1935 Polish engineers began
working on the TV services. By early 1939, experts of
the Polish Radio built four TV sets. First movie broadcast
by experimental Polish TV was Barbara Radziwiwna,
and by 1940, regular TV service was scheduled to begin
operation.[16]

east, in Kresy, industrial centers were scarce, and limited to two major cities of the region Lww and Wilno
(Elektrit). Besides coal mining, Poland also had deposits of oil in Borysaw, Drohobycz, Jaso and Gorlice
(see Polmin), potassium salt (TESP), and basalt (Janowa
Dolina). Apart from already-existing industrial areas,
in the mid-1930s, an ambitious, state-sponsored project
of Central Industrial Region was started under Minister
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. One of characteristic features
of Polish economy in the interbellum was gradual nationalization of major plants. This was the case of Ursus Factory (see Pastwowe Zakady Inynieryjne), and several
steelworks, such as Huta Pokj in Ruda lska Nowy
Interbellum Poland was also a country with numerous Bytom, Huta Krlewska in Chorzw Krlewska Huta,
in Siemianowice lskie, as well as Scheibler
social problems. Unemployment was high, and poverty Huta Laura
and
Grohman
Works in d.[17]
was widespread, which resulted in several cases of social unrest, such as the 1923 Krakw riot, and 1937
peasant strike in Poland. There were conicts with na- 4.2 Transport
tional minorities, such as Pacication of Ukrainians in
Eastern Galicia (1930), relations with Polish neighbors
were sometimes complicated (see Soviet raid on Stopce,
PolishCzechoslovak border conicts, 1938 Polish ultimatum to Lithuania). On top of this, there were natural
disasters, such as 1934 ood in Poland.

4.1

Major industrial centers

Industry and communications in Poland before the start of World

War II

Warsaw in 1939

Interbellum Poland was unocially divided into two

parts better developed Poland A in the west, and
underdeveloped Poland B in the east. Polish industry was concentrated in the west, mostly in Polish Upper
Silesia, and the adjacent Lesser Poland's province of
Zagbie Dbrowskie, where the bulk of coal mines and
steel plants was located. Furthermore, heavy industry
plants were located in Czstochowa (Huta Czstochowa,
founded in 1896), Ostrowiec witokrzyski (Huta Ostrowiec, founded in 18371839), Stalowa Wola (brand
new industrial city, which was built from scratch in 1937
1938), Chrzanw (Fablok, founded in 1919), Jaworzno,
Trzebinia (oil renery, opened in 1895), d (the seat
of Polish textile industry), Pozna (H. Cegielski Pozna), Krakw and Warsaw (Ursus Factory). Further

According to the 1939 Statistical Yearbook of Poland,

total length of railways of Poland (as for 31 December
1937) was 20 118 kilometers. Rail density was 5.2 km.
per 100 km2 . Railways were very dense in western part
of the country, while in the east, especially Polesie, rail
was non-existent in some counties. During the interbellum period, Polish government constructed several new
lines, mainly in central part of the country (see also Polish
State Railroads Summer 1939). Construction of extensive Warszawa Gwna railway station was never nished
due to the war, and Polish railroads were famous for their
punctuality (see Luxtorpeda, Strzaa Batyku, Latajcy
Wilnianin).
In the interbellum, road network of Poland was dense,
but the quality of the roads was very poor only 7% of
all roads was paved and ready for automobile use, and
none of the major cities were connected with each other
by a good-quality highway. In the mid-1930s, Poland had
340,000 kilometers of roads, but only 58,000 had hard
surface (gravel, cobblestone or sett), and 2,500 were modern, with asphalt or concrete surface. In dierent parts

