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I.Poland’sForeignPolicyBefore1989
easternandwesternborderswereconcerned.defacto,thetwopowershadnotcome
totermswithPoland,sresurrectionanddidnothingtoconcealtheirintentionsto
get"their”landsback.Ingeopoliticalterms,PolandfounditselfbetweenGermany
andRussia,i.e.betweenpowerswhosevectorsofexpansionconfrontedeachother,
andforwhomthewholeareaofPolandandCentralEuroperepresentedaeldof
rivalryandaresourcethatmightbeusedinsatisfyingterritorialambitions.From
theoutset,then,diplomacyintheSecondRepublicwasexistentialincharacter.It
revolvedaroundthedefendingofPoland,sveryexistence,itsphysicalpersistence
inthefaceofgrowingunfavourableandrevisionisttendenciescharacterisingthe
foreignpoliciesofthetwoneighbouring(andofcoursevastlystronger)powers.
Intheinterwarperiod,Warsawsoughttoensuresecurityforitselfinthreeways:
throughallianceswithselectedstates,bytakingadvantageofthesystemofcol-
lectivesecurityputinplacebytheLeagueofNations,andbyarrivingatsuitable
congurationsofrelationswiththetwostatesregardedasactivelyhostile.
Thealliancepolicywasrstandforemostmanifestedinthe19February1921
signingofapoliticalagreementwithFrance,thisalsoincludingasecretmilitary
clausedetailingthetwostates,behavioursshouldexternalaggressiontakeplace.
Augmentedmanytimes,thisalliancewithFrancelayattheveryheartoftheSecond
Republic,ssecuritypolicy,notwithstandingdoubtsonbothsidesastoitsrealvalue,
notleastinconnectionwiththepoliciesactuallybeingpursuedbytheparties(as
whenPolanddoubtedFranceoverLocarno,whileFrancehadqualmsoverthenon-
aggressionpactsignedwithGermany).Theuncertaintiesattimesassumedmore
tangibleforms,aswhentheFrenchmilitarymission(presentinWarsawsincethe
timeofthewarwiththeBolsheviks)waswithdrawnfromPolandin1932.An
importantelementofthepolicyofseekingallieswasputinplaceon3March1921,
aConventiononDefensiveAlliancebeingconcludedwithRomania.Thisagain
hadamilitaryclauseprovidingthatonecountryshouldcometotheother,saidin
theeventofanyaggressiononthepartofathirdstate.Thisagreementwasactu-
allystrengthenedbyvirtueofaSeptember1922amendment.Alas,duetotheclash
overZaolzie,andagainstthebackgroundofamoregenerallackofmutualtrust(in
thepartner,sconvictionasregardspolicyandeveninitscapacitytosurvivewhat
wasthenanunfavourableinternationalclimate),itdidnotprovepossibletosignan
agreementofthesamekindwithCzechoslovakia.
FavouringtheGermancaseattheParisPeaceConference,theUnitedKingdom
displayedalong-termlackofinterestinarrivingatanysecurityagreementwith
Poland.
Leavingasidethealliance-typeagreements,Polishdiplomacyalsoenteredinto
anumberofpost-1918friendshipagreementswithsuchcountriesbeyondEurope
asTurkey,Iran,ChinaandtheUSA.
Speakingupforthepermanenceofthepost-warstatusquo,andforthestability
oftheinternationalorderderivingfromVersailles,Polandworkedtostrengthen
theLeagueofNationssystem,particularlyinitsrstperiodofexistence(before