Kingdom of Poland TL

Tal Shiar

AT THE BEGINNING
(7th October 1918 - 16th February 1919)

7th October 1918 - Polish Regency Council proclaimed independence from Germany as Kingdom of Poland.

12th October 1918 - Regency Council seized control over Polish Army.

20th October 1918 - Lvov joined newly formed Poland.

31st October 1918 - Tarnow was seized by Polish soldiers.

1st November 1918 - West Ukrainian People's Republic attacked Lwow.

4th November 1918 - Regency Council was reorganized. Delegates from major Polish parties (Polish Socialist Party - PPS, National Democracy - SN, Polish People's Party - PSL, National Independence Party - SNN, Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia and Cieszyn Silesia - PPSD) were included in newly formed Council.

5th November 1918 - Stefan Bastyr and Janusz de Beaurain performed the first Polish Air Force flight "for king and country".

8th November 1918 - Józef Piłsudski and Kazimierz Sosnowski were liberated from Magdeburg prison.

10th November 1918 - Józef Piłsudski arrived in Warsaw where he accepted mission for formation of new, coalition government (PPS-PSL-PPSD-SNN-SN); control over Galicia was formally given by Austria to Poland.

13th November 1918 - Polish Socialist Party reluctantly accepted Piłsudski proposal about cooperation with Regency Council.

17th November 1918 - Józef Piłsudski enacted universal suffrage (for any citizen above 18), eight-hour workday and legalization of trade unions.

21st November 1918 - Sejm and Senat were created as bicameral Polish parliament.

22th November 1918 - Ukrainian forces were repelled from Lwow.

8-11th December 1918 - XX Congress of the Polish Socialist Party. Józef Piłsudski was chosen as chief of the party. Cooperation with Regency Council was confirmed.

15th December 1918 - Jóżef Piłsudski criticized German rule over Greater Poland. There will be no peace until oppressive German rule over Greater Poland and Polish historical lands ends. We will liberate our comrades in Germany even if their republican government will oppose this!

16th December 1918 - Józef Piłsudski supported Polish radical organizations in German republic.

18th December 1918 - Borders' Guard was created in Poland.

19th December 1918 - People's Guard in Greater Poland received unofficial support from Piłsudski in arms, volunteers and money.

23rd December 1918 - Vistula Flotille was established.

26th December 1918 - Ignacy Paderewski arrived in Poznań despite ban against him taken by German police. He was greeted by thousands of Poles.

27th December 1918 - German police tried to arrest Ignacy Paderewski but failed when People's Guard stopped them. In hotel Bazar when Paderewski stayed Poles hanged Polish, American, French and British flags. As response some hot-headed German police officer ordered to take them down and burn. This was recorded on photograph by Paderewski. People's Guard launched uprising rallying Poles for fight against Germans.

28th December 1918 - Major Stanisław Taczak unified uprising's forces into Polish Army in Greater Poland.

29th December 1918 - Piłsudski began military draft in Poland.

30th December 1918 - Poznań was fully controlled by Poles.

3rd January 1919 - French and British press publicized photographs of German policemen burning Entente's flags in Poznań rallying support for Poles.

4th January 1919 - Temporary Government of Posen Province was created in Poznań.

5-28th January 1919 - successes of Polish uprising in Greater Poland.

11th January 1919 - mandatory employee insurance was enacted in Poland by Piłsudski.

1th January 1919 - Poland was invited to peace conference in Versailles.

4th February 1919 - German counteroffensive in Greater Poland began.

14th February 1919 - battle of Bereza occurred. Beginning of the Polish-Bolshevik War.

16th February 1919 - Trewir ceasefire was signed by Germans and Poles in Greater Poland.
 

Tal Shiar

THERE WERE SOME POLES

(16th February 1919 - 26th December 1919)

16th February 1919 - Agrarian Reform in Poland started by Piłsudski decree who fulfiled one of major Polish Socialist Party and Polish People's Party's proposal. It divided all estates greater than 150 hectares (300 hectares in Eastern Poland) into smaller arts of land distributed to local landless peasants with compensation for former landlords in 50% of market price. Reform started transition of ownership from large estates ruled by nobles into smaller ones governed by peasants who previously worked in serfdom. Criticized by some right-wing parties as steal or introduction of communism it granted thousands hectares of land to people who once lived in poverty. Loans were established to landless peasants in order to help them in buying new land.

18th February 1919 - Polish Social Democratic Party of Silesia and Cieszyn joined Polish Socialist Party while National Independence Party joined Roman Dmowski's National Democracy consolidating two opposing blocs. While Socialists supported Piłsudski ideas and wanted to creation of stable country with developed social welfare programs, National Democracy advocated reduction of welfare programs, creation of state composing from huge majority of Poles, polonization of minorities and strenghtening role of Catholic Church in Poland.

20th February 1919 - first drafts of Constitution for Kingdom of Poland (Ustawa Zasadnicza Królestwa Polskiego) were presented before Sejm and Senate by Józef Piłsudski and Regency Council. After some amendments it was approved by both houses of parliament two weeks later. Ustawa Zasadnicza reformed Poland into hereditary parliamentarian monarchy with dynasty chosen by Sejm and Senate (now called as National Council) as the most legitimate for Polish throne and most patriotic. One of the Piłsudski's greatest successes was creation autonomous states for biggest minorities in Polish kingdom such as Silesians (still beyond Polish borders), Byelorussians, Ukrainians (so-called Galician Autonomous Republic) and Lithuanians (Autonomous Republic of Lithuania). Another success for socialist parties was transition into secular country with equality of religion, freedom of speech, press and thought together with gender and race equality. In addition gun restrictions were liberalized in order to strenghten Polish nation in state of war.

