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I.Poland’sForeignPolicyBefore1989
bleofchangingthesituation.ThatchangecameintheaftermathofWorldWarI,
whoseconsequencessimultaneousdefeatsfortheGermanandAustrianEmpires
andtheoutbreakoftheBolshevikRevolutioninRussiageneratedsuchcircum-
stancesinternationallyascouldpermitthenationsofCentralandSouthernEurope
toregaintheirfreedom.BothPolishpoliticalthoughtandthepoliticalgroupings
activeinthepartitionedterritorieshadinfactbeenawaitingtheemergenceofthis
kindofsituation,andsoweremoderatelywellpreparedwhenitultimatelybegan
totakeshape.Forexample,Poleshadmadeclearjusthowimportantanissueinde-
pendenceremainedasJózefPiłsudskipreparedandtookcommandofhisarmed
Legions,inthiswayestablishinganembryonicPolisharmyfromthemiddleyears
ofthe20thcentury,srstdecade.
1.THEFOREIGNPOLICYOFTHESECONDREPUBLICOFPOLAND
ThedayWorldWarIended11November1918wasthedayindependent
Polandbeganonceagain.Itwasalsothedayonwhichthehelmwastakenbythe
charismaticand(unusuallyenoughinaPolishleader)strategicallyinsightfulJózef
Piłsudski,whowasreleasedfromhisinternmentatthefortressinMagdeburg.
Acoupleofdayslater,PiłsudskicalledtheSecondRepublicofPoland,srstgov-
ernmentintobeing.Seenfromtoday,svantagepoint,thescaleofthetasksfacing
theauthoritiesinthenewly-rebornstateseembeyondanyone,sgrasp:thebuild-
ingofastateadministrationandinstitutionsfromscratch;integrationintoasingle
wholeofsocietiesandeconomiesthathadexistedformorethanacenturywithin
theframeworkofthreeentirelydifferentstateandevencivilisationalsystems;
thecreationofanarmy,aneducationalsystemandinfrastructure;andsoon.
Inthefaceofallthis,thekeyrsttaskforbothdomesticandforeignpolicywas
tosecurethenewstatewithinpermanentbordersthatwouldreceiveinternational
recognition.IfthePolishstatehadarisendenovo"atthecost”ofthethreepartition-
ingpowers,whilenewstateswerecreatedaroundit,thedeterminationandxingof
thebordershadtomeetwithseriousresistanceinoursurroundings.Theborderofthe
PolandthatwasbeingfoundedinthewakeofWorldWarIwasinfactmobile,and
wasquestionedfromalmostallpossiblequarters.However,atthepriceofthelives
ofPolishsoldiersandinsurgents,aswellaswithmajoreffortsonthepartofdiplo-
mats,Polandmanagedtoexpandtooccupyanareathatwasquiteextensive,given
thefar-from-favourablecircumstances.Thecountryinfactcoveredsome388,000
km2ofland,makingitthesixthlargestinEurope.Thewesternborderwasinpart
establishedattheParisPeaceConference(thankstoagreatcontributionmadeby
theleaderofthePolishNationalCommittee,RomanDmowski),inpartalsothrough
theWielkopolska(GreaterPoland)UprisingofDecember1918February1919,
threeuprisingsinSilesia(thelastinMay1920),andplebiscitesheldintheVarmia
andMasuriaregionsinAugust1920thatdidnotturnoutfavourablyforPoland.