of the country, there were sections of paved roads, which

suddenly ended, and were followed by dirt roads.[18] Poor
condition of roads was the result of both long-lasting foreign dominance, and inadequate funding. On 29 January
1931, Polish Parliament created State Road Fund, whose
purpose was to collect money for construction and conservation of roads. The government drafted a 10-year
plan, with road priorities: a highway from Wilno, through
Warsaw and Cracow, to Zakopane (called Marshall Pilsudski Highway), asphalt highways from Warsaw to Pozna and d, as well as Warsaw ring road. However,
the plan turned out to be too ambitious, as there was not
enough money in the national budget. In January 1938,
Polish Road Congress estimated that Poland should spend
on roads three times more money to keep up with Western Europe.
In 1939, before the outbreak of the war, LOT Polish
Airlines, which was established in 1929, had its hub
at Warsaw Okcie Airport. At that time LOT maintained several services, both domestic and international.
Warsaw had regular domestic connections with GdyniaRumia,
Danzig-Langfuhr,
Katowice-Muchowiec,
Krakw-Rakowice-Czyyny, Lww-Skniw, Poznaawica, and Wilno-Porubanek.
Furthermore, in
cooperation with Air France, LARES, Lufthansa, and
Malert, international connections were maintained with
Athens, Beirut, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Helsinki,
Kaunas, London, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, Tallinn,
and Zagreb.[19]

4.3

Agriculture

In the Second Polish Republic, the majority of inhabitants lived in the countryside (75% in 1921), and their existence depended on land. Farmers made 65% of the population, while about 1% were landowners. In 1929, agricultural production made 65% of Polands GNP.[20] After
123 years of partitions, regions of the country were very
unevenly developed. Lands of former German Empire
were most advanced in Greater Poland and Pomerelia,
crops were on Western European level.[21] The situation
was much worse in former Congress Poland, Kresy, and
former Galicia, where agriculture was most backward and
primitive, with a large number of small farms, unable
to succeed on both domestic and international market.
Furthermore, another problem was overpopulation of the
countryside, which resulted in chronic unemployment.
Living conditions were so bad that in several regions, such
as counties inhabited by the Hutsuls, there was permanent
starvation.[22] Farmers rebelled against the government
(see: 1937 peasant strike in Poland), and the situation
began to change in the late 1930s, due to construction of
several factories for the Central Industrial Region, which
gave employment to thousands of countryside residents.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

4.4 German trade

Beginning in June 1925 there was a customs war with
the revanchist Weimar Republic imposing trade embargo
against Poland for nearly a decade; involving taris, and
broad economic restrictions. After 1933 the trade war
ended. The new agreements regulated and promoted
trade. Germany became Polands largest trading partner,
followed by Britain. In October 1938 Germany granted
a credit of Rm 60,000,000 to Poland (120,000,000 zloty,
or 4,800,000) which was never realized, due to the outbreak of war. Germany would deliver factory equipment
and machinery in return for Polish timber and agricultural produce. This new trade was to be in addition to the
existing German-Polish trade agreements.[23][24]

5 Education and culture

Main article: Polish culture in the Interbellum
In 1919, the Polish government introduced compulsory
education for all children aged 7 to 14, in an eort to
limit illiteracy which was widespread especially in the
former Russian Partition and the Austrian Partition of
eastern Poland. In 1921, one-third of citizens of Poland
remained illiterate (38% in the countryside). The process was slow, but by 1931, illiteracy level dropped to
23% overall (27% in the countryside) and further down
to 18% in 1937. By 1939, over 90% of children attended school.[17][25] In 1932, Minister of Religion and
Education Janusz Jdrzejewicz carried out a major reform which introduced the following levels of education:
1. common school (szkoa powszechna), with three levels 4 grades + 2 grades + 1 grade,
2. middle school (szkoa rednia), with two levels 4
grades of comprehensive middle school and 2 grades
of specied high school (classical, humanistic, natural and mathematical). A graduate of middle school
received a small matura, while a graduate of high
school received a big matura, which enabled them
to seek university-level education.
Before 1918, Poland had three universities: Jagiellonian
University, University of Warsaw and Lww University.
Catholic University of Lublin was established in 1918;
Adam Mickiewicz University, Pozna, in 1919; and nally, in 1922, after the annexation of Republic of Central Lithuania, Wilno University became the Republics
sixth university. There were also three technical colleges:
the Warsaw University of Technology, Lww Polytechnic and the AGH University of Science and Technology
in Krakw, established in 1919. Warsaw University of
Life Sciences was an agricultural institute. By 1939, there
were around 50,000 students enrolled in further educa-

