Józef Piłsudski
1867-1935
A man with many titles
Piłsudski – Freedom fighter, revolutionary, socialist, terrorist, nationalist, marshal, Supreme Leader (Naczelnik), prime minister, grey eminence, dictator without official title, loved, hated, the main architect of the resurgent Poland after 1918, buried in the crypt of Wawel Castle in Krakow alongside kings and in the same room as President Lech Kaczyński. However, his heart has been removed and buried in Vilnius, where he was born.
Pilsudski’s youth was characterised by the struggle for an independent Poland
His father was involved in the 1863 uprising against the Russians and the family lived discreetly and modestly from then on. However, Józef graduated from high school and began studying medicine, but had to drop out due to his participation in demonstrations against the Russian regime. In 1887, he was arrested for participating in a plot against the Tsar and sentenced to 5 years’ banishment. Returned to Vilnius in 1892.
Socialist Party from 1892
Fra 1892 medlem af og kort efter leder af det polske Socialistparti (PPS) i opposition til en anden selvstændighedsgruppering, det Nationale Demokrati (ND). Piłsudski var nu afgjort mere nationalist end han var socialist, selv om genopbygningen af det polske samfund efter 1. Verdenskrig var præget af solid statslig planøkonomi. Pilsudski kæmpede for et stort polsk rige med flere forskellige folkeslag under polsk ledelse, og hævdede, at man kun på denne måde kunne bevare Polens selvstændighed i forhold til Rusland og Tyskland. Filosofisk var Piłsudski også tættere på en vesteuropæisk verdensopfattelse, mens ND var mere orienteret mod Øst og Rusland. ND var endvidere imod at Polen optog folkeslag, som ikke kunne poloniseres, var etnisk centreret omkring polakker og havde antisemitisme som ideologisk ledetråd, hvilket også var i strid med Piłsudskis principielle holdning til en form for ligeret mellem de forskellige etniske grupper.
Revolutionary activity and imprisonment
Arrested again in 1900 and imprisoned in the Citadel in Warsaw. Faking mental illness to avoid the death penalty. Transferred to Petersburg, from where he fled in 1901. After a short stay in London, Piłsudski worked secretly in Poland. Talks with ND about a common front against Russia did not lead anywhere. Piłsudski seeks support in Tokyo during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, where he and the leader of the ND – Dmowski – stay in the city at the same time, slandering each other while asking for Japanese weapons.
Robberies and fighting formations
In 1905, Piłsudski forms fighting formations, which are used for robberies, assassinations of Russian officials and fighting with the opponents from ND. From 1908, he co-operates with Austria, which has a more open attitude towards Polish national sentiment. Piłsudski forms shooting associations and presumably has an idea of a Poland as part of a union between Austria, Hungary and Poland. During World War II, he co-operates with Austria and Germany, but is interned in 1917 when he refuses to swear loyalty to Germany.
Naczelnik = superior leader
Piłsudski was released in 1918. By this time, it was widely recognised that a Polish state would emerge, although there were doubts about its extent. After arriving in Warsaw in November 1918, Piłsudski renounced his affiliation with the PPS and declared that he wanted to be the leader of all Poles. He was appointed Naczelnik (Supreme Leader) and then became responsible for the drafting of a constitution (1921), the elections of 1919 and 1922, as well as commanding several wars, the most important of which is the Polish-Russian War of 1920, also known as the Miracle of the Wisla River, where the Russians were defeated by Polish troops.
Above Piłsudski’s car, on display at the Belvedere in Warsaw
The time after independence was a brutal time
The time was characterised by brutality and struggles between socialists, nationalists and ethnic groups. The first president (Narutowicz) was elected on 14 December 1922 and killed by a nationalist 2 days later. Under the impression of political chaos, Piłsudski carried out a military coup in 1926, after which he led Poland as a quasi-democracy until his death in 1935.
Piłsudski’s legacy
Piłsudski was hated by many in his time, but in the years following Poland’s recovery, he tried to take on the role of father of the country, albeit with some protection of ethnic minorities.
After his death, a legend has grown up around Piłsudski, and today almost every political grouping claims to be representatives of his legacy.
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