The End of Polish Democracy - Pilsudski and the Sanacja Regime | BETWEEN 2 WARS | 1935 Part 2 of 4 - YouTube (2)
He is only too aware of France's shaky military commitments and knows that the slightest provocation
will enrage Poland's mortal enemies in both the west and east. He opts for the so-called
“Doctrine of Two Enemies”. The idea is that any indication that Poland is moving
closer to one state at the expense of the other would spark tension and maybe war. The
only option is the strictest policy of neutrality with both countries so that neither feels
threatened. This policy forms not only the basis of relations with the USSR and Germany
but also the West. Piłsudski and his foreign minister since 1932, Colonel Józef Beck,
refuse to be part of any multilateral agreements which might strain relations with either of
the “Two Enemies”.
With this doctrine in mind, Piłsudski and Beck work to forge The Polish-Soviet Non-Aggression
Pact in 1932, valid for three years. Both sides renounce war as a means of settling
international disputes and agree not to aid any other state, Germany is explicitly mentioned,
if it is at war with either one of them, directly or indirectly. France is actually pretty happy
with this agreement. She has been pursuing a policy of rapprochement with the Soviets,
so the fact that her ally is as well is something they're pretty happy about. The agreement
is even renewed in 1934 for another ten years. Easy stuff, right?
Things aren't quite as simple with Germany. Beck manages to sign the Polish-German Declaration
of Non-Aggression, valid for ten years, in 1934, but not without difficulty. For one,
the Nazi foreign ministry has insisted on "declaration" over "pact" because it somehow
implies a recognition of the Polish-German border. However, they do renounce wars of
aggression and agree to settle disputes via negotiations. It has also led to an icing
of the Danzig issue. Nazi officials have instructed party members to stop their attacks on Polish
buildings in the city. But both sides know that the "declaration" only provides them
with breathing space. France is also pretty angry about it. The whole point of their alliance
with Poland is to restrain Germany in the East. But with the two sides officially declaring
that they have no appetite for war, this is pretty useless. The fear amongst the Allies
now is that Germany can focus more on rearmament and breathing down Austria's neck to incorporate
it into the Reich. But for Poland, the Allies had already left her behind at Locarno. The
agreement with Germany only redresses the balance again.
So on the international stage, the Sanacja regime has appeared to gain some modicum of
security. And on the home-front, there is more stability, despite the increases in repression
and brutality.
But then in May of 1935, Piłsudski dies from cancer.
A new constitution had been passed only a month before that had been tailor-made for
him. The April Constitution declared the President, i.e. Piłsudski, to be responsible “only
before God and the state” and significantly reduced the power of the Sejm. Piłsudski's
death leaves not only a power vacuum but also a moral one. He had been the unifying force
and justification for Sanacja. Without him, Poland is just another country under an authoritarian
regime.
Still, unlike its neighbors to the East and West, Poland has escaped the worst excesses
of totalitarianism. There are no industrial concentration camps or gulags, no acts of
institutional discrimination, no mass killings. But it is now undeniably under an authoritarian
regime, and not even a particularly unified or efficient one at that. ‘The Doctrine
of Two Enemies' only seems to be prolonging the inevitable and Poland's international
situation seems to be worsening every day.
If you haven't watched the episode on how Poland gained its independence in the first
place then you can click on it right here. Any moment now. Our TimeGhost Army member
for this episode is Tyler Weepie. It's because of our TimeGhost Army members that we can
continue making quality history content, so sign up on Patreon or TimeGhost.tv and become
a member of the greatest history community in the world.
So when Homer came up with being caught between Scylla and Charybdis, he expected you would
have to choose between being torn apart by a six headed monster, or swallowed by the
other… he probably didn't expect you to be eaten by both.
Na zdrowie!
Thats not Polish..