6.1

Largest cities in the Second Polish Republic

tion. Women made up 28% of university students, the

second highest share in Europe.[26]
Polish science in the interbellum was renowned for its
mathematicians see Lww School of Mathematics,
Krakw School of Mathematics, and Warsaw School
of Mathematics. There were well-known philosophers
(see LwwWarsaw school of logic), Florian Znaniecki
founded Polish sociological studies, Rudolf Weigl invented vaccine against typhus, Bronisaw Malinowski was
among the most important anthropologists of the 20th
century. In Polish literature, the 1920s were marked
by the domination of poetry. Polish poets were divided
into two groups the Skamanderites (Jan Lecho, Julian
Tuwim, Antoni Sonimski and Jarosaw Iwaszkiewicz)
and the Futurists (Anatol Stern, Bruno Jasieski,
Aleksander Wat, Julian Przybo). Apart from wellAdministrative map of Poland (1930)
established novelists (Stefan eromski, Wadysaw Reymont), new names appeared in the interbellum Zoa
Nakowska, Maria Dbrowska, Jarosaw Iwaszkiewicz,
Jan Parandowski, Bruno Schultz, Stanisaw Ignacy
Witkiewicz, Witold Gombrowicz. Among other notable
artists there were sculptor Xawery Dunikowski, painters
Julian Faat, Wojciech Kossak and Jacek Malczewski,
composers Karol Szymanowski, Feliks Nowowiejski, and
Artur Rubinstein, singer Jan Kiepura. Theatre was very
popular in the interbellum, with three main centers in the
cities of Warsaw, Wilno and Lww. Altogether, there
were 103 theaters in Poland and a number of other theatrical institutions (including 100 folk theaters). In 1936,
dierent shows were seen by 5 million people, and main
gures of Polish theatre of the time were Juliusz Osterwa,
Stefan Jaracz, and Leon Schiller. Also, before the outbreak of the war, there were around 1 million radios (see
Radio stations in interwar Poland).
Polish voivodeships 192239
On 1 April 1938, the borders of several western and central voivodeships were revised.

6.1 Largest cities in the Second Polish Republic

7 Demographics
6

Administrative division

The administrative division of the Republic was based on

a three-tier system. On the lowest rung were the gminy,
local town and village governments akin to districts or
parishes. These were then grouped together into powiaty
(akin to counties) which, in turn, were grouped as wojewdztwa (voivodeships, akin to provinces).

Historically, Poland was a nation of many nationalities. This was especially true after independence was
regained in the wake of World War I and the subsequent PolishSoviet War ending at Peace of Riga. The
census of 1921 allocates 30.8% of the population in
the minority.[27] According to the 1931 Polish Census:
68.9% of the population was Polish, 13.9% were Ukrainians, around 10% Jewish, 3.1% Belarusians, 2.3% Germans and 2.8% others, including Lithuanians, Czechs,
Armenians, Russians, and Gypsies. The situation of minorities was a complex subject and changed during the
period.[28]

8 GEOGRAPHY

Polands population density in 1930

Language frequency in 1931 across Poland; red colour: more

than 50% native Polish language speakers; green colour: more
than 50% native language other than Polish, including Yiddish,
Hebrew, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian and less frequent others

Poland was also a nation of many religions. In 1921,

16,057,229 Poles (approx. 62.5%) were Roman (Latin)
Catholics, 3,031,057 citizens of Poland (approx. 11.8%)
were Eastern Rite Catholics (mostly Ukrainian Greek
Catholics and Armenian Rite 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 (mostly Lutheran).[29]
By 1931 Poland had the second largest Jewish population
in the world, with one-fth of all the worlds Jews residing
within its borders (approx. 3,136,000).[27] Urban population of interbellum Poland was rising steadily in 1921,
only 24% of Poles lived in the cities, in the late 1930s,
the ratio grew to 30%. In more than a decade, the population of Warsaw grew by 200,000, d by 150,000, and
Pozna by 100,000. This was due not only to internal
migration, but also extremely high birth rate.[17]

7.1

Prewar population density

Pillar near the summit of Popadia in Gorgany. During the Second Republic, this marked the Polish-Czechoslovak border.

Geography

The Second Polish Republic was mainly at, with average elevation of 223 m above sea level (after World War
II and its border changes, the average elevation of Poland
decreased to 173 m). Only 13% of territory, along the
southern border, was higher than 300 m. The highest

elevation was Mount Rysy, which rises 2,499 m in the

Tatra Range of the Carpathians, 95 km south of Krakw.
Between October 1938 and September 1939, the highest
elevation was Lodowy Szczyt (known in the Slovak language as adov tt), which rises 2,627 meters above sea
level. The largest lake was Lake Narach.

