Historical calendar – anniversary of the election by the National Assembly of Stanisław Wojciechowski for president of the Republic of Poland. The office covered after Gabriel Narutovich was shot.
Today in our calendar we will look at the turbulent Polish politics in the first years after independence.
Under the electoral decree of 22 November 1918, elections to the Polish parliament were held in January. They were common, equal, secret, direct and proportionate. The main disadvantage of the ordination was the proportional way of converting votes into mandates and establishing the organization system. This caused a crucial fragmentation of the parliament, which included respective different sides. Polish political life has been dominated by typical in specified a situation, fierce factions and pushes for positions in the state administration.
Premieres even changed all fewer weeks. Ignacy Paderewski was the first head of government to be held with large social prestige. Despite being a composer, alternatively than a professional politician, he proved to be an efficient negotiator, who bravely fought for Polish business during the Versailles conference. Unfortunately, in the country his regulation was dominated by endless quarrels between socialist Piłsudski and Dmowski's nationalists.
Both groups attacked the Prime Minister for actions contrary to their demands. Paderewski was sick of it. In December 1919, he resigned and went abroad to remainder from politics.
The precarious abroad situation and the demolition of war forced the fighting parties to compromise on key matters of state importance. The main problems of this period were the care for equipping the army and harmonising laws in a country made up of 3 different occupations (and thus 3 different legal orders).
After stormy deliberations on February 20, 1919, the so-called. Small Constitution. It organized the foundations of political and social life in a reborn state. It introduced a single-seat parliament and temporarily maintained the position of the Chief of State, which, in agreement with the Members, was to appoint a government. On March 17, 1921, a constitution was adopted, which passed into past as a March constitution.
It introduced a republican state strategy and a three-step division of power (legislatorship – parliament and senate, executive power – president and government with Prime Minister, judicial power – theoretically independent courts). The Constitution maintained the disastrous electoral ordination in force, making the chaos and organization disputes the regular bread of Polish political life. Parliament acted erstwhile after a liberal, erstwhile conservative thought; sometimes socialist ideas and sometimes endings were pushed.
The church and spiritual matters were pushed to the next stage. The predominance of secular power over the clergy has been manifested by the request of government approval of the election of bishops and the work to curse allegiance to the president of Poland. In this way, despite theoretical autonomy, the Church had a limited influence on the directions of state improvement in the reborn Poland.
New, in line with the March Constitution, elections were held on 5 November 1922. Parliament has again been fragmented, with national minorities gaining a crucial position, with 20% of seats in the Sejm and 24% in the Senate. The President's office introduced required a appropriate vote in the National Assembly (combined chambers of parliament). After the procedure, held on 9 December, the highest office in the country was assumed by the socialist and associate of the Masonic Lodge “Returned Freedom”, Gabriel Narutowicz.
Against his election, Endecia organized protests and street fights. A fewer days after swearing in, the president was shot by an ex-national, Eligiusz Niewiętowski. In the trial, the suspect demanded the death punishment for his act, and as his origin he gave the state's distribution, which was the consequence of the actions of the leftist people of Piłsudski and Narutovich. His last words in front of the firing squad were: "The death for Poland, which Piłsudski loses".
Another socialist, Stanisław Wojciechowski, became the fresh president. Despite a crucial individual commitment, a major political crisis continued in order to scope a settlement between the fighting parties. It was inability to make a permanent government. Further cabinets collapsed: Władysław Sikorski, Vincent Witos, Władysław Grabski and Alexander Skrzyński. In early 1926, the interior situation in Poland was inactive not normalized. This was utilized for his purposes by the puppet Joseph Piłsudski.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
