Wincenty Witos, prime minister of Poland.
Witos was a co-founder of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL, existing till today) in 1895. That movement could freely organise itself in the Austrian-dominated part of Poland (Galicia).
Witos was member of the Galician regional parliament (in Lwów/ L'viv) from 1908-1914, later of the Austrian national chamber (Reichsrat) in Vienna from 1911-1918. After Poland regained independence, he was the leader of PSL/Piast fraction and MP, i.e. member of Sejm. Three times premier of Poland (1920-1921; 1923 (Chejno-Piast); 1926).
In May 1926, his government was overthrown by an armed coup d'état led by Józef Pi³sudski. Since then in opposition to the Pilsudski-dominated "Sanacja" governments.
Witos was imprisoned and during the Brzesc mock trial sentenced to a one and a half year prison term. Afterwards, in 1933, he emigrated to Czechoslovakia, returning only to be imprisoned again in 1939 by the invading Germans. Already ill, in 1945, he became one of vice-chairmen of the State National Council (Polish: Krajowa Rada Narodowa). During his last months, Witos resisted the upcoming pressure to instal communist rule in Poland.
In order to assess his historical role, Witos can be compared with the two other dominant figures of interwar Poland, Pilsudski and Dmowski. At the difference of Pilsudski, the social engagement of Witos in favour of the masses, the once dominant peasants, was a genuine one. Besides, Witos, trained by his years as member of the Lwów and Vienna chambers, was a fine democrat, exclusively relying on peaceful and parliamentary methods, especially during his three short periods as head of government. His main weaknesses were the absence of intellectual brilliance as well as his modest organisational skills - in fact reasons for the shortness of his stints in office. On the contrary, Pilsudski, having admittedly some reason to despair about the state of affairs, relied on violence, overthrowing in 1926 the parliamentary government (led at that moment by Witos) and terrorising opponents ever since - political ones as much as national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarussians).
A special controversy surrounds until today the events related to the successful defence of Poland against Soviet Russia in summer 1920 (often referred to as "miracle on the Vistula"). Whilst the admirors of Pilsudski stress his contribution, his detractors point at the fact that at this moment, too, Witos was Prime minister.
Witos was a representative of the political center, kind of Christian Democrat avant la lettre, whereas Roman Dmowski, a sharp intellectual, was the 'spiritus rector' of the nationalist right. Whilst both relied exclusively on the democratic process, the difference is especially remarkable as concerns social tolerance, Dmowski being the main representative of Polish interwar anti-semitism and intolerance against other minorities.
Witos was a co-founder of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL, existing till today) in 1895. That movement could freely organise itself in the Austrian-dominated part of Poland (Galicia).
Witos was member of the Galician regional parliament (in Lwów/ L'viv) from 1908-1914, later of the Austrian national chamber (Reichsrat) in Vienna from 1911-1918. After Poland regained independence, he was the leader of PSL/Piast fraction and MP, i.e. member of Sejm. Three times premier of Poland (1920-1921; 1923 (Chejno-Piast); 1926).
In May 1926, his government was overthrown by an armed coup d'état led by Józef Pi³sudski. Since then in opposition to the Pilsudski-dominated "Sanacja" governments.
Witos was imprisoned and during the Brzesc mock trial sentenced to a one and a half year prison term. Afterwards, in 1933, he emigrated to Czechoslovakia, returning only to be imprisoned again in 1939 by the invading Germans. Already ill, in 1945, he became one of vice-chairmen of the State National Council (Polish: Krajowa Rada Narodowa). During his last months, Witos resisted the upcoming pressure to instal communist rule in Poland.
In order to assess his historical role, Witos can be compared with the two other dominant figures of interwar Poland, Pilsudski and Dmowski. At the difference of Pilsudski, the social engagement of Witos in favour of the masses, the once dominant peasants, was a genuine one. Besides, Witos, trained by his years as member of the Lwów and Vienna chambers, was a fine democrat, exclusively relying on peaceful and parliamentary methods, especially during his three short periods as head of government. His main weaknesses were the absence of intellectual brilliance as well as his modest organisational skills - in fact reasons for the shortness of his stints in office. On the contrary, Pilsudski, having admittedly some reason to despair about the state of affairs, relied on violence, overthrowing in 1926 the parliamentary government (led at that moment by Witos) and terrorising opponents ever since - political ones as much as national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarussians).
A special controversy surrounds until today the events related to the successful defence of Poland against Soviet Russia in summer 1920 (often referred to as "miracle on the Vistula"). Whilst the admirors of Pilsudski stress his contribution, his detractors point at the fact that at this moment, too, Witos was Prime minister.
Witos was a representative of the political center, kind of Christian Democrat avant la lettre, whereas Roman Dmowski, a sharp intellectual, was the 'spiritus rector' of the nationalist right. Whilst both relied exclusively on the democratic process, the difference is especially remarkable as concerns social tolerance, Dmowski being the main representative of Polish interwar anti-semitism and intolerance against other minorities.
Wincenty Witos, prime minister of Poland.