9
The countrys total area, after annexation of Zaolzie, was
389,720 km2 , it extended 903 km from north to south
and 894 km from east to west. On 1 January 1938, total
length of boundaries was 5,529 km, including:
140 kilometers of coastline (out of which 71 kilometers were made by the Hel Peninsula),
1412 kilometers with Soviet Union,
948 kilometers with Czechoslovakia (until 1938),
1912 kilometers with Germany (together with East
Prussia),
1081 kilometers with other countries (Lithuania,
Romania, Latvia, Danzig).
Among major cities of the Second Polish Republic, the
warmest yearly average temperature was in Krakw (9.1
C in 1938) and the coldest in Wilno (7.6 C in 1938).

8.1

Extreme points

Northernmost
point:
N55*51'8,45
(N55,852250*); Przewiata River in Somino,
located in the Braslaw county of the Wilno
Voivodeship
Southernmost
point:
N47*43'31,8
(N47,725492*); spring of Manczin River located in the Kosw county of the Stanisaww
Voivodeship
Easternmost point: E28*21'44,3 (E28,362371*);
Spasibiorki (near railway to Poock) located in the
Dzisna county of the Wilno Voivodeship
Westernmost point: E15*47'12,4 (E15,786773*);
Mukocinek near Warta River and Meszyn Lake
located in the Midzychd county of the Pozna
Voivodeship

8.2

Drainage

9 See also
History of Poland (191839)
1938 in Poland
1939 in Poland
First Polish Republic; 1788-1795; "...our state is a
republic under the presidency of the King.

10 References
[1] The End, TIME Magazine, 2 October 1939
[2] Richard M. Watt, Bitter Glory: Poland and Its Fate, 1918
1939 (1998)
[3] Rady Delegatw Robotniczych w Polsce. Internetowa
encyklopedia PWN. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
[4] Andrzej Garlicki, Jzef Pisudski, 18671935 (1995)
[5] Norman Richard Davies, White Eagle, Red Star: the
Polish-Soviet War, 191920 (2nd ed. 2003)
[6] Seidner, Stanley S. (1975). The Camp of National Unity:
An Experiment in Domestic Consolidation. The Polish
Review 20 (23): 231236.
[7] A. Polonsky, Politics in Independent Poland, 19211939:
The Crisis of Constitutional Government (1972)
[8] Peter Hetherington, Unvanquished: Joseph Pisudski, Resurrected Poland, and the Struggle for Eastern Europe
(2012); W. Jdrzejewicz, Pisudski. A Life for Poland
(1982)
[9] David G. Williamson (2011). Poland Betrayed: The NaziSoviet Invasions of 1939. Stackpole Books. p. 21.
[10] Walter M. Drzewieniecki,"The Polish Army on the Eve
of World War II, Polish Review (1981) 26#3 pp 5464
in JSTOR
[11] Nikolaus Wolf, Path dependent border eects: the case
of Polands reunication (19181939)", Explorations in
Economic History, 42, 2005, pgs. 414438
[12] Godzina zero.
Interview with professor Wojciech
Roszkowski, Tygodnik Powszechny, 04.11.2008Take
reform Grabskiego przeprowadzilimy sami, kosztem
spoeczestwa, cho tym razem zapacili obywatele z
wyszych sfer, gwnie posiadacze ziemscy.

Almost 75% of the territory of interbellum Poland was [13] Stephen Broadberry, Kevin H. O'Rourke. The Cambridge
drained northward into the Baltic Sea by the Vistula (toEconomic History of Modern Europe: Volume 2, 1870 to
tal area of drainage basin of the Vistula within boundthe Present. Cambridge University Press. 2010. pp. 188,
aries of the Second Polish Republic was 180,300 km2 ),
190.
the Niemen (51,600 km2 ), the Odra (46,700 km2 ) and
the Daugava (10,400 km2 ). The remaining part of the [14] (1929-1930) Angus Maddison. The World Economy Volume 1: A Millennial Perspective Volume 2: Historical
country was drained southward, into the Black Sea, by
Statistics. Academic Foundation. 2007. p. 478.
the rivers that drain into the Dnieper (Pripyat, Horyn and
2
Styr, all together 61,500 km ) as well as Dniester (41,400 [15] Atlas Historii Polski, Demart Sp, 2004, ISBN 83-89239km2 )
89-2