21st February 1919 - Polish Women's Party was officially registered (it existed as Womens' Movement from late 1918 and gained some attention from Polish women) in Warsaw by 33-years old Zofia Moczydłowska who allied herself with Piłsudski faction of Polish Socialist Party and became strong activist for womens' right. She became strong advocate for women's rights movement and personally initiated several pro-equality organizations in Poland opposing conservative politicians and some of Catholic priests.

22nd February 1919 - Białystok was officialy annexed by Polish Kingdom as autonomous voivodenship of Podlasia.

24th February 1919 - pro-Polish demonstrations in Cieszyn occurred but were suppressed by Czechoslovakian police which opened fire and killed several people. As response for killing Polish citizens Polish Army entered city and disarmed local garrison seizing control over town.

5th March 1919 - first parliamentarian elections occurred in Poland. From 450 seats in Sejm and 100 seats in Senate Polish Socialist Party (PPS) achieved 198 and 42 seats, National Democracy (ND) achieved 175 and 38 seats, Polish People's Party (PSL) gained 50 and 9 seats, Polish Women's Party (PPK) gained 27 and 9 seats. Regency Council appointed Józef Piłsudski as new Prime Minister of Poland as head of coalition government between PPS, PSL and PPK. Zofia Moczydłowska was named as Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs.

11th March 1919 - Secret negotations between Poles (Ignacy Paderewski, August Zaleski), French, British and White Russians occurred. Denikin and Piłsudski sides were forced to cooperate during anti-Bolshevik campaign in exchange for military and financial support from Entente Powers to both nations. Hundreds of tanks, artillery guns, armoured vehicles and trucks were sent to both countries fighting against Red Russia.

30th March 1919 - Polish Army started successful offensive against Ukrainians in Galicia - during next month West Ukrainian People's Republic ceased to exist and in their boundaries Galician Autonomous Republic with capital city in Lwów was established as part of Kingdom of Poland. First elections for Galician Council were won by Polish Galician Socialist Party which achieved 54 of 120 seats and entered coalition with centrist Agrarian Party (12 seats). Other parties in parliament were: Ukrainian National Party (36 seats) and Ukrainian Socialist Party (18 seats).

19th April 1919 - Vilnus was seized by Polish Army.

21th April 1919 - Polish-Lithuanian Autonomous Republic was established with capital city in Vilnus. Its parliament - Sejm composed from 53 Polish activist gathered into Polish National Party, 48 politicians in Lithuanian Agrarian Party and 18 delegates from Jewish Party. Vilnus' Sejm voted for declaration of war against Bolsheviks and decided to sent volunteers to Polish Army in their fight against Red Russia.

2nd May 1919 - Henry S. Gibson arrived in Warsaw as new Ambassador of the United States in Poland. He was greeted by crowds in Danzig and personally invited by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Irena Kosmowska. During years he spent in Poland he became strong advocate of warm Polish-American relationships which resulted in several trade agreements and strenghtening economical ties between two countries. Thanks to his support American-Polish Construction Company was established in Warsaw and became one of major contractors for Piłsudski government in infrastructure and factory construction during 1920s. While American investors viewed Poland as perfect place to expand their influences, Polish government wanted modernize country within twenty years.

5th May 1919 - Roman Catholic newspaper Przegląd Katolicki published article which praised gender equality in Poland saying that equality between men and women is right according to religious laws in the Church and average Catholic should support this idea.

13th June 1919 - Henry Morgenthau Senior, American businessman and diplomat born in Jewish Bavarian family famous for his report about Armenian genocide arrived in Poland together with several American diplomats sent by Wilson government in order to judge situation of Jews in Poland. During next months he met with thousands of Polish Jews and officials including Prime Minister Józef Piłsudski, members of government and Regency Council. Piłsudski forced several newspapers to wrote positive articles about him praising his views and activity. This effected in highly positive Morgenthau Report published in October in which diplomat stated that Jews killed by Poles openly supported Bolsheviks, wanted destruction of Poland and free, capitalist world leading to strenghtening Polish-American bonds.

1st August 1919 - After conquest of Mińsk Polish Army General Józef Haller announced rise of Byelorussian People's Republic and established local Sejm and Senate which - dominated by pro-Polish activists petitioned to Prime Minister Piłsudski for creation of autonomous Byelorussian People's Republic within borders of Polish Kingdom.

14th August 1919 - beginning of Silesian Uprising after strike of Polish coalminers was brutally supressed by German police. During next two weeks Katowice, Mysłowice and several other cities fell into their but were later bloody seized by Freikorps. Brutality of German volunteer army shocked Western Powers as thousands of civillians were attacked and killed to enforce order in rebelling province causing organization of International Silesian Committee intended to take power in Upper Silesia until plebiscite of December 1919.

26th December 1919 - Denikin's forces won bloody battle of Moscow against Bolshevik forces. Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and many others Red Russian politicians were executed during next week which was named as Bloody Week in Moscow due to brutality of White Russians in supressing all left-wing dissenters and Jews. Red Russian forces shattered after this battle and were finally defeated few months later.
 
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