Witos was a co-founder of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL, existing till today) in 1895. That movement could freely organise itself in the Austrian-dominated part of Poland (Galicia).
Witos was member of the Galician regional parliament (in Lwów/ L'viv) from 1908-1914, later of the Austrian national chamber (Reichsrat) in Vienna from 1911-1918. After Poland regained independence, he was the leader of PSL/Piast fraction and MP, i.e. member of Sejm. Three times premier of Poland (1920-1921; 1923 (Chejno-Piast); 1926).
In May 1926, his government was overthrown by an armed coup d'état led by Józef Pi³sudski. Since then in opposition to the Pilsudski-dominated "Sanacja" governments.
Witos was imprisoned and during the Brzesc mock trial sentenced to a one and a half year prison term. Afterwards, in 1933, he emigrated to Czechoslovakia, returning only to be imprisoned again in 1939 by the invading Germans. Already ill, in 1945, he became one of vice-chairmen of the State National Council (Polish: Krajowa Rada Narodowa). During his last months, Witos resisted the upcoming pressure to instal communist rule in Poland.
In order to assess his historical role, Witos can be compared with the two other dominant figures of interwar Poland, Pilsudski and Dmowski. At the difference of Pilsudski, the social engagement of Witos in favour of the masses, the once dominant peasants, was a genuine one. Besides, Witos, trained by his years as member of the Lwów and Vienna chambers, was a fine democrat, exclusively relying on peaceful and parliamentary methods, especially during his three short periods as head of government. His main weaknesses were the absence of intellectual brilliance as well as his modest organisational skills - in fact reasons for the shortness of his stints in office. On the contrary, Pilsudski, having admittedly some reason to despair about the state of affairs, relied on violence, overthrowing in 1926 the parliamentary government (led at that moment by Witos) and terrorising opponents ever since - political ones as much as national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarussians).
A special controversy surrounds until today the events related to the successful defence of Poland against Soviet Russia in summer 1920 (often referred to as "miracle on the Vistula"). Whilst the admirors of Pilsudski stress his contribution, his detractors point at the fact that at this moment, too, Witos was Prime minister.
Witos was a representative of the political center, kind of Christian Democrat avant la lettre, whereas Roman Dmowski, a sharp intellectual, was the 'spiritus rector' of the nationalist right. Whilst both relied exclusively on the democratic process, the difference is especially remarkable as concerns social tolerance, Dmowski being the main representative of Polish interwar anti-semitism and intolerance against other minorities.
Witos was a co-founder of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL, existing till today) in 1895. That movement could freely organise itself in the Austrian-dominated part of Poland (Galicia).
Witos was member of the Galician regional parliament (in Lwów/ L'viv) from 1908-1914, later of the Austrian national chamber (Reichsrat) in Vienna from 1911-1918. After Poland regained independence, he was the leader of PSL/Piast fraction and MP, i.e. member of Sejm. Three times premier of Poland (1920-1921; 1923 (Chejno-Piast); 1926).
In May 1926, his government was overthrown by an armed coup d'état led by Józef Pi³sudski. Since then in opposition to the Pilsudski-dominated "Sanacja" governments.
Witos was imprisoned and during the Brzesc mock trial sentenced to a one and a half year prison term. Afterwards, in 1933, he emigrated to Czechoslovakia, returning only to be imprisoned again in 1939 by the invading Germans. Already ill, in 1945, he became one of vice-chairmen of the State National Council (Polish: Krajowa Rada Narodowa). During his last months, Witos resisted the upcoming pressure to instal communist rule in Poland.
In order to assess his historical role, Witos can be compared with the two other dominant figures of interwar Poland, Pilsudski and Dmowski. At the difference of Pilsudski, the social engagement of Witos in favour of the masses, the once dominant peasants, was a genuine one. Besides, Witos, trained by his years as member of the Lwów and Vienna chambers, was a fine democrat, exclusively relying on peaceful and parliamentary methods, especially during his three short periods as head of government. His main weaknesses were the absence of intellectual brilliance as well as his modest organisational skills - in fact reasons for the shortness of his stints in office. On the contrary, Pilsudski, having admittedly some reason to despair about the state of affairs, relied on violence, overthrowing in 1926 the parliamentary government (led at that moment by Witos) and terrorising opponents ever since - political ones as much as national minorities (Ukrainians, Belarussians).
A special controversy surrounds until today the events related to the successful defence of Poland against Soviet Russia in summer 1920 (often referred to as "miracle on the Vistula"). Whilst the admirors of Pilsudski stress his contribution, his detractors point at the fact that at this moment, too, Witos was Prime minister.
Witos was a representative of the political center, kind of Christian Democrat avant la lettre, whereas Roman Dmowski, a sharp intellectual, was the 'spiritus rector' of the nationalist right. Whilst both relied exclusively on the democratic process, the difference is especially remarkable as concerns social tolerance, Dmowski being the main representative of Polish interwar anti-semitism and intolerance against other minorities.
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D3-A-1
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