10

11 FURTHER READING

[16] 70 years of television in Poland, TVP INFO, 26.08.2009

[17] Spata dugu po II RP, by Witold Gadomski
[18] Piotr Oska, Znoje na wybojach. Polityka weekly, July
21, 2011
[19] Urzdowy Rozkad Jazy i Lotw, Lato 1939.
Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Komunikacji, Warszawa
1939
[20] Sprawa reformy rolnej w I Sejmie lskim (19221929)
by Andrzej Drogon
[21] Godzina zero, interview with Wojciech Roszkowski.
04.11.2008
[22] Biae plamy II RP, interview with professor Andrzej Garlicki, December 5, 2011
[23] Wojna celna (GermanPolish customs war) (Internet
Archive), Encyklopedia PWN, Biznes.
[24] Keesings Contemporary Archives Volume 3, (October
1938) p. 3283.
[25] Norman Davies (2005), Gods Playground A History of
Poland: Volume II: 1795 to the Present. Oxford University
Press, p. 175. ISBN 0199253390.
[26] B. G. Smith. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World
History: 4 Volume Set. Oxford University Press. 2008 p.
470.
[27] Joseph Marcus, Social and Political History of the Jews in
Poland, 19191939, Mouton Publishing, 1983, ISBN 90279-3239-5, Google Books, p. 17
[28] Norman Davies, Gods Playground, Columbia University
Press, 2005, ISBN 0-231-12819-3, Google Print, p.299
[29] Powszechny Spis Ludnosci r. 1921

11

Further reading

Davies, Norman. Gods Playground. A History of

Poland. Vol. 2: 1795 to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981. pp 393434
Latawaski, Paul. Reconstruction of Poland 191423
(1992)
Leslie, R. F. et al. The History of Poland since 1863.
Cambridge U. Press, 1980. 494 pp.
Lukowski, Jerzy and Zawadzki, Hubert. A Concise History of Poland. Cambridge U. Press, 2nd
ed 2006. 408pp. excerpts and search
Pogonowski, Iwo Cyprian. Poland: A Historical Atlas. Hippocrene, 1987. 321 pp. new designed maps
Stachura, Peter D. Poland, 19181945: An Interpretive and Documentary History of the Second Republic
(2004) online

Stachura, Peter D. ed. Poland Between the Wars,

19181939 (1998) essays by scholars
Watt, Richard M. Bitter Glory: Poland and Its Fate,
19181939 (1998) excerpt and text search, comprehensive survey

11.1 Politics & diplomacy

Cienciala, Anna M. The Foreign Policy of Jzef
Pisudski and Jzef Beck, 19261939: Misconceptions and Interpretations, The Polish Review (2011)
56#1 pp.111151 in JSTOR; earlier version
Cienciala, Anna M. Poland the Western Powers,
19381939. A Study in the Interdependence of Eastern and Western Europe (1968) online
Cienciala, Anna M., and Titus Komarnicki, From
Versailles to Locarno, Keys to Polish Foreign Policy,
19191925, (Kansas U. Press 1984) online
Drzewieniecki, Walter M. The Polish Army on the
Eve of World War II, Polish Review (1981) 26#3
pp 5464.
Garlicki, Andrzej. Jzef Pisudski, 18671935
(New York: Scolar Press 1995), scholarly biography; one-vol version of 4 vol Polish edition
Hetherington, Peter. Unvanquished: Joseph Pilsudski, Resurrected Poland, and the Struggle for Eastern
Europe (2012) 752pp excerpt and text search
Jdrzejewicz, W. Pisudski.
(1982), scholarly biography

A Life for Poland

Polonsky, A. Politics in Independent Poland, 1921

1939: The Crisis of Constitutional Government
(1972)
Riekho, H. von. German-Polish Relations, 1918
1933 (Johns Hopkins University Press 1971)
Rothschild, J. Pisudskis Coup d'tat (New York:
Columbia University Press 1966)
Wandycz, P. S. Polish Diplomacy 19141945: Aims
and Achievements (1988)
Wandycz, P. S. Soviet-Polish Relations, 19171921
(Harvard University Press 1969)
Wandycz, P. S. The United States and Poland (1980)
Zamoyski, Adam. Warsaw 1920: Lenins Failed
Conquest of Europe (2008) excerpt and text search

11

11.2

Social and economic topics

Abramsky, C. et al. eds. The Jews in Poland (Oxford: Blackwell 1986)

12 External links
Borders of the Second Republic shown on Google
Earth

Blanke, R. Orphans of Versailles. The Germans in

Coordinates: 5213N 2100E / 52.217N 21.000E
Western Poland, 19181939 (1993)
Gutman, Y. et al. eds. The Jews of Poland Between
Two World Wars (1989).
Landau, Z. and Tomaszewski, J. The Polish Economy in the Twentieth Century (Routledge, 1985)
Moklak, Jaroslaw. The Lemko Region in the Second
Polish Republic: Political and Interdenominational
Issues 19181939 (2013); covers Old Rusyns, Moscophiles and National Movement Activists, & the
political role of the Greek Catholic and Orthodox
Churches
Olszewski, A. K. An Outline of Polish Art and Architecture, 18901980 (Warsaw: Interpress 1989.)
Roszkowski, W. Landowners in Poland, 19181939
(Cambridge University Press, 1991)
Staniewicz, Witold. The Agrarian Problem in
Poland between the Two World Wars, Slavonic and
East European Review (1964) 43#100 pp. 2333 in
JSTOR
Taylor, J. J. The Economic Development of Poland,
19191950 (Cornell University Press 1952)
Wynot, E. D. Warsaw Between the Wars. Prole of
the Capital City in a Developing Land, 19181939
(1983)
towski, A. Border of Europe. A Study of the
Polish Eastern Provinces (London: Hollis & Carter
1950)

11.3

Primary sources

Small Statistical Yearbook, 1932 (May rocznik

statystyczny 1932) complete text (in Polish)
Small Statistical Yearbook, 1939 (May rocznik
statystyczny 1939) complete text (in Polish)

11.4

Historiography

Kenney, Padraic. After the Blank Spots Are Filled:

Recent Perspectives on Modern Poland, Journal of
Modern History (2007) 79#1 pp 13461, in JSTOR
Polonsky, Antony. The History of Inter-War
Poland Today, Survey (1970) pp143159.

12

13

13

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

13.1

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Second Polish Republic Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic?oldid=676759003 Contributors: AxelBoldt,

Derek Ross, David Parker, Taw, Ed Poor, SwPawel~enwiki, Zoe, Someone else, Skysmith, Jiang, Wik, Joy, Slawojarek, Pigsonthewing, Henrygb, Der Eberswalder, Sanacja, Halibutt, Cautious, Katarzyna, MaGioZal, Oberiko, Wilfried Derksen, Everyking, Kpalion,
Mboverload, Matthead, Bobblewik, Rsloch, Piotrus, Domino theory, Emax, Klemen Kocjancic, Ta bu shi da yu, R, Rich Farmbrough,
Guanabot, Cnyborg, Bender235, A purple wikiuser, Kwamikagami, Art LaPella, Thuresson, PWilkinson, Pearle, Logologist, Santiparam,
RainbowOfLight, Tobyc75, Woohookitty, Kelisi, Uris, Julo, Brendanconway, Graham87, Deltabeignet, Amire80, Czalex, Valip, Sango123,
Hottentot, Valentinian, Volunteer Marek, Cjs56, YurikBot, Rmo13, Kinneyboy90, John Quincy Adding Machine, , Gaius Cornelius, Marcus Cyron, SEWilcoBot, Grafen, Welsh, Rjensen, Howcheng, Molobo, Doncram, Mareklug, Barryob, Chase me ladies, I'm the
Cavalry, KGasso, Evilbu, LeonardoRob0t, JLaTondre, Curpsbot-unicodify, Poulpy, Appleseed, Exec, SmackBot, Elonka, Reedy, Dpwkbw,
Hmains, Hibernian, Xx236, Colonies Chris, Jadger, Dr. Dan, Alphathon, Ohconfucius, Tymek, Icelandic Hurricane, Mathiasrex, Green
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Axpde, DiverDave, AnomieBOT, YeshuaDavid, HurricaneSarah, Ulric1313, Dobry05, Dove, ArthurBot, Xqbot, TechBot, Ulf Heinsohn